I have read a lot of posts online, mostly on blogs, concerning the use of Ancestry family trees. Both professional and non-professional genealogists are split on whether these should be used as "working" trees, or be a completely accurate tree (ie: every single person documented with sources out of the gate).
I personally am of the mind that my tree is a work in progress. Both on my Blanchard side of the family, and the Goyette side, I can trace my tree back quite far. I have found out this information through others who have the documentation to prove it. I don't yet, but am working on it, one person at a time.
I see my Ancestry tree as a place to work, adding sources as I find them. The final product is what I add to my genealogy program on my computer. I update the online tree at Ancestry, so that it is as accurate as possible, when I find new information that either proves or disproves a fact/theory.
I do wish their was a place on my tree to add a note stating that this is a working tree, and that no one should take any person as "proven" until I can confirm sources. But, I think anyone who is serious about their family history will see this. There will always be those who just copy people from one tree to another, willy nilly. You can't prevent them from doing this. They are not really interested in the stories of their family, but rather collecting people on their trees, like trophies.
It is very exciting to find that I have some pretty well known people on the Blanchard side of my family, but I am just as excited to find out the stories and facts about those every day people on my tree, like my Great Grandfather Nichols. As I have said before, the every day, ordinary people are the ones who worked hard to make this country what it is, and their stories are just as important as those who made a name for themselves.
How do you use your online tree?
I see my Ancestry tree as a place to work, adding sources as I find them. The final product is what I add to my genealogy program on my computer. I update the online tree at Ancestry, so that it is as accurate as possible, when I find new information that either proves or disproves a fact/theory.
I do wish their was a place on my tree to add a note stating that this is a working tree, and that no one should take any person as "proven" until I can confirm sources. But, I think anyone who is serious about their family history will see this. There will always be those who just copy people from one tree to another, willy nilly. You can't prevent them from doing this. They are not really interested in the stories of their family, but rather collecting people on their trees, like trophies.
It is very exciting to find that I have some pretty well known people on the Blanchard side of my family, but I am just as excited to find out the stories and facts about those every day people on my tree, like my Great Grandfather Nichols. As I have said before, the every day, ordinary people are the ones who worked hard to make this country what it is, and their stories are just as important as those who made a name for themselves.
How do you use your online tree?
