Start Over or Verify Your Family Tree

[@WhatJanThinks]

Thanks!

[@GenealogyTV]

Hey Jan. I realize this is a late reply... but thanks for the Super Thanks!

[@JDsVlog51]

@@GenealogyTV I thought you did. 😀But I'm so glad for the Floating tree information. It's a big help! Thank you!

[@martast.john-anders6448]

I've been doing genealogy for about ten years and I realize when I go back to people I worked on years ago (besides having to correct newbie mistakes) that I didn't document my process as I evaluated and added records, nor did I document what facts I had that verified relationships, etc. I can't remember and then I end up doing it all over again LOL. So now I leave myself notes in the comments on each person as I go, like "Names of all the children came from grandfather's will" or "This record says A but that record says B; still researching to see which is correct." I especially want to make a note to myself about things that verify relationships that help connect one generation to the next. I do it in the public comments so anyone who visits my tree can see my process. It might help them or they might have info that will improve my tree. I also make notes on individual events in the lefthand column about the details in the sources, for instance the occupation listed, or that on the 1880 census this person was next door to that person. I like being able to see why I made these conclusions without having to open all the sources and re-examine them.

[@pegpowell2486]

This video has to make your top five list of most useful info. After 50 years of research, I decided it was time to do a clean-up of my tree. This method will make it so much easier and, I learned more of what Ancestry can do, that I didn’t know about. Thank you for sharing your wealth of experience and knowledge with everyone.

[@darlenesye1609]

Yes Peg. This one for sure and the Trifecta video.

[@morganmckibbon4241]

I keep track of my floating branches by using a custom tag “Floating”. I apply to the person at the bottom of that branch or what I consider to be the anchor. That was I can find the floating people / branches by just searching for that tag.

[@GenealogyTV]

Great idea!

[@AncestryAimee]

Love that idea!

[@joiuyeda9792]

I'm totally 'stealing' this idea! 💡

[@RuthI118]

What a great idea. Thank you!

[@JoshuaRieth]

Smart

[@mirandabailey5700]

I have been revisiting older entries in my tree, shocked at how many times "Ancestry Member Trees" is a "source" for some of them. Removing those and replacing them with reliable sources. I have been verifying direct line and collaterals I did detailed research on. I love the "Verified" sticker!

[@susanflewelling4978]

It's a nightmare- I don't even look at the other trees now.

[@arlindanelson7928]

OMGosh! Clean-Up, Clean-Up, Clean-Up! Connie you are a lifesaver, really. I am learning sooooo much from you. I called myself verifying and deleting duplicates recently. It was okay but you have made it great for me by showing other things to do. Adding tags or emojis are superb. You can look at them and know the status. Not sure if I have any floaters or how to check. I am smiling big time knowing I don't have to start over. Thanks a billion for sharing, showing and explaining these techniques. Big Hugs to you. I appreciate you.

[@GenealogyTV]

You’re feeding my ego with all the kind words. 😀 Thank you.

[@cruznk9]

Most of my floating trees are for DNA matches. I have customised tags for each kit that I manage or have access to, and I use that tag on the match's profile. I also include a weblink back to the match list and in the match list I use the 'Connect to tree' function. These allow me to quickly jump between the match list and the tree. The tags help me to find all of the floating trees for each kit.

[@deborahwingard776]

I verify eveything BEFORE I put it in my lineage! I'm Jamestowne Society, DAR, Dames of New Netherlands, etc. I've been doing this for 40 years! Do NOT START OVER!

[@shuttlepilot]

All of these years, how did I not know about adding a weblink?! 🤦‍♀I so enjoy your channel, and the ease with which you approach each topic. You are always so clear and unconvoluted and practical. Thank you for all of the time that you take in producing such helpful and high quality presentations.

[@GenealogyTV]

Ah thanks. I appreciate that.

[@poppletop8331]

I started my tree 15yrs ago, if I haven't seen the records with my own eyes...it doesn't get added. I have managed to find a direct ancestry to Anthony Grey, 9th Earl Kent recently. Diligently checking & rechecking records is imperative.

[@sethwickham]

I chose to start over in a sense because I had a tree with 7,300 people and a huge chunk of that was very unverified. I did not delete the tree. I kept it and created a new one that I only built on definite sources. I used that when I connected to my DNA, and this is the tree I now use for connecting anything. Everything on there is verified. It doesn't go quite so far back, but it is proven.

[@alynnpichurko]

The verification emoji tip was exceptionally helpful. I manage 30+ trees so this will help so much!

[@SuperAndreagt]

I too plan to continue the verification & clean up my tree in this manner. I was all over the place trying to verify my parents and the whole group which left me all over the place. I plan to do it in a more productive way.

[@GenealogyTV]

It's a never ending process but worth the effort. Thanks for your continued support Andrea.

[@beckilukitsh7046]

This is an extra step I take ... I use the tages too... but so I can see I will leave a comment of :DONE: in the comment part and then you see the red note .... helps me alot !

[@AncestryAimee]

Love the web link idea for floating trees! One other idea is to put a tag “floating tree” on the first person of a floating tree so you can find them through that. Thanks for another great video!!

[@GenealogyTV]

Great idea Aimee Cross.

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi ancestry.. how are you doing today 👋👋

[@cherylmedlin530]

I love this video! I have been following a similar process for about a year now to verify every person in my tree and use a green check mark emoji in the suffix field. Just a note that I have done for floaters - I created a custom tree tag of "Floating" and I add that to the person I am disconnecting. That way I can search for Tree Tags, then select "Floating" and see them all in a list. It's worked really well.

[@GenealogyTV]

Love it.

[@darlenesye1609]

Awesome job Connie. I have been anticipating doing the Do Over that peeps were doing in 2014. I didn't do it yet bcuz I was thinking about the 'details in my process'. I had already come up with doing my tree over again using my Legacy Family Tree pedigree as source but pretty much the same as yours. I'm going to renumber my RINs in Legacy, reserving 1-127 for the first seven generations but was still undecided about all the collateral peeps. This video has helped me decide that I will be bringing the collaterals in as they come and they will get the next available RIN beginning with 128. Some of your viewers have given me a bunch of other details I hadn't thought of. Thank You So Much!

[@heatherskoda5663]

This has been on my mind a lot lately as I've made many mistakes over the years in building my tree and was seriously debating starting over and fresh. This approach seems much easier and better. Thanks for sharing!

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad I could help!

[@carlaporath7076]

My goodness this is a much needed video.....I can't wait to begin verifying my ancestors using these steps. Thank you

[@GenealogyTV]

You are so welcome!

[@hemichallenger3643]

Always loads of perfect beginner level and advanced level techniques. I certainly appreciate it. One other item to "help". I uploaded my tree to MyHeritage website. And they listed some 600 errors. Now they won't give you all of the errors, just a few. But correct those few, re-download the tree and re-upload it again. Or pay for a membership and plow thru the errors. Which reminds me I paid for one and haven't been back. Sigh, you could literally make this a full time job. Side note, thanks to you I have made many connections in my tree that if I hadn't used your tips, wouldn't have made otherwise. Even my nemesis, color matching haha. I have placed 2 adopted cousins in my tree, they had no idea their "roots". Might have been a let down I wasn't royalty or rich lol. I placed a DNA cousin that by all accounts and information is "not related". Some Jerry Springer moments in there. Go ahead and say it with me "he WAS the father of your grandmother". LOL I laugh every time. So if you are curious ever, while resting your eyes, you are truly doing great things.

[@JPaulHawthorne]

I like your green circle emoji concept for quickly identifying verified relationships in the pedigree view. I wonder if it will affect downloading your GEDCOM and uploading it to another site or program.

[@darlenesye1609]

J Paul Hawthorne please let us know if you export and what results you get.

[@mbrakes23]

love the web link tip. did not know that one.

[@vickiejones7085]

I love this video, so much information to help cleanup and get things more organized in my tree. Thank you so much for posting this video. I learn so much from watching your videos.

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi Vickie... How are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@charlesdavis2165]

I'm so happy to have found your video before I begrudgingly performed a do-over. There were so many dupes, especially with multiple relatives with the same name; records that should have belonged to Sr. instead of III, etc., I was convinced the only way to clean everything up was to start over. Your suggestions confirmed what I wanted to do all along. Clean up the tree slowly but surely. The "verified" tag is pure genius!

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes!

[@WhatJanThinks]

I had asked you about floating families a few weeks ago. And this was so helpful!!!!! Thank you so very much. Sincerely, Jan

[@joelwolski]

So many useful nuggets of info! Love that emoji hack. Never occured to me that it was even possible. I've been using special extended characters to mark things like clergy, war vets, immigrants, etc, but it can get confusing trying to remember what strange squiggly line means what. I noticed that you have some family names in ALL CAPS and was wondering what you use that to signify. I use ALL CAPS for given names of direct ancestors so I can easily identify them in search etc.

[@GenealogyTV]

The all capped names is a holdover from the old way of doing things. I just haven’t gotten through my entire tree and removed all of the all capped names.

[@carlaoflynnweems9271]

Thank you so much. I am new to your channel, and I have been thinking if I should stop where I am and go back and start making sure I have the correct info entered for my family. It is a bit of a challenge for me, as I have many relatives on both sides of my family which many I do know fairly well, but when it comes to siblings, that is like a whole new situation. 4 half brothers and 2 half sisters. Trying to find the correct fathers has been quiet the challenge. I thought I should just stop trying to push forward and cleanup what I have and then push on. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos and when I can becoming a "member". You are appreciated by all and especially those of us that do not know all that much lol.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks for the comment Carla. I hope this video helped you. I would suggest trying to verify what you have so far and mark them as verified so you know where to pick up next. Use DNA to help solve your identify those fathers if you can. If you have direct male descendants use Y-DNA too, if you can. I have several episodes on Y-DNA. Start with this one.. FamilyTreeDNA: Y-DNA Test (The Father's Line) Part 2 of 3 - Genetic Genealogy 2019 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnLPcqGogsSFnsk

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi carlaofly.. how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@dlorah53]

I use emojis as I go along. I use a different symbolr for each branch and a checkmark if the person is complete. When downloading to FTM and other software programs they come out as question marks. Seems I confuse the program, lol

[@sabrinajohnson1410]

I love your information on your genealogy. On my tree I have some many multiple person on my tree with the same name. I didn’t realize that was happening when I first started doing my research. Thank for you help.😀

[@GenealogyTV]

My pleasure

[@sheppeyescapee]

I made the mistake of starting all over a while back. Big mistake! I deleted 11 years worth of research back in 2016. Yikes. I'm still finding stuff again that I had back then. I'm currently going through my current tree and updating or correcting. I've got my tree on Ancestry and MyHeritage so I run my tree through the consistency checker on MyHeritage and if it finds anything I'll correct those where needed.

[@robinphelps6991]

Perfect timing. Was just looking to verify and clean up the first (smallest) of four trees. Wanted to do it before I got too far into it. Then my habits will be better going forward. Thank you.

[@bv2858]

Thank you for another great video. I've been thinking about doing something like this, and now I have a lot better idea of what to do. Lots of cleaning up.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sueballinger1666]

I made the mistake of accepting every tree out there until I watched your videos. My tree is BAD, but this will provide me a way to inusre the information is good. Thanks, you are the best.!!

[@GenealogyTV]

I bet it is not as bad as you think it is. Some of that information will be correct... Thus the verification process will help you feel GOOD about your tree again.

[@wiredachs]

You are such a kind person.😊

[@Petra3067]

Very useful information. Thank you

[@skip2mylu-stories]

Great info - adding a web link so you don't loose the possible relationship! Thanks so much!

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi skip.. how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

How is everything over there..

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hello how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@lizhaydon2250]

Weeks and months and years I've spent. Thank you for the video

[@debichandler126]

This video how so much needed information, thank you!! I will be implementing just about everything you mentioned!

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tahneeandrew2146]

I almost skipped this one due to the name. (I thought you were going to recommend starting over!) Glad I didn't skip it. Thanks for making it seem relatively simple to verify your way up a tree. Now, it doesn't sound as overwhelming as before.

[@GenealogyTV]

Go for it. 😁

[@shelleyjohnson5753]

This was a great video! I was stuck, not sure what to do next and this led me in a direction that has me now focused and directed. I am cleaning up my Ancestry tree and from there I hope to more easily be able to identify areas where I am missing data. It also gives me a great starting point for working on my desktop tree, which is more in depth and personalized. Thank you for all you do and your sharing of your experience.

[@GenealogyTV]

Fantastic. Thanks for supporting the channel!

[@BloodSweatandGears]

THis was great information. I had to "detach" the parents from my great-grandmother as I beleived it was incorrect and no sources to verify. So the weblink worked for me. I also did a checkmark emoji for my verified ancestors. makes it much easier for guests to trust my work, as those have ample documentation to back it up.

[@GenealogyTV]

Awesome

[@SwearMY]

I love the idea of the green dot. What a cool idea.

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi swear.. how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@debs5528]

Ok, this video is MEGA helpful! I feel a little less overwhelmed about all my messiness and mistakes and now have a solid mapped-out plan for getting it all organized and fixed. It's funny how another's ideas and tips can sometimes whack me upside the head and hit a homer. This method did just that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@GenealogyTV]

You’re welcome, welcome, welcome. 😂

[@wiredachs]

You just said exactly what is in my head right now, LOL. 😊

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi. Deds.. how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@suzannechalifoux8587]

Thank you so much for this video and information, I learned a few things! Thanks again

[@ridif]

Loved this video. Had just started this process and the advice helped. Am wondering how to eliminate duplicate listing of info on FACTS column on Ancestry ?? It doesn't allow edit on some events. like " death of mother " " birth of sister " which appear 3 or more times identically.

[@GenealogyTV]

If you're seeing Death of Mother... that is not a fact from that ancestor. You have family events turned on. In the Facts column (in the profile view) click the filter at the top of the column and turn off family events. If you're seeing those events 3 times " birth of sister " which appear 3 or more times identically." it is because you have multiple events in that sisters profile. Go there and fix that. I should do another video. Can I use your question?

[@lindaharwood3564]

@@GenealogyTV On a related branch, my tree is showing family members both as full siblings and half siblings, and I'm not sure how to unhook those. We know the PREVIOUS generation had a bunch of families with maternal deaths and remarrying, so yes, to half siblings for them, but NOT one generation ago. I suspect a lot of these probably came from 'family histories' rather than fact-based research, and I'm determined to try to get our stuff as fact-based as possible.

[@robinwilliams73]

These are great tips. Thanks for the video!

[@GenealogyTV]

You bet!

[@juliehenthorne590]

This came at the perfect time for me. I unlinked my big tree and have started over. My intent is to keep the big tree and will use it as a resource. However, I have a 3 great grandparent with a probable NPE. I feel so confused because the part of my tree has frequent criss crosses. The tree tags with hypothesis or been verified will be helpful. I also have greater control over color coding in FTM. Essentially, I would like my tree color coded to match my Ancestry DNA dots. I'll stop now as I'm running on. But, thank you, you've gotten ideas started.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Julie. Yes... I wish Ancestry would allow us to color code like FTM does.

[@ladydirtold2371]

Thank you! I redid my tree once but only had a few hundred (was just leaning Ancestry). But I've been wanting to verify so I don't have mistakes and did NOT want to start over with over 20k people!

[@GenealogyTV]

You can do it!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you... I really appreciate the comment.

[@deborahtanner354]

Great information! I was thinking about starting over but this is a much better idea.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ervinn7746]

Will a green circle emoji for verification sync to Family Tree Maker?

[@GenealogyTV]

That's a good question, I have not tried it. Let us know if you give it a go.

[@vickiellisorlemere4369]

Thank you for this video Connie! It has come at a time when I am trying to decide how to get restarted in my family search. I have alot of info on paper stuck in boxes and files that are not on my family tree. What method would you use to work all of that info into my family tree program? My thoughts have been to go through the boxes and file by name all the info there. Then start at the top person and just work through all info. After watching this video it all seems more doable now.

[@MerryLucious]

I build a lot of floating branches in my separate 'quick and dirty' tree when I am trying to discover how they're related. I mark those matches two ways when I am not able to discover the MRCA. First, I use a custom tag from the Tree Tags area that I named "dead end". Is use this when I'm not able to find that family connection. I add the 'dead end' tree tag to the DNA Match person page in the tree. Second, I have a custom group I use for the match profile page. I created a group named "dead end". I use the same color for both of these functions. That way, when I scan down the list of shared matches I can quickly see who I've worked on and which ones were "dead ends". Lastly, I also add a web link to the DNA match profile on their page in my quick and dirty tree. This allows me to quickly bring up their match page from their floating branch.

[@GenealogyTV]

Great strategy Mary!

[@elainearmstrong5145]

I capitalized the last names of my direct ancestors. I noticed you have some cap & some not. For what reason do you use this?

[@GenealogyTV]

I'm slowly removing the all caps. It's a holdover from back in the day when we use to cap surnames to find them easier and identify them as a surname.

[@Colin56ish]

Cap the first names of proven Direct ancestors. Caps on the last names gets inherited by all the children.

[@Annette-ArtingIsAVerb]

This is great! Thank you, Connie. One question: When you delete a resource because its a duplicate, doesn't it come back again as a hint?

[@GenealogyTV]

Theoretically no... but I don't control what Ancestry does... so I reserve the right to be wrong. :)

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi. Annette . How are you doing today 👋👋👋👋

[@brendavallejo119]

Hi Connie, How do you link immediate family members on the right (father, mother, spouse, and siblings) if are mentioned in the source? Thank you.

[@GenealogyTV]

Hi Brenda. See this video at about 4:52 into it. I asked Crista Cowan at Ancestry a similar question. Long story short, some do and some don't. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmGlfJ-Vr6-ZaaM

[@JohnAllen-eh7rg]

Hi Brenda.. how are you doing today 👋👋👋

[@jillannholmes]

I love this video. So much information in a good chunk of time. I have been debating this exact topic in my head for a few weeks and I have decided to not start over. I think I just needed a bit more information before I made that decision. Thank you for that 'bit more information' to make that decision. Keep it up.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@saundrasmith9040]

Excellent help that was much needed to help me!! Thank you

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you!

[@rosiereal]

I find my family tree overwhelming because of adoptions, among other things. I've been taking a long break! This will help a lot as I get back into it.

[@GenealogyTV]

Go for it. One ancestor at a time.

[@lindadenton7431]

you may not get this but I looked on my ancestry for the layer tab to turn on all the hints and truelines and such but it is not there, is there a reason why? love your videos and so wish I could do join your academy but just can not cause of work and not working much.

[@GenealogyTV]

I’m not sure why. Contact Ancestry thru the support help menu. Thanks for watching.

[@SolidusSnapes]

Hey Constance. Love your videos. Have you done the BigY Test?

[@GenealogyTV]

No. I don't have a need right now.

[@any1butclinton]

Thanks for that weblink tip. I often lose the 'floaters'.

[@GenealogyTV]

Happy to help!

[@lorrier2475]

Thank you for the logical way to correct the tree on Ancestry...

[@GenealogyTV]

You bet!

[@PBMayor2]

If I have an image for the source, I input it into media on the event date.

[@tabathasteele7547]

I am having difficaulty doing verification because of the 1800 census only listing the head of households and then hash marks for family members.

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes that is a whole strategy in itself. If they didn’t move use the neighbors to help verify that you have the right record. You can also line up the hash marked with the children to see if they match what is expected.

[@davidbaker6875]

Love the Green dot emoji, very useful.

[@jeanksiazek9223]

Loved this video Connie, very informative. I sure do appreciate your videos. I am not sure where you copied that web link to connect the possible relationship between the parents of Joel Davis Jr. Thanks a bunch Connie.

[@hollywalker3132]

Connie for the life of my and lots of seaching I cannot find where the handsouts are? help holly

[@GenealogyTV]

Handouts for Channel Members are in the posts in the COMMUNITY TAB on the KZbin Channel. Once there, scroll down, look for EARLY RELEASE + HANDOUT. Sometimes you need to CLICK READ MORE to see the HANDOUT LINK. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. If you are at the Support level, you need to upgrade to the Info Access level. To go to the Community Tab directly... kzbin.infoCommunity. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!

[@Idellphany]

Amazing amount of info! thank you!

[@Azoreanislandgirl64]

I am still new to all of this and in my experience I have noticed that ancestry places a what relationship is he/she is to you. When I click on it , it states that either they're not related or I must have deleted the person connected to them. In this point that the relationship status is incorrect and/or not related or verified. I might not be making sense of this question. 🤔 but I believe that I am researching record's and finding them and attaching them to the individual. How does the relationship under the ancestors name change?

[@GenealogyTV]

Hum... I wish I could see what you're talking about. In short, use the records to verify... use the family to help verify the records (like others showing up in the records). If you change something in the tree structure, then the relationship might change. If you're looking at DNA then the relationships are estimates, not real.

[@TRoth858]

I see that when you click on the name, and it shows sources, there are lines that goes to parents and children. Mine will go to sources, but it doesn't have lines to parents or children. How do I connect them? I love this video and am thrilled that I will be able to clean mine up before I get too far back. My mum's side is from England, so it's a bit more difficult to find. My dad was adopted, and from doing DNA, I have found my bio grandparents. So I'm now doing my dad's line, and have his adopted family as the floating family. They were/are not that great, but I don't want to lose the info on them. So I love the floating idea. Thank you so much for your video! Also, because my dad was adopted, he is not going to appear on any of their census records. How do I connect them so they're verified. I did DNA with ancestry, my heritage, and 23andMe. So I have DNA proof of connections.

[@GenealogyTV]

Stay tuned Tracy. Next weeks video might answer your question about connecting people. Great job finding those bio grandparents.

[@TRoth858]

@@GenealogyTV 🤗

[@lorrispencer7806]

I grew up in Olathe, Kansas!

[@anellawrites]

Holy crap. What a great video. I love the verified emoji idea. I’ve never heard of it before.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks. We're using MyTreeTags now instead of emojis because the tree tags are searchable in the tree view.

[@Elke_KB]

Thanks for the weblink tip!

[@juliansydney9819]

Great presenter

[@GenealogyTV]

I try, thank you.

[@maryallen6887]

Sometimes it’s so bad you just have to start over! My cousin had dozens of duplicates in her tree and recklessly added records without verifying them! It was hopeless.

[@GenealogyTV]

Understood.

[@larrymorin]

Excellent video…so many great tips.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tanyafurr2146]

Who do you contact at Ancestry if a member has incorrect relatives. Also if Ancestry has misspelled names. Can this be corrected?

[@GenealogyTV]

support.ancestry.com/s/?language=en_US

[@Colin56ish]

I contact the Tree owner, who may not be active still. Look at the last time they logged on. Some owners no longer hold current accounts, so they will not see your message. It is all Ancestry allows due to Privacy concerns.

[@darter475]

After watching this video I am going threw to verify my tree , Could someone please tell me how to unlink an accepted hint from the hints as I got two brother name the same born 2 years apart in my tree and I accepted the one hint ,

[@GenealogyTV]

Right now you can't undo an accepted hint. You can remove the source if there was one in the source column on the facts tab.

[@dorothydotson7154]

An example: I have a marriage fact and a marriage source (they are linked) but when you click the marriage source it doesn't link to the spouse in the family column. Also sometimes that happens with a census because the name might be different enough that the link isn't created to the correct child. Is there any way to create links from the source column to the family member column?

[@GenealogyTV]

I asked Ancestry the same question. Go to this video at 4:54 to see the answer. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmGlfJ-Vr6-ZaaM

[@cloisterene]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brycel1439]

Does MyHeritage have a similar feature for verification?

[@GenealogyTV]

That's a good question. I don't think so... but I'll have to look when I get a minute.

[@brycel1439]

@@GenealogyTV thank you Connie. I have started to use the I in suffix as my indicator as I can’t find anything else to use. At least it will clearly show me in the excel report I can produce from FTB.

[@catherinelamb8210]

Connie do you keep a home database too? You mentioned this ancestry tree was your "main tree."

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes, I back up to Family Tree Maker from time to time.

[@joefromravenna]

I had to go and erase a part of my tree on Ancestry. It was such a pain. I had to erase one person at a time working my way toward the present starting with the farthest generation and siblings of direct links. All because I discovered there were 2 couples with name of Andrew Tvrdony and his wife Eva. And the two Andrews died inside the 6 month window before our Eva remarried to a Thomas P., her second husband, whose marriage record lists Eva as widow of Andrew T. It was wild.

[@Whiteman2.0]

Someone help! My half uncle and full aunt were born in July and December of 1973. They share the same mother. What did I do wrong! I don’t have access to most records as I use a free account!

[@GenealogyTV]

Disconnect the relationship. On Ancestry, profile view, edit, edit relationships, remove relationships as needed.

[@truegapeach6968]

Thank you so much!

[@Vector_Ze]

t worries me that other people may use my unvalidated information, compounding any errors I may have made. I've maked every entry that hasn't been validated with "Actively Researching", but I don't know if people pay any attention to that.

[@GenealogyTV]

You could also use the unverified tree tag. Just a thought.

[@morganmckibbon4241]

I also use the Comments option for individual people in my tree to explicitly say that my information has or has not been verified, etc., or why I’ve included a particular piece of information on someone. Comments are public, Notes are private.

[@kathrynludrick4821]

Wow. That was great!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks

[@barbarawerfal9665]

I have an obituary from an ancestor naming a sister but I cannot find any hints for this person. All the other siblings I have verified through a letter that came down to me. How do I find this sister

[@GenealogyTV]

Search at the state level... try the surrounding counties too.

[@joefromravenna]

That emoji idea is great.

[@GenealogyTV]

I know, right?

[@jamesrobbins26]

Is there an email where I can send a question to. I would place my question here but it could be a long text.

[@GenealogyTV]

You can contact me through the contact tab at GenealogyTV.org... but if you do, please keep it brief. You'll get a faster response.

[@ceciliaseiber5507]

I’m having trouble because people have the wrong maiden name of my Aunt. My grandparents were married after she was born but all records state her last name as my grandfather. I’ve tried tell people the facts are wrong and I proved the logic of her not being his daughter. They still claim they are sticking to the census records. What do I do to prove the facts

[@GenealogyTV]

Create the best tree you can with evidence to prove it. Leave the other members alone. They'll figure it out eventually (if they're still living).

[@Colin56ish]

You don't have to prove they are wrong and you are right! So long as you know. Use the Suffix feature to record her as (Mrs. So and So) while using the correct birth name, then people will see the logic. You can also use the Life Story feature to explain your argument, record your source for a particular event, such as a war battle.

[@douglasw9624]

I think one of the best ways to avoid errors is looking at the tree carefully and using common sense. As an example, found info that an ancestor in VA was descendant from a large family in MA...that was a bit of a red flag so I started looking at the connection. To make it work, researchers had to push the date of birth of my ancestor to 1699...which wasn't likely because his 1781 will listed minor children. still haven't found his origins or parents but I know the connection to MA was faulty. Also be skeptical about family lore about famous people. Dont believe it until you confirm it. Have a lot of famous connections but never "buy it" till I cam prove it. One that turned out to be false was a family story of a connection to Mary Todd Lincoln...but after some research I realized the Todd family they were talking about was not related to MTL AND was only connected by marriage.

[@GenealogyTV]

"Dont believe it until you confirm it. " Amen.

[@domesdaytoamericaproject5268]

I am a new subscriber that has been conducting a one-name study of the surname PAYNE since 2000 when I launched a family DNA project with Relative Genetics (now on Family Tree DNA) with almost 700 participants. I could really use some guidance with “next steps” now that I feel that I am able to present the research in a book I’m calling “Domesday to America.” I have not been able to find help that I desperately need for the large project on my plate. With 20+ years of data to digest spanning 1000 years of history and a couple of individuals, who could be books in themselves, I really need a team of help! I would welcome suggestions please. What follows is a brief overview of what I am dealing with and some of the general interest aspects in the project. Though many genealogies have been published since the 1800s on various branches- all had claimed “no genealogical relationships between them.” Over the years I have managed to show this to be completely false. Our earliest Colonial Paynes had been cousins participating in a merchant/mariner trade network of inter-related families (largely from East Anglia and London). I have managed to get The History of Parliament to acknowledge the likelihood of this in regard to MP’s of the name, as early as the 15th-century by which time these 17th-c. branches had already separated. In the process, the records also revealed 14th-century relationships with the Chaucer family with our earliest “Payn” branch from Jersey then living in Hampshire, but also in possession of a quay and tenements on the Thames in Bishopsgate they’d held by 1276! Meanwhile, in Norfolk, in this period, we have the family of the MP John Payn (II)(d. 1402), a lifelong friend of the Poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Both had been young and favorite retainers of John of Gaunt. John went on to become Chief Butler of England under Henry IV. John seems to have been granted arms known today as belonging to the “Paynes of Itteringham” associated with Thomas Payne who married Elizabeth Boleyn, 1st cousin of Queen Anne. Among the wills of our Payne branch known as the “Paynes of Suffolk,” is found that of Henry Payne (d. 1568) of Nowton, who bequeathed his Chaucer MS (known today as the ELLESMERE MS) to a family friend. Henry was the first owner in the know. Provenance of the Ellesmere- but this earlier relationship between the poet with John Payn was not known previously. It is also interesting that both Chaucer and Gaunt were sons-in-law of another man named Payn- Payn de Roet. Primary records have revealed these links which tie them all together in various ways, often filling in gaps that wills have left us. All this was necessary to explain how they branched out from Jersey into Hampshire, London, Norfolk and Suffolk leaving distinct but related families behind by the 17th-c colonization period were the research has identified Paynes primarily from our East Anglian, Hunts. and London lines as setting our American shores. Unfortunately, by that time, their records are concerned with their immediate kin and seldom if ever mention a cousin or more distant relation. Therefore, past genealogies have deemed them unrelated.

[@halfdanthomsen2041]

I deleted mine today and will start over again

[@saraschneider6781]

Or option 3, keep the original tree, but start a second one from scratch. It can be very helpful reigning in Genealogy ADHD.

[@soozieevans7222]

I like using a green heart to let me know verification

[@mpaige7081]

Love you so much

[@JackMenendez]

The problem I have happens when we get back to pre-Civil War in the USA, and a similar problem happens with England to a certain extent. The problem is that many rely on documentation from the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution, which causes me to end up with an Ancestor married half a dozen times with a hundred offspring. There is no internal consistency in documentation. People want so bad to have a relative who fought in the Revolution. Just because to people have the same name does not make them related. It's even worse when we return to the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. In England, if one goes back far enough, they will find they are related to nobility, which is simply not true. It's forced errors in other people's ancestry trees corrupting the whole system. The challenge is that census records before 1820 only have the male landowner's name and a number for how many people lived on that land. Family stories posted on genealogy sites are interesting but not proof of anything. The best way to verify a family tree is to find cemeteries and go there. One can often find parts of the family you didn't know existed in graves next to your ancestor, pieces of the puzzle.

[@suzannemcclendon]

In regards to verifying one's tree, how does someone in my position verify their connection to their biological paternal line when there is nothing beyond an Ancestry DNA test that connects them to their paternal line? For me, legally, all documentation has me as the daughter of my mother's husband, who was my daddy. However, he wasn't my biological father. I apparently was a fling with a sailor. Daddy died before this came to light and neither of my biological parents would/will acknowledge the truth of my paternity. I can verify the relationships from Father to his ancestors, but have no clue how to document my connection to him/them.

[@GenealogyTV]

Suzanne, this sounds more complicated than I can answer here and would need some study into your DNA connections. In short, if you have close DNA connections to your bio fathers side, then that might be verification enough. It depends on the closeness of the connections.

[@suzannemcclendon]

@@GenealogyTV Thank you, Connie. I have a DNA match to him and to his brother, and to the daughter of one of my half-sisters. I also have a match to one of the father's 1Cs and several 2nd and 3rd cousins. So, there are several very close connections.

[@junebutka6571]

I send myself an email with the link to the ancestor I leave off with.

[@GenealogyTV]

Good idea June

[@dalewolf4020]

Why are 1/2 your surnames Capitalized?

[@GenealogyTV]

Dale, it's is a holdover from the old days when we use to Cap all Surnames. I just haven't removed the all caps on some names.