Have you built your Family Tree?

[radhak]

Ancestry.com is running a lot of high profile advts nowadays, I think to make sure they end up being the facebook of family trees, getting ahead of a number of other options (www.Geni.com, www.MyHeritage.com, etc). In an effort to do something for my parents to be happy about, I tried, but find all these have serious limitation in usability.

Ancestry does not allow any other 'relatives' other than father/mother/spouse/child. So if I don't know much about my grandfather, I still have to create him as 'Unknown' before I can create entries for my uncles / aunts. And there should be a faster way to enter data - one-at-a-time is too tedious.

My biggest problem is that there is no way of linking multiple trees : as I'd want to do if LOML creates her tree and I create mine, I'd want a simple link between these two (with our names being the 'key'). Geni offers to merge the two into a single tree, not the best option!

Ancestry does offer a lot of other features that might be useful once the basic data is captured : events, facts & Sources, pictures, video, audio, dates, etc. Could be interesting.

[dbhost]

On Linux I use a program called GRAMPS, that I can share out in a standard file format to create and share trees. The hard part for me was REMOVING a tree that was only related by a marriage now dissolved with no children. (No blood ties, no marriage to me means no family...)

[MilDoc]

I've used Ancestry.com to trace my family to the early 1800's and my wife's to the 1500's (darn Germans kept much better records than the English).

AFAIK, there is no way online to link 2 trees, but it can be done in the Family Tree Program on your computer. Also has a lot more options for joining 2 names if you suddenly discover they are the same person, etc.

One thing I don't like are the print options. Only wish there were more.

[woodturner]

The privacy policy of that site and similar sites is very concerning. These types of sites offer identity thieves names and associated birth dates, which are often difficult to obtain. Given a name and birthdate, identification can be "bootstrapped" to steal a person's identity.

These sites also refuse requests to delete information - a clear violation of privacy laws. Ironically, spammers have better privacy policies than they do.

I'm waiting for the lawsuits and criminal investigations...

[Pappy]

I've used Ancestry.com to trace my family to the early 1800's and my wife's to the 1500's (darn Germans kept much better records than the English).

My Great Grandmother on my Father's side was full blood Choctaw. Try finding records there. There were 2 women that married Griggs men. One the daughter of a chief the other a sister of another chief Both men were named John and I never could find out which one was my Grandmother. (Note: A tribal chief in the reservation era after the Trail of Tears was not a position of royalty or status, but was most often an appointment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.)

[Alex Franke]

For a long time we used Personal Ancestry File (free from the Mormon's), but I think it's not being developed anymore. Instead they're taking it online.

Lately we switched to GRAMPS, which dbhost mentioned.

I've used Ancestry.com to trace my family to the early 1800's and my wife's to the 1500's (darn Germans kept much better records than the English).

I was led to believe that many records were destroyed in Germany during WWII -- we couldn't go back much further than the late 1600's, and that was mainly from records passed down through the family. I suppose maybe it's time to try Ancestry.com again and see if I have better luck...

[SHADOWFOX]

Was able to uncover my ancestry all the way back to the 1500's in which we discovered that one of my ancestor served as a knight to King Philip II of Spain.

[radhak]

The privacy policy of that site and similar sites is very concerning. These types of sites offer identity thieves names and associated birth dates, which are often difficult to obtain. Given a name and birthdate, identification can be "bootstrapped" to steal a person's identity.

These sites also refuse requests to delete information - a clear violation of privacy laws. Ironically, spammers have better privacy policies than they do.

I'm waiting for the lawsuits and criminal investigations...

Timely warning, thanks! First thing i did was to remove such information that could be useful for ID theft; does not detract from the information I am sharing...

[jhart]

Have been working on family trees since the mid 80's and have traced relatives back to early 1300's. Additionally, Ancestry.com has another neat feature in their "publish" section. If you have photos in your tree, you can make a family tree photo album and have it bound if you desire, or just print it out.
I currently have about 8500+ people and 2600+ pictures on my tree. My wife does a seperate tree on her relatives and has probably about half of the number in mine. We also use "Family Tree Maker" program in our computers. It gives a lot more variety in printouts than Ancestry.com.

If you really get into it, it's very, very addicting!!!

[woodturner]

Timely warning, thanks! First thing i did was to remove such information that could be useful for ID theft; does not detract from the information I am sharing...

That's a great idea. I can't think of a reason someone would need to know more than the year of birth, for example. Is there any reason day and month are needed to track geneology?

Names are easy to get, addresses are also easy to get. It's the connecting everything together - name and exact birth date, for example - that is often more difficult, but geneology sites help the "bad guys" with this.

On the privacy issue, their argument is that their users are posting the information and that they are therefore not responsible. However, users are posting information they have no right to post - like birth dates of living individuals.

[radhak]

That's a great idea. I can't think of a reason someone would need to know more than the year of birth, for example. Is there any reason day and month are needed to track geneology?

Names are easy to get, addresses are also easy to get. It's the connecting everything together - name and exact birth date, for example - that is often more difficult, but geneology sites help the "bad guys" with this.

For now I have removed all birth dates, but maybe I could put the year back (maybe).

On the privacy issue, their argument is that their users are posting the information and that they are therefore not responsible. However, users are posting information they have no right to post - like birth dates of living individuals.

Mea culpa ! I am surprised at myself - I've always been very diligent with my information (and my family's); eg, I always refuse to give out my social security number, even on financial forms, and some of the times have been told that it was not mandatory; but in a fit of enthusiasm I entered information here that could be dangerous (first middle & last name, maiden name, place and date of birth) for my immediate and extended family. Fingers crossed that all that was not harvested in the few hours it stayed there .

Thanks for the heads-up. I still intent to build this tree, but with much more caution .

[radhak]

My Great Grandmother on my Father's side was full blood Choctaw.

-- we couldn't go back much further than the late 1600's, ...

Was able to uncover my ancestry all the way back to the 1500's in which we discovered that one of my ancestor served as a knight to King Philip II of Spain.

Have been working on family trees since the mid 80's and have traced relatives back to early 1300's.
I currently have about 8500+ people and 2600+ pictures on my tree. My wife does a seperate tree on her relatives and has probably about half of the number in mine.
...
If you really get into it, it's very, very addicting!!!

Wow - you guys are hard-core! That must be fun, to be able to trace lineage to centuries ago! A knight! 8500 people!!! I'd like see that family reunion !

I'm the first in my family to start this (as far as I know), and can't imagine I can go beyond a couple of generations, but it would be worth the effort; I can already visualize a couple of aged grand-uncles digging their memories for names and relationships to keep this going !

[jhart]

On Ancestry.com, any information on living people is not available to someone browsing your tree. Specific info is only on deceased people. The tree owner can invite selected persons to see all of the information, but you need to specifically give that permission to someone. You can also keep your tree on a private basis.
I keep thinking I have a lot of prople, and then I see trees with 70,000 to 80,000 people on it. Not sure how you find time to put in all of those people.

[Pappy]

For a long time we used Personal Ancestry File (free from the Mormon's), but I think it's not being developed anymore. Instead they're taking it online.

I played a bit on there yesterday morning. Still nothing beyond my great grandparents on the Griggs side but, if the information is correct, my grandmother's family (Still father's side) says I am related to several kings of Scotland and England.

Haven't tried my mother's family...Most of it will probaly end at a gallows....

[Pappy]

For a long time we used Personal Ancestry File (free from the Mormon's), but I think it's not being developed anymore. Instead they're taking it online.

I played a bit on there yesterday morning. Still nothing beyond my great grandparents on the Griggs side but, if the information is correct, my grandmother's family (Still father's side) says I am related to several kings of Scotland and England.

Haven't tried my mother's family...Most of it will probaly end at a gallows....