Why aren't they more careful

[sigma]

Whilst looking at members trees on Ancestry I've come across the most appalling errors.
A man who was born, lived and died in Cornwall yet his children were born in Derbyshire and a man who fathered a child at the age of 128 !!! are just two.
Why do people blindly copy names and "facts".

[Zacs-Master]

Short answer - genealogy is now available to the masses. Some of 'the masses' ain't as bright as others.

[rojash]

"A man who was born, lived and died in Cornwall yet his children were born in Derbyshire".
That is entirely feasible.

[Baldric]

Moreso than fathering a child at 128!

[woofgang]

if they are happy, why does it bother you?

[jno]

I don't get the Cornwall/Derbys bit either. People do travel, after all. (Though ok, not so much at 128.)

[kloofnek]

I have done a lot of genealogy research...entirely possible...the man could have gone to Derbyshire and then returned to Cornwall ....
I have a couple of similiar cases in my family tree.

[kloofnek]

Also..sigma..you will find name spelling changes...often because many people were illiterate...and do bear in mind,errors are easily made.
If you know when the man you say was 128,was born,you can work out his actual age or was it on a census you saw this? If so,look at another one,either before or after that one,you will probably see his correct his age on those,

[craft1948]

I agree with you sigma. On a couple of occasions I have emailed the tree owners to point out the glaring inaccuracies and supplied them with the correct information. My emails went unacknowledged and the trees weren't changed so I don't bother any more.

[dotty.]

basically people are ignorant and or lazy and like to boast about 'how far back they have gone' when in fact they have just copied someone else's work, which they didn;t bother to validate. it didn't happen before we had the internet, people did not have the ability to 'share' on such a scale. back then we did our own research and it was hard to link in other researchers.

[sigma]

kloofnek, as I stated it was on a members tree on Ancestry. The fathers birth date was given along with the birth dates of his children with the last child being born 128 years after the fathers birth.

[kloofnek]

Sorry ,sigma....misunderstood that.
Yes,craft1948,I have found that too,why they do not correct them,I don`t understand...
fortunately a lot of my facts have been been from old family letters,bibles etc. so I know they are correct ...but going back after 2 hundred years,one has really to double-check any info.one finds on these internet websites

Good luck with your research,sigma


Good luck with your research.

[Gatcombe]

It's not only those building family trees, it's the official Transcribers too. My own Birth has been transcribed as being born in Kerrier District in the county of Devon. When in fact the Kerrier District is in Cornwall. I AM CORNISH !