From roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com Sun Jul 23 11:06:05 2006 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.65.34]) by admin.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id k6NH65jb009194; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:06:05 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l.rootsweb.com [66.43.16.22]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id k6NH62Gm021592 for ; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:06:02 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l [127.0.0.1]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id k6NERiFI009313 for ; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:27:44 -0400 Received: (from roots-in@localhost) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.8/Submit) id k6NERiFb009312 for roots-approved@rootsweb.com; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:27:44 -0400 Received: from lists5.rootsweb.com (lists5.rootsweb.com [66.43.27.41]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with SMTP id k6NEQPFI009292 for ; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:26:25 -0400 Received: (from slist@localhost) by lists5.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) id k6NH4X35008388 for roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:04:33 -0600 X-Envelope-From: mscheffl@twcny.rr.com Sun Jul 23 11:04:33 2006 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.65.34]) by admin.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id k6NH4Xjb008379 for ; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:04:33 -0600 Received: from ms-smtp-02.nyroc.rr.com (ms-smtp-02.nyroc.rr.com [24.24.2.56]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id k6NH4Tit020582 for ; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:04:30 -0600 Received: from m1070n (cpe-69-201-76-92.twcny.res.rr.com [69.201.76.92]) by ms-smtp-02.nyroc.rr.com (8.13.6/8.13.6) with SMTP id k6NH4RJj027862; Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:04:29 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <04f701c6ae7a$0d5bc900$6501a8c0@m1070n> From: "MScheffler" To: , References: <569.58a47e80.31f4e8f9@aol.com> Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] Re: Accessing Ancestry World Tree & WorldConnect database Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:04:25 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2869 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2869 X-Virus-Scanned: Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.52 on 192.168.65.34 X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.52 on 192.168.65.34 Sender: roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com I think there should be a happy medium here. If we never submit anything until we think our data is "perfect", then we will never share anything online and we deny ourselves and others the opportunities to find information from each other. Obviously pure speculation and mere guesses need proof before being shared. I don't believe any of us want to purposefully mislead. The crucial point in constructing a database is to have THE CHILDREN LINKED TO THE CORRECT PARENTS AND VICE VERSA. Nothing else matters if we have fathers married to cousins a mother married to her father, or grandfather, etc. The correct generational links are an absolute. Sometimes I use estimated dates to try to prevent this gross linking and mixing up generations. It is also why merely combining and merging gedcoms can lead to such misleading and rather worthless databases. However...... someone recently criticized databases where people did not have the town and county place names historically correct. While that is important in the long run,, the fact that someone uses the current county instead of one from 200 years ago does not mean their research on the family generational links is not accurate. Personally I think an approximate location is better than no indication of where the family lived. All of us were beginners at one point, and most of us have become better researches and added more detailed and better quality information to our databases over time. But that does not mean that we cannot share our (though not perfect) carefully constructed data if we believe it to be accurate before we become the "expert." I personally do a lot of transcribing from books to my database. I try to go back and verify dates and family links when they don't seem reasonable. But if I felt I had to verify every location's history accurately, I would never get anything of significant value done. To my way of thinking that is something the person who finds my information useful can to go back and follow up on. And I can follow-up later for myself as well. Personally I do much more detailed research on direct lines for joining a lineage society such as the DAR, than if I am helping a fellow get started on researching their own line. My basic point is not to be afraid to share what you believe to be correct. On the other hand do not become upset and defensive if you turn out to be wrong and someone else points that out. None of us will every be 100% correct. But we should attempt that goal over time and learn from our mistakes. Those afraid to fail will likely never progress. Margaret Scheffler Original message: From: Magfree@aol.com Don wrote that he too as a newbie downloaded the gedcoms of others, merged the information with his own and resubmited. Specifically he indicated " I've learned the error of my ways. Now I no longer submit until I check out sources. Because I haven't had a lot of time for that, I don't submit anymore, which in light of this conversation is probably for the best. I guess a lot of us do things out of ignorance, which is why these forums are so important. Don