Trying to contribute accurate information

Question

New, and a bit confused; I've been filling out what I know of family, and not found any relatives here yet, but also joined FamilySearch and just found grandmother, and parts of her anticedents, some of whom go back to 1600s and beyond!  Would it be appropriate to ask someone more experienced to - well, 'graft', I guess, that info into this site? Is that done? If so, I could remove some of what I've entered about my grandmother and her parents so as not to add confusion; then I could attach my family onto the result. The info there seems to be more accurate than what I have, which, beyond my imediate family, is based on questional and uncertain memories, and I'd like not to be entering dross. Thoughts? Should I intead continue adding ancestors and refer to FamilySearch as source?

Comments

Ted -- here's  an example of using FamilySearch for the sources not family tree information (probably better explained by Linda and Pat) : https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Dodge-7039

If you have begun to add your family, the way to go forward is to add sources to what you have, not to try to bring in what would likely be duplicate profiles.

If what you know from your own family isn't matched up by the information you find on FamilySearch, be sure it is for the same people.  There are many who have the same name, but they may not be your ancestor.

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Thank you! Will give that a try. I must say, I'm having a great time here; have made some booboos, but nothing so far I can't clean up. And already learned some amazing things I didn't know before. Why, would you believe it - family stories get it wrong sometimes! Thanks again for the help.

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Family stories can also get it right!  Don't give up on everything until you have researched it as thoroughly as possible.

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Also, remember that there are plenty of 'surnames' that used the same names for children that are 'cousins', not siblings and not the same person and sometimes not even related to each other AND they could all be living in the same town or area!!  The marriage and death records that list the parents names are great, but without those names, it is not always easy to know who the parents are.

Answer 1

When you say 'Family Search', it depends on whether you are looking at the Sources, under the 'Records' tab or if you are using the Family trees.  Family Trees don't necessarily have sources, just like other sites.  

Remember that wikitree only wants ONE profile per person, so you should always search to see if someone is one wikitree already before adding someone new.  You can't 'delete' previously entered profiles, but you could update them with new information and sources.  If you find that there is a profile already on wikitree and you created a duplicate, you can merge the profiles together.

Wikitree would prefer to have 'sources' attached to each profile, instead of just 'memories' and 'family tree' information which is not always accurate.  Using family search to look for the 'records' using the 'dates' and locations, you will probably find the sources for that information.

Comments

Thank you. Very helpful. This and the other comments show much patience and are appreciated.

Answer 2

Ted, Welcome to WikiTree.

About sources from FamilySearch. Use the sources listed on their sources page or from a record search. However, accuracy can vary. Make sure the source fits your profile.

Glanced at some of your profiles. One of them was Leman Chester Dennison. The area below the Sources header was not formatted properly. I took the liberty of a few changes. Data with Footnotes 1 and 2 belong above the Sources header. The Sources header should have the reference tag on the very next line. Formatted in this manner all your source information  will appear under the Sources header.

Look at my edit to the page to see the changes I made.

Here's a link to the "Help:Sources" page:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Sources

It will explain it a bit better than i did.

If you have any questions, there is g2g where you can get help or use the Help pages, ask those who have greeted you on your profile, ask me, however, my access to email is difficult and can take a few days. Just remember there's a learner's curve on WikiTree and everyone has one and there are many willing and able to help you get started.

Comments

Thank you! Most helpful. I can see I have a lot of research to do to make better contributions; I'm sure the community here will be as patient and supportive as you have been.  Thanks again for the edit.

Answer 3

What Linda said.

A familysearch pedigree file is not considered a "source."

This is an example of a source - a birth record - "Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5K8-MP2 : 28 January 2020), John Thos. Boytt, 1860.

Answer 4

So I think what others aren't quite conveying here is that all those people related to you on FamilySearch may not actually be related to you!

It's not a good idea to just "graft" the FamilySearch relationships here onto WikiTree. The best practice would be to look at the sources listed on FamilySearch for each person and make sure they actually point to a real familial relationship. If they do, then you can use those sources to link profiles (or create them) here on WikiTree.

Comments

Thank you for the help.  You make a good point; if I just stuff things from anywhere, nobody can have any faith that what is here reflects reality.  Will work on sourcing what I have before going forward.  I must say, though - this is fun.  The software you use is pleasant and easy, and I'm sure I'll get better going forward.  Thanks to you all!

Answer 5

Genealogy is a game of patience won in small bytes.  WikiTreers win when you work patiently and provide good sourcing.  Take your time, learn how WikiTree works, verify your claims with good sourcing and enjoy the journey.  Your branch of the tree will grow faster than you think and you will have the confidence of knowing what is correct and will have learned much about your ancestry.