how do I find out who made changes on my tree

+12 votes
315 views
how do I find out who made changes on my tree.  Seems as if someone went in and changed or deleted and added info which was incorrect...this happen around https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sargent-336 and the first names were deleted and replaced with annon. .....even had one of my direct ancestors born in Irland....Also the father of Jacob....which is Elisha https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sargent-336 is a Project Protected....so why was this messed with like that....
WikiTree profile: Deborah Sargent
in WikiTree Help by Deborah Sargent G2G6 (9.9k points)
Deborah,  I am not seeing any other person making changes on these profiles.  Perhaps I am missing your intentions?

Project Protected Profiles do not prevent changes, it only saves the Last Name at Birth (LNAB) from being changed and from detaching the parents.  The profile remains open for changes as per usual.
Ah, I see now on Elisha.  Reach out and tactfully help them understand the process.  Maybe you will have a colloaborator to work with?
thank you

thank you

5 Answers

+8 votes
 
Best answer
Hi Deborah,

Sorry to hear this.  While the WikiTree Honor Code encourages Collaboration, often minor changes are not communicated with the Profile Manager.  However, it is best that significant changes are discussed with the PM or at least documented why the change.

On each profile you manage or for which you are on the Trusted List, or if they are open profiles, you can click on the changes tab to see the list of changes made and by whom.

I encourage you to reach out and hopefully have a productive discussion about changes and proper sourcing.

If you have a problem you can review Problems with Members under the help link at the bottom of their profile.

I hope all goes well and thank you for bringing us your question and concern.
by Michael Stills G2G6 Pilot (523k points)
selected by Deborah Sargent
thank you
+12 votes
If you click the "Changes" tab on the profile, there is a record of changes since the inception of the profile.

Also I am sure you are aware that all profiles on WikiTree are collaborative and may be worked on by the community, in accordance with the privacy limitations. There is no "my" tree.
by Ellen Curnes G2G6 Mach 8 (83.9k points)
+6 votes

Does Project Protection mean it can't be edited? I don't know the answer to this question. Apparently not (but I would have also thought so, like you).

To track changes, you should watch your Family Activity Feed (which usually comes in a daily email), but is otherwise available anytime on your profile menu.

As already mentioned, check the "Changes" tab to see who made what changes and when (the profiles you mentioned only had changes by yourself -- but I see one change you are referring to, on the father's profile Sargent-337 (not 336))

The change to "anonymous", is an accidental artifact of leaving the "Preferred Name" blank. It must have something in it -- usually the same as the "First Name".

by Dennis Wheeler G2G6 Pilot (569k points)
correction... I was wrong about the Family Activity Feed. That email comes one a month.

The daily email is the Wiki Genealogy Feed, and it shows activity on all tags you are following. I'm not sure how to access this feed outside the email
PPP disallows change to parents ... spouse?? ... Other than that it's open to modification but tread lightly and alert the managers/trusted list
+7 votes

Deborah, it appears that at least one of the reasons some of these changes have been made is that you have a child attached to Elisha that is clearly not his.

John Sargent

That John Sargent's father was born in Ireland and his name was James.

This is why we must provide sources for what we put in the tree. The person who made the changes should have discussed it with you first but he based the change on the fact that records show John's father was born in Ireland.

John Sergeant

United States Census, 1850

Name John Sergeant
Event Type Census
Event Year 1850
Event Place Sullivan, Madison, New York, United States
Gender Male
Age 10
Race White
Birth Year (Estimated) 1840
Birthplace New York
House Number 574

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

James Sergeant   M 59 Ireland
Polly Sergeant   F 49 New York
Jane Sergeant   F 18 New York
Isaac Sergeant   M 16 New York
Robert Sergeant   M 14 New York
Allen Sergeant   M 12 New York
John Sergeant   M 10 New York
Betsey Sergeant   F 5 New York

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCY1-DHF : 12 April 2016), John Sergeant in household of James Sergeant, Sullivan, Madison, New York, United States; citing family 639, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

image

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.

United States Census, 1850

 

 

by Deb Durham G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)

John Sergent

United States Census, 1880

Name John Sergent
Event Type Census
Event Date 1880
Event Place Arbela, Tuscola, Michigan, United States
Gender Male
Age 40
Marital Status Married
Race White
Race (Original) W
Occupation Farmer
Relationship to Head of Household Self
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Self
Birth Year (Estimated) 1840
Birthplace New York, United States
Father's Birthplace Ireland
Mother's Birthplace New York, United States
Sheet Letter C
Sheet Number 42
Person Number 0
Volume 1

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

John Sergent Self M 40 New York, United States
Margret Sergent Wife F 43 New York, United States

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW3N-WLX : 14 August 2017), John Sergent, Arbela, Tuscola, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district ED 396, sheet 42C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0607; FHL microfilm 1,254,607.

image

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.

United States Census, 1880

 

On the image of this death certificate for John on Ancestry his father's birthplace is listed as Ireland.

John Sergent

Michigan Death Certificates

Name John Sergent
Event Type Death
Event Date 09 Mar 1924
Event Place Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, United States
Gender Male
Age 82
Marital Status Widowed
Birth Date 05 Jul 1840
Birthplace Syracuse, New York
Birth Year (Estimated) 1842
Father's Name James Sergent

Citing this Record

"Michigan Death Certificates, 1921-1952," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF77-JJ7 : 12 December 2014), John Sergent, 09 Mar 1924; citing Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, United States, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing; FHL microfilm 1,973,081.

Or, the same someone incorrectly modified the data of a rightful son of Elisha named John to be the John from the other family from Ireland?
You are correct. That is so beyond the code of honor it seriously didn't occur to me that someone would make those sweeping and drastic types of changes to a profile. I am astounded and I stand corrected.

My apologies, Deborah, but it still shows the need for sourcing. With adequate sources it becomes harder for others to purloin profiles and turn them into someone else.

This member hasn't been active since July but you may still want to try and contact them and ask for an  explanation. If they decide to come back they need to know that isn't how collaboration works.

Also, from the changes tab on the profile, if you click on the change made by the other member, it will bring up a side-by-side comparison and there will be a link to restore to the earlier state before the changes were made.
I wouldn't says its so beyond the Honor Code at all -- just a mistake. Its a very easy mistake to make.

You discovered the son John. I didn't even look at that one previously. Well done!

I have separated many conflated and potentially conflated people in my tree. And I discover more all the time. Numerous people of the same or similar age living in the same area, but from separate families.

I too am quick to make changes to what I think is more correct information (especially when I have sources and they don't), only to discover later of the conflation -- and then I'm the one who make the mistake.
The original data had Elisha's son, John, dying the year after he was born. That is a pretty huge "mistake" to make considering there was nothing about this profile that suggested he was born in New York (his parents lived and died in Indiana). I'm not saying it was malicious, just an extremely ill-conceived plan of action. I suppose, though, for many, the idea of sharing a tree and how exactly to do that may be hard to grasp. Most of us have lived our genealogical lives in virtual isolation until we found WikiTree.

Well. hopefully, Deborah can contact the other member and they can work together to sort things out.

Yep. Don't disagree. Huge.

But I prefer to think the best of people's intentions -- until proven wrong. :)

+4 votes
It looks like Deb has uncovered the source of the problem.

It appears that there are two John Sargents of about the same age and living in the same location, but from two different families -- and they've been mistakenly conflated.
by Dennis Wheeler G2G6 Pilot (569k points)

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