Not a question. Just need to say it.

Question

I'm enthusiastic about the Magna Carta Project.  At first I thought I had no connection, but just liked the effort.  Then I found, using the Relationship Finder, that I was related to 24 of the 25 Surety Barons and directly descendent from 12.  (always have been a rebel/troublemaker.  whoo hoo!)

THEN, I walked the trees of the four tails that represented these 12 direct connections.  Sheesh, none of them appear to be proven, or even correct.  Dang.  Now I'm disappointed.  :-(

My point is that we need to clean up this tree.  So many of the trails seem to be either based on dreams of glory (connect to a "Sir" no matter what) or just basic flaws in logic.

Comments

I’ve had the same experience.

A number of my connections to illustrious ancestors and relatives goes through the Lyon family, a pedigree that has been determined to be bogus, but remains on WikiTree.

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And hence the reason for the Magna Carta project -- to work each line to ensure its accuracy.  Perhaps you'd like to get involved?

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The relationship finder is being used by people to try and establish their pedigree. Sorry folks! it does not work that way. It is a fun tool only that has little credibility in its reports. Let's face it; everyone in the world is related somehow. Back to real genealogical research; one step at a time; paper trail, paper trail.........

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Sorry?  The Relationship Finder is just telling us what WikiTree thinks our pedigree is.  When it's incorrect, then we get a bit disappointed in the work the tree represents.  That's all I'm sayin'.

Answer 1

Robin

We are glad to have you as a member of the Magna Carta Project.  We really need enthusiatic members such as yourself who are willing to get their hands dirty and help to improve the profiles of these important historical figures and ensure the accuracy of their descendant lines.  In doing so we not only work to do away with much of the mistaken lineage but improve the overall quality and accuracy of the Wikitree Collaborative Family Tree.

Thank You !

David Douglass, Magna Carta Project, Co-Leader

Comments

What David said. SO appreciate all the work you're doing for the project!

Cheers, Liz (David's co-leader)

Answer 2

I have nothing to add Robin. Just THANK YOU for wanting to improve the accuracy of the tree.

Answer 3

This is one reason that an essential aspect of documenting each Magna Carta trail profile is to disconnect children that do not belong there.  It is through fake relationships that have not been pruned away that the relationship finder is inevitably going to connect you with people that you are not really connected with.

Comments

But you can connect through a real child and a fake grandchild.  Etc all the way down.

A common problem is the conflated people.  William Norton did have a son John, and a John Norton did marry Mary and have Joan, but what's to say they were the same John Norton?

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I believe the mantra that nurses recite is "Document, document, document."  Genealogy must make us all nurses in this respect!  Not just to the first generation or the second, but to every last one!

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I realized yesterday that multiple gedcom imports to one of my early Virginia ancestors had confused him (again) with a Massachusetts early settler of the same name, as well as re-attached the "Sir" (KG this time!) father & his wife who would have both been 60 at his birth. <sigh>

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This is the point where after I straighten the profile out again for the nth time, I request a PPP!

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yeppers - she's now PPP/managed by the Virginia Project