I suppose I come somewhere between the approaches discussed. In practice I use Ancestry and Family Tree Maker so I can synchronise on different computers - PC + tablet. If I am working on a new line I create a new tree which I keep 'private' till I am sure of my information. I then would make the updated tree ' public'. Like others I have found several 'new' relatives and freinds when sharing information. I too am not sure how we 'own' information that is about people who have, in some earlier generations, hundreds of other descendants and whose information comes largely from public records. Whilst I sometimes question other's conclusions it does not hurt me if they insist on keeping incorrect records. I certainly know I have made a few blunders in the past - but usually the corrections have provided more than I lost! The rather exaggerated claims of others - eg that we have a direct line from Hen Coel (old King Cole) provided amusement at a family wedding as did the fact that we seen to connect into one of the medieval pedigrees that go back to Adam % and God (and Mrs God!). I suggested at my son's wedding last year that 'my work is done'. Marcus Griffiths

For many years I was a member of the “I’m not publishing” camp, primarily because of coming across a tree which in effect represented itself as a “one name study”, gave credit to one my relatives for their original work, but actually got her name wrong, and then to cap it all deleted all of her line.  My response to this was not enhanced by finding it between her dying and her funeral!   Since then many people have found me (and visa versa), and I guess it’s from posts to groups such as this, and between us we have willing shared and exchanged information and documents without restrictions.   Over the last couple of years I have come to the view that no matter what we hold ourselves, what those who come after us will rely on is that which is published, and so I have gradually been loading my various lines on to Ancestry in one combined tree.  This exercise has been invaluable as a means of auditing the information, because inevitably there are events not clearly documented.  I suspect that I will still be doing this a long time to come!   The view that people simply copy and paste garbage and so perpetuate it is very valid.  I can point to a classic example of where the Liverpudlian husband and son in law of two Pembrokeshire ladies incorrectly reported in the 1901 Census that they were from Milford Haven.  Someone has picked that “fact” up, and then applied it to virtually every Welsh ancestor, and then others have copied the same error over and over again.  I point out the error to those who contact me, or challenge me on my information as I can substantiate my position.   I guess my final point on this is what harm does someone else’s fiction/fantasy really do?  We may not like it, but who are we to “burst their bubble”?  The principle exception to that would be if the person was trying to gain in someway by it.   I am sure that there is no right or wrong camp to be in.  People need to do what sits most comfortably with them.   Megan ________________________________ From: Marcus Griffiths <[email protected]> To: Edward Llewellyn-Jones <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 10:33 Subject: Re: [Dyfed] The Written word. I suppose I come somewhere between the approaches discussed. In practice I use Ancestry and Family Tree Maker so I can synchronise on different computers - PC + tablet. If I am working on a new line I create a new tree which I keep 'private' till I am sure of my information. I then would make the updated tree ' public'. Like others I have found several 'new' relatives and freinds when sharing information. I too am not sure how we 'own' information that is about people who have, in some earlier generations, hundreds of other descendants and whose information comes largely from public records. Whilst I sometimes question other's conclusions it does not hurt me if they insist on keeping incorrect records. I certainly know I have made a few blunders in the past - but usually the corrections have provided more than I lost! The rather exaggerated claims of others - eg that we have a  direct line from Hen Coel (old King Cole) provided amusement at a family wedding as did the fact that we seen to connect into one of the medieval pedigrees that go back to Adam % and God (and Mrs God!). I suggested at my son's wedding last year that 'my work is done'. Marcus Griffiths ================================ Dyfed list http://home.clara.net/daibevan/DyfedML.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

As a follow up to my 'publish and be damned' approach I have just today had an approach from someone who picked up my Davies site. After further email exchanges we now know that our Davies gg grandmothers from Llansadwrn parish were sisters. And I now have several pieces of data that had previously eluded me, and likewise my new family contact. Not any everyday occurrence admittedly but over the years it must average 2/3 times a year. You can't beat it :-) Gareth Genuki Wales http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/ Gareth's Help Page http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ukwales2/hicks.html Cwmgors a'r Waun http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cwmgors/Waun.html -----Original Message----- From: Megan Roberts Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Dyfed] The Written word. For many years I was a member of the “I’m not publishing” camp, primarily because of coming across a tree which in effect represented itself as a “one name study”, gave credit to one my relatives for their original work, but actually got her name wrong, and then to cap it all deleted all of her line. My response to this was not enhanced by finding it between her dying and her funeral! Since then many people have found me (and visa versa), and I guess it’s from posts to groups such as this, and between us we have willing shared and exchanged information and documents without restrictions. Over the last couple of years I have come to the view that no matter what we hold ourselves, what those who come after us will rely on is that which is published, and so I have gradually been loading my various lines on to Ancestry in one combined tree. This exercise has been invaluable as a means of auditing the information, because inevitably there are events not clearly documented. I suspect that I will still be doing this a long time to come! The view that people simply copy and paste garbage and so perpetuate it is very valid. I can point to a classic example of where the Liverpudlian husband and son in law of two Pembrokeshire ladies incorrectly reported in the 1901 Census that they were from Milford Haven. Someone has picked that “fact” up, and then applied it to virtually every Welsh ancestor, and then others have copied the same error over and over again. I point out the error to those who contact me, or challenge me on my information as I can substantiate my position. I guess my final point on this is what harm does someone else’s fiction/fantasy really do? We may not like it, but who are we to “burst their bubble”? The principle exception to that would be if the person was trying to gain in someway by it. I am sure that there is no right or wrong camp to be in. People need to do what sits most comfortably with them. Megan