Ed, This falls under the heading of genealogical interest to everyone. I have a similar experience with public access to incorrect data on my family which someone included in a family tree and posted on both Ancestry.com and Rootsweb.com websites. What makes it frustrating is that it is as close as my grandfather. The person who posted the incorrect information picked the info up from a query I posted on a rootsweb message board many years ago while I was still in a major "discovery" phase, then published it as "factual" data. Their on line family tree is for everyone in a particular County, not a particular family. I contacted the owner of the database, who wouldn't change it. I contacted both ancestry.com and rootsweb.com, they will do nothing either, even knowing they are hosting incorrect data. Their help desk wrote to me: "Each submitter takes responsibility for their own file and cannot be compelled to provide you with sources, or to correct errors." I ended up posting to the same surname message board, referencing my original post: "I have discovered that some of the material that I posted in my above enquiry post is far from correct. While I believed it to be the truth at the time that I posted it, research has a funny way of plodding on and proving a researcher wrong. To this extent, various portions of my above post are not only incorrect, but I have discovered them to be bald faced lies. Discovery is such a beautiful thing. I do apologize to anyone that I have inconvenienced with the material in my above post. Family members are requested to write me directly for corrected data." It was all I could do. Maybe one day someone with enough time and money will challenge the policies that prevent us from correcting our own family data which appear on line. I shudder to think of future generations trying to untangle the mass of incorrect family data which is currently being offered on the internet. In the meantime, this was a valuable lesson to me about posting genealogical info publicly, you never know who will pick your work up and it's important to protect your family for future generations. C. Gibson > Subject: Re: [Jones] Jones/Hawkins connection > Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 11:13:29 -0600 > From: "Edwin L. Jones" <ejones1@indy.net> > To: JONES-L@rootsweb.com > > Hello, > > It may not be proper to reply in this way to the list but I have a problem > with this established line of Jones which is listed on the website address > below. My problem being: My g grandparents are included in this database. I > have contacted persons regarding this but it has not been corrected or > changed. James JONES & his wife Rebecca Kay COLEMAN posted there were my g > grandparents. The data lists the parents for my James JONES as being born > about 1801 & it lists his parents as being John Hawkins JONES b. about 1787 > & married to Mildred R. MITCHELL 1836 in Bourbon County, Ky. I doubt my > James was born 35 years before his parents were married plus my James & > Rebecca Kay COLEMAN were married 12/15/1819 being about 17 years before > James parents would have been married. I have the marriage bond for James > JONES & Rebecca COLEMAN. > > It may not be proper practice to send a reply to a posting to the list but > I'm doing so to inform those on the list that much of the data posted there > regarding my great grandparents James JONES & wife Rebecca Kay COLEMAN is > not correct. I'm quite sure my James JONES is not a member of the John > Hawkins JONES Family. > > Thanks, > Ed Jones

Cheron (?) Ed: As I just wrote to the List, it is unfortunate but once something hits the web it becomes 'set in stone' and is very difficult to get changed/removed unless you've got a very cooperative submitter willing to do that. "Maybe one day someone with enough time and money will challenge the policies that prevent us from correcting our own family data which appear on line" I don't think it's a matter of the policies of Ancestry, Rootsweb, LDS, etc., but a matter of copyright actually. The material submitted is considered to be copywritten by the person submitting it and cannot be changed by anyone else. Just as if that person had written a genealogy book, right or wrong, you couldn't do anything about it. "I shudder to think of future generations trying to untangle the mass of incorrect family data which is currently being offered on the internet." I second this and add that in one family line I've researched a book was written nearly 100 years ago with incorrect information, the author tried later to recant what he said and NO one would listen, they still won't listen so the 'fake' genealogy of this individual is in print, all over the internet, etc., etc. And no matter how many times we tell people this is wrong, they like what it says so they don't believe us. I concur, be careful what you post on the web; be cautious who you give your data to - once it's out of your hands you have no control at all. Kathi Jones-Hudson JONES Listowner __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com

Unfortunately, I can go you one better. My wife, my mother-in-law, and myself are posted incorrectly in a tree (incorrectness (related but incorrectly attributed surnames, and misspellings) here is somewhat of a good thing), to say nothing of misconnected lineages. I've contacted the owner with corrections and protests re: living people, with no response. ----- Original Message ----- From: <cheron@cox.net> To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 7:06 PM Subject: [Jones] Re: JONES-D Digest V03 #77 > Ed, > > This falls under the heading of genealogical interest to everyone. I > have a similar experience with public access to incorrect data on my > family which someone included in a family tree and posted on both > Ancestry.com and Rootsweb.com websites. What makes it frustrating is > that it is as close as my grandfather. The person who posted the > incorrect information picked the info up from a query I posted on a > rootsweb message board many years ago while I was still in a major > "discovery" phase, then published it as "factual" data. Their on line > family tree is for everyone in a particular County, not a particular > family. I contacted the owner of the database, who wouldn't change it. I > contacted both ancestry.com and rootsweb.com, they will do nothing > either, even knowing they are hosting incorrect data. Their help desk > wrote to me: "Each submitter takes responsibility for their own file and > cannot be compelled to provide you with sources, or to correct errors." > I ended up posting to the same surname message board, referencing my > original post: >

I have viewed several family sites that go back in to their first construction and leave their own post note to correct their original errors. We, of course, can leave post notes where we see incorrect information for our own families. mema ----- Original Message ----- From: <cheron@cox.net> To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 4:06 PM Subject: [Jones] Re: JONES-D Digest V03 #77 > Ed, > > This falls under the heading of genealogical interest to everyone. I > have a similar experience with public access to incorrect data on my > family which someone included in a family tree and posted on both > Ancestry.com and Rootsweb.com websites. What makes it frustrating is > that it is as close as my grandfather. The person who posted the > incorrect information picked the info up from a query I posted on a > rootsweb message board many years ago while I was still in a major > "discovery" phase, then published it as "factual" data. Their on line > family tree is for everyone in a particular County, not a particular > family. I contacted the owner of the database, who wouldn't change it. I > contacted both ancestry.com and rootsweb.com, they will do nothing > either, even knowing they are hosting incorrect data. Their help desk > wrote to me: "Each submitter takes responsibility for their own file and > cannot be compelled to provide you with sources, or to correct errors." > I ended up posting to the same surname message board, referencing my > original post: > > "I have discovered that some of the material that I posted in my above > enquiry post is far from correct. While I believed it to be the truth at > the time that I posted it, research has a funny way of plodding on and > proving a researcher wrong. To this extent, various portions of my above > post are not only incorrect, but I have discovered them to be bald faced > lies. Discovery is such a beautiful thing. I do apologize to anyone that > I have inconvenienced with the material in my above post. Family members > are requested to write me directly for corrected data." > > It was all I could do. Maybe one day someone with enough time and money > will challenge the policies that prevent us from correcting our own > family data which appear on line. I shudder to think of future > generations trying to untangle the mass of incorrect family data which > is currently being offered on the internet. In the meantime, this was a > valuable lesson to me about posting genealogical info publicly, you > never know who will pick your work up and it's important to protect your > family for future generations. > > C. Gibson > > > Subject: Re: [Jones] Jones/Hawkins connection > > Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 11:13:29 -0600 > > From: "Edwin L. Jones" <ejones1@indy.net> > > To: JONES-L@rootsweb.com > > > > Hello, > > > > It may not be proper to reply in this way to the list but I have a problem > > with this established line of Jones which is listed on the website address > > below. My problem being: My g grandparents are included in this database. I > > have contacted persons regarding this but it has not been corrected or > > changed. James JONES & his wife Rebecca Kay COLEMAN posted there were my g > > grandparents. The data lists the parents for my James JONES as being born > > about 1801 & it lists his parents as being John Hawkins JONES b. about 1787 > > & married to Mildred R. MITCHELL 1836 in Bourbon County, Ky. I doubt my > > James was born 35 years before his parents were married plus my James & > > Rebecca Kay COLEMAN were married 12/15/1819 being about 17 years before > > James parents would have been married. I have the marriage bond for James > > JONES & Rebecca COLEMAN. > > > > It may not be proper practice to send a reply to a posting to the list but > > I'm doing so to inform those on the list that much of the data posted there > > regarding my great grandparents James JONES & wife Rebecca Kay COLEMAN is > > not correct. I'm quite sure my James JONES is not a member of the John > > Hawkins JONES Family. > > > > Thanks, > > Ed Jones > > > ==== JONES Mailing List ==== > Direct your questions, comments or problems to the listowner at jones-admin@rootsweb.com > For detailed instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing visit this site: > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/j/jones.html > browse the archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/jones > search the archives: http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=JONES > Unusual JONES given names, http://members.aol.com/stjones/jones/oddnames.html >