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    1. Re: [PAWASHIN] HELP! Placing ornaments (ancestors) on the wrong tree??
    2. L. Nelson
    3. I think this lady may be suffering from the over-eager enthusiasm common in people who have recently discovered genealogy. In the first year or two of my "research" I jumped on anything I found, no matter how hare-brained it was. Most of us eventually give our heads a shake and get down to serious research, but some folks would rather build their family tree on nothing more than supposition and wishful thinking. I would not engage in a point-by-point debate with her, nor would I offer her any documents or data. I would simply express interest in her research, say that my research does not support the connection she alleges, and tell her that unless she can produce a body of evidence supported by source citations I can't comment on her conclusions or collaborate with her. You'll be able to tell by her response whether she's serious about proving her ancestry. If she's new to genealogy, maybe she just needs help analyzing data or citing sources and would be grateful for some help. If she's simply intent on publishing a bogus family history, there's nothing you can do to stop her. In that case, I would be very cautious about communicating with her lest I find myself being quoted or cited in her "research". I've seen some bizarre and amazing "facts" about various branches of my family tree in online postings. I don't know where these fantasies came from, but if I decided to challenge them I'd spend all my time playing online whack-a-mole and never get anything else done. The garbage will always be out there. As Elvis Costello said, "I used to be disgusted but now I'm just amused." Leslie

    11/28/2010 06:46:16