Experienced genealogists know that most huge databases--including censuses--are full of errors. That goes especially with databases which are NOT documented, and even some that are only half-heartedly documented (such as the International Genealogical Index--where the wrong spouses are linked--father to daughter, for instance). Yes, one runs the risk of having all the WRONG information collected in a database. I volunteer at a large LDS family history center, and the wrong linkages, particularly in something like Ancestral File and now on Ancestry.com and other large databases, are a major complaint of SERIOUS researchers. Yes, one has to reconcile that these errors go with the hobby of genealogy. I understand that even the Mayflower lineages, which have been accepted so long, are now being reworked. However, I cannot speak with authority on this Mayflower matter, as my father's lineages are all Southern, and my mother's all immigrants!!! Perhaps the way to go: Don't get mad!!! Get even!!! Publish a corrected genealogy and point out the errors of others. For some examples of this, see some articles in THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST and other well-respected genealogical journals. Some newer authors begin their first paragraphs pointing out the errors of previous authors. All's fair in the publishing business, I think (except outright plagairism ). One correspondent is correct: Don't share. But then you are cutting off your nose to spite your face, as some of your best clues are going to come from others, whose statements you will TRY to get them to document--or at least give you the source. Experienced genealogists just have to learn to take this in stride. However, try to get back to the originator and ask him/her to correct. E.W.Wallace