I have always loved technology especially in the computer world. Unfortunately, as we get older and all of this computer stuff gets newer, it seems that never the twain shall meet! I always prided myself on keeping up with the new computer programs especially in the field of genealogy. Well, I guess those days are quickly going - going - gone.
I turned 70 last year and still feel young but what I am finding is, I really don't want to keep up with this changing world. Before, I couldn't stand being left behind but now, I pick and choose what I want to learn and what programs I want to change. That old saying, : "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," that's where I am today.
I use two main programs in my researching - Ancestry and Family Search. Both programs have made doing family research almost boring because they tell you where and what you can find by just clicking a button. That is good in one respect but not in another. For me, I will stick to good ole research and proof to do my family history.
What I am finding wrong with these programs is that people today want things so easy that they don't care if what they find is right or wrong, they are told to click here and they do. They see their name so they think what they have found is right. They like this easy world of finding things and are not accustomed to seeking further. Who needs proof? This is my family name and this is where they lived. So what that the information I found was ten years off or the children in this family don't quite match up to what someone else had. This is my family and I am done!
FamilySearch Tree is a world wide tree. You don't have to be a member of the LDS faith to use this tree (and it's FREE). If you find a relationship, you just click to add yourself to that family line. It is wonderful - but not so wonderful. I have had so many people in just this last year link up my line to incorrect people. It causes huge problems. Other people will unknowingly come look at this family believing all of this to be correct when in fact, it's not.
I have an ancestor that was married to a Mary. They had five kids. All of a sudden I saw five more kids added to this family. I did the hard work and researched this family thoroughly and have proof that they only had five kids. Mary died in childbirth with her fifth child. Her husband married another lady by the name of Mary a year later. I had this info in notes but no one bothered to read those notes. All of a sudden, second Mary's kids from a previous marriage were now listed as full brothers and sisters to the first five. Never mind that some of the kids were close in age but obviously not twins and that they were born in different locations. No notes were included. Anyone else looking at this family might not realize this problem. With just a little bit of reading and possibly a little research to verify, the person who merged this family would have realized this mistake. But that takes work and time.
This situation is another reason why I use a stand alone program such as Roots Magic. I can (and always do) check my notes carefully before I contact the people that added/deleted/merged family members without documentation. I try to have complete documentation on every name in my file. If I can't prove something, I have a note to myself stating that I don't know where the info came from.
This also was helpful when a lady merged some parents to an ancestor. I did not have any info on the parents of this individual. I was excited when I saw the addition of his parents. There was one piece of documentation but it was about someone totally unrelated (even a different name). So I contacted the lady who submitted the parent's names. Come to find out, she didn't know why she added them. They were a way offshoot to her family line. She had no proof or any notes as to why she added them. Together we decided to unlink these parents until we got some proof.
I do love that we can see who does modify our work in any way so that we can communicate with them if necessary. One lady had my mom deceased, I guess because she was old. I contacted her and gave her the good news that my mom was alive and living with me! She turned 94 this year and is in great health.
Some technical changes are fun. There are fun apps to use on our phones that can tell us if relatives are near us. That helps us perk up some. I was teaching my granddaughter in a Sunday School class a few weeks ago and another girl said, "Hey, we are first cousins!" I was surprised and when I got home, I checked the relationship only to find that yes, we do connect to the girl's mother's line but it is like five generations back. (A little misinformation) What it did do was excite my granddaughter. Maybe she will have an interest in family history. So far, none of my kids or grand kids show an interest so maybe some of these new programs will excite someone enough to follow in their grandma's footsteps. I just need to make sure that they understand the full meaning of family RESEARCH.
All in all, I do love technology and the new helps in family history but I do caution everyone, make sure that you do your RESEARCH and VERIFY what you find. Don't make changes on anyone's family tree without PROOF.
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