Hints at Findmypast

I created a tree specifically for uploading to Ancestry and FMP that includes both my maternal and paternal families - 7000+ names. Ancestry showed lots of hints for both lines almost immediately; after 5 days, FMP has shown over 600 hints for my maternal line, but absolutely none for my paternal line. Does that make sense?

 

I know it seems a strange thing to ask Doreen but did you check that both lines have uploaded to FMP ?

 

I put the smallest version of my tree on FMP, around 2700 people, on Wednesday. It took 15 minutes to load! So far, all the hints have turned up on my father's side (1200 hints, they're from Cheshire so loads of PR matches). Nothing on my mother's side, nothing on my husband's. Edited one or two people (which should have produced hints) - still nothing. Not even national BMD stuff. Really odd.

 

Goodness me Kirsten, 40 years of research I should jolly well think you do have a 'fair bit'. The beginning of my own interest (not the actual start of research) began the day I heard an elderly Uncle (my father's older brother by some 10 years) declare "of course you know your Great Grandmother was Irish and came from Galway" - and of course I hadn't known and Dad had never said a word about an Irish connection. That conversation took place around 1980 and -despite the age difference between the brothers -both died in 1982. I can trace the beginning of my own research a couple of years later and in earnest in the 1990's.

I have trouble with the word 'abused' and my answer will reflect my own experiences. I am only concerned with having the information on my own Tree as accurate as I can make it and in my early days of research sadly took a wrong turning. I was alerted to this by another Ancestry member who like you 'explained' where he thought I had gone wrong. At first I was defensive, but it soon became obvious I had added an Ancestor who did not belong. The other Tree owner was right and I was wrong, as simple as that. I deleted the incorrect data, re-researched the line, and found the true connections. I thanked the person profusely and he admitted it had made him check his own facts and was sorry to lose me as a potential 'cousin'. That for me became an epiphany moment.

Whilst I will not dwell longer than I need on once belonging to 'My Heritage' (I have written anough in the Forum about this experience) that was the vehicle for eccentricity rather than abuse. Encouraged by the MH set-up people just cribbed information from other Trees and even declared connections (back to medieval times) which were pure fantasy. Even so I found others who had 'pukka' Trees and became an email friend with one Tree owner and discovered we both shared the growing realisation that MH was a Hornet's nest and best given wide berth. It took many weeks for both of us to get our Trees removed.

Ancestry has its own lunacy stream that is for sure, but they are self-abusers, if you pardon the expression. The harm they do is self inflicted when they crib your 'facts' not realizing that without due diligence they are likely turning their own Tree to fiction. Those who do so innocently will resond to reasoned argument as I once did. Those who are only interested in bolstering their Tree regardless -and in my experience they are certainly the exception rather than the rule - will go their sweet way and likely not bother to respond. They say ignorance is bliss so I leave them to their bliss.

 

From both the above comments it seems to be pointing out to be somewhat of an 'early' post code response. Where FMP have strength of data that wins the day, which likely explains why my 'midlands' orientated ancestry has so far only produced BMD records (both paternal & maternal I might add) . I wouldn't mind but I have most if not all already via Ancestry, and I would have thought this would show in the Gedcom which came from Ancestry.

 

Hi Heather, It was all uploaded as one tree. It occurred to me this morning that all the hints I have received are from Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire which is my maternal line. Paternal line is Cornwall/Devon/Kent - so I'll wait patiently to see if they show up.

 

Yes I cannot deny the truth of what you say and will include myself within the ranks of the honourable exceptions. Big is not always best, and when starting out one can be influenced by a Tree that purports to have all the answers. I'm afraid experience is the only teacher and in time it is the work of the moment to spot inconsistencies. However until fully experienced the inconsistencies may, of course, be in your own Tree; thus you learn as you go.

There is only room for one sceptic in the family and I am afraid my wife holds that post. I am inclined to believe 'true' until I am able to prove a 'false', or put another way, once bitten twice shy. My wife calls that my stubborn streak.

 

Well not so much I am not allowed to answer the phone, just I rarely do as I hate phones especially landline. However it can be a sore point unless my wife shouts upstairs when in my office 'get the phone if it rings' (yes I know I am not likely to answer a phone that doesn't ring) as I usually allow it to go through its 5 allotted rings before it defaults to the Answer Machine. I then find out she has gone into the garden and forgot to ask me to get the phone, which leads to interesting exchange when she discovers there is a message left.

You are perfectly correct that my wife's skepticism gives short shrift to cold callers, but I am not so bad myself. On the odd occasions of answering the phone I await to hear the opening 'spiel' of a salesman and usually just say, thank you no and put the phone down, or simply replace the receiver immediately. I have been known to 'toy' with the 'your computer has a virus' caller and asking which of my 10 devices did he mean (a small exaggeration of course) but have grown tired of this and now simply cut them off. But in the main my reactions come under my 'once bitten twice shy' rule.

I cannot close this discourse without telling you Peter that it is my wife's skepticism that comes into play when I mentioned it might be a good idea to invest in the BT call-blocker phone you mention in your newsletters. Her reaction was 'there is nothing wrong with the one we have, and besides cold calls are now few and far between'. I would happily have bought it 'honest injun,' but then her follow up..'besides you don't answer the phone' won the day.

 

I cannot figure out how to upload a GEDCOM. I have tried several times and now it is too late. I tried exporting it from the actual program - did not work, just wanted to go to my own hard drive. Then tried the choose file and that would not work either.

 

Uploading a gedcom file to FindMyPast is a two stage process. Using your family tree software select the option to "export" or "create gedcom" file. this will allow you to save the file, as you discovered, on your own hard disk. Note where it saves the file as you will need to know where it is when you "upload" it to FindMyPast.

Within FindMyPast select the "Import a tree" option in the "Family Tree" tab.


Click on the "Choose File" button and find the file you created previously. Then click "Upload"

You are likely to get a message that there may be a while before it's processed due to the number of trees being created.

 

Sorry about the belated reply to let you know that I contacted Help (I got Liam) and he uploaded the tree for me. Coincidentally soon after I got an email from fmp saying they had noticed I'd had problems. Anyway it's now uploaded and the hints have so far replicated what I have on the tree (as they have for most on this forum) - I think I shall try focussing on the Yorkshire and Cheshire branches and see if there are some parish records that I've missed.

Talking about public v private trees. I too started with a public tree but had whole branches copied right up to living people (this was many years ago when I obviously just didn't think!! ). Since then my trees are private and I share them with cousins. I really like TribalPages too.

 

I have to say that anyone still shown as living (no death data recorded) will, if copied in Ancestry ONLY show as a male/female icon, no name, no data*. I have never known this violated. However Ancestry has a 'presumed' dead default (I believe about 120 years after recorded birth year) which will reveal a name even if no death data is shown by the Tree owner.

*In many cases just having a 'm/f' icon shown can spur the copier to do their own research which is no bad thing, and/or alert that perhaps, just perhaps, they have alighted on the wrong person.

 

Glad you like Tribal pages. This is my favourite online data base and, as indicated in a previous post, contains far, far more recorded data and information than ever entrusted to Ancestry.

 

Just got around to uploading my tree to FMP. One and a quarter hours later and it still says it is uploading file.
It doesn't look like it is doing much at all. Nothing like the video I watched to show me how to do it!

 

My gedcom is still downloading. I have just been told to leave it for 24 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried to stop it, but I am told that I can't.
I am not very impressed with their system or their chat.

 

Looks like I got rid of the uploading by logging off rather than just closing the tab.

 

I seem to be going backwards as well as forwards. Having thought about uploading my tree to FMP. I was browsing the forums again and decided I really ought to have a go with Family Tree Analyzer as I would be making a new Gedcom anyway (do to back up from time to time). I had been a bit put off originally as I don't file everything properly though I see others confess that too so it makes me feel better. Anyway I tried and failed which led Tim to kindly offer to help. The the upload a file button isn't available yet so that's on hold a bit and I am back here. It's as usual if you want to get somewhere don't start from where you are.