How can I stop people from wrongly tampering with my family history?

Minhinnick Rangi Jane

I have done family history research for over 40 years. I have started doing more research. My question is. How can I stop people from changing my family history lineage? I was devastated to find that my great grandparents were submitted to the wrong parents and children. i have the names of all those that have rearranged and taken over my 40 years of hard work . I want this stopped! Can someone help me to contact head office so I can have my family left alone?

A van Helsdingen

The FamilySearch Family Tree (FSFT) is a collaborative tree that aims to build a single family tree for all humanity. While this format allows people to collaborate, contact relatives and see what research has already been done on their family, a massive disadvantage is that sometimes incorrect edits are made.

If this style of family tree doesn't work for you, then there are plenty of websites and software packages that allow you to build a personal family tree that no one else can edit. Examples include Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.

FamilySearch will intervene only in a limited number of situations. Before asking FS to take action, you need to contact the person who made edits that you believe are incorrect, and try to resolve the issue. Make sure to share your sources and listen to the evidence that they share. Only if the other person is rude, repeatedly ignores you or is clearly a vandal or extremely incompetent is FS likely to take action. FS will not take action just because you have a disagreement with another user about a genealogical fact. In that case you could share the story on this forum and ask what other people think about it. Many genealogists are active here and are happy to help.

Colin Ramsbottom

The following articles will explain the collaborative/shared nature of FamilySearch/Family Tree , how to use inbuilt features to work with others in that communal environment, and how to prevent inaccurate changes:

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/what-is-the-purpose-of-familysearch-and-family-tree

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-can-i-prevent-other-people-from-making-inaccurate-changes-to-family-tree

If incorrect people have been added to your family lines, you can remove them by deleting the incorrect relationships that have been created. Note: it is the relationships that you deleting and not the individuals themselves. This knowledge article explains the process for doing that:

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-correct-parent-child-relationships-in-family-tree

Hope this helps.

Minhinnick Rangi Jane

Thank you to all those who have answered my question. I will endeavour to look into the informations that you have given me. This disruption has taken me over two weeks to figure out how I can recover the right connections to my close ancestors. When I do this I come back to the page and it is again changed. So I have taken all the names that has shown up on the page and communicating for them to just leave my lineage alone. It seems they are new interested peoples and I hope the church will change all of this so we can all own what we have submitted and no one else can change my submissions, but can peruse through them but not change.

Thank you all for your advice and help

Jane Minhinnick from New Zealand

NidaFL

A van Helsdingen is correct in that Family Search is a universal tree that can be edited by anyone. But please be aware that there are several options available to preserve your work. One, as previously mentioned, can be using a stand-alone site that interfaces with Family Search, as well as subscription sites. These sites may be found by looking for Solution Gallery at the bottom of most of the pages in Family Search . You may also use the search term --solution Gallery-- in the help center, or use this link How do I find partner products?

From some of these partner products that interface with Family Search, you may be able to create a GEDCOM that could be used to restore your family. It is suggested that before you upload any of these products, you contact them to make sure they will be able to supply you with what you need.

Also you can reconstruct the correct relationships by looking in Latest Changes, where you will find the ID numbers of persons whose relationship has been disconnected. Then add them back by ID. It is also useful when you restore the correct person, or removed the incorrect person, to attach sources to give validity to your excellent work.

dontiknowyou

Is this a New Zealand immigrant family? I have several of those and, as usual, the challenge is to connect them to their English families of origin. If you want help sorting out which relationships are correct, share some PIDs and people here will take a look.

Dennis B Knox

One of the tools in FamilySearch is the ability to follow people in your tree. Here are the instructions for following an individual. https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/can-i-follow-an-individual-in-family-tree

When you are following a person and someone makes a change you will get a message that a change has been made. You can then go into the person page of the individual and see the changes. If they are not correct we would advise a private message to the person who made the change asking for documentation for the change. Then the two of you can decide what is correct.

Please let us know if there are any other questions that arise. Have a great day.

Minhinnick Rangi Jane

i feel so much better now i will search

Jane Minhinnick