Making changes in a read only file

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: many duplicates in a read only file is there any way to change them.

RobertTest

Thank you for your attention. This is a wonderful service the website provides to the world. The staff at FamilySearch deserves nothing but the best from all of us who use it to learn and preserve more about our shared family history.

I don't see any problems with my ancestors - none of them are read-only.

My problem is with a 1st cousin who never married and has no descendants: Joseph Hewes LCYM-ZXW, which is a read-only file. Joseph Hewes was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and one of the leading figures in the creation of the American Navy during the Revolutionary War.

He died in 1779 while still serving in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Representing North Carolina he died without leaving behind an extensive retinue of family and friends that could easily provide an account of his life to future researchers. Nothing was published on his life until 50 years after his death.

The result has been a series of myths about his life, his origins and his accomplishments. These myths still infect much that is written about him on the internet. Documentation is generally divided into primary sources and secondary or derivative sources. Almost none of the derivative sources on Hewes can be trusted. One exception is the current wikipedia page on Joseph Hewes since that is based on an extensive list of primary source material.

I have indicated about a dozen errors in the read-only file on Hewes, including a lack of any primary documentation and a lack of accurate information regarding him and his role in history.

I list the errors with the file here: https://testfamilygenealogy.com/History/Hewes/0-FamilySearchReadOnlyJosephHewes/JosephHewes.html

The "Specialized Department" made one minor correction. Perhaps, they should be commended for that. But they ignored all the important problems and factual errors. They seem to display a lack of respect for the standards described in the FamilySearch Research wiki on the importance of documentary evidence.

Please excuse my ranting on about this. I will try to refrain from messaging FamilySearch any further about this issue.

Again thank you and thanks to the rest of the staff and volunteers at FamilySearch.