Where is the documented proof?
So, FamilySearch says that I have 41 famous relatives going as far back as the 1500s, but all I get is a tree with no supporting documentation. What good does that do?
Answers
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If you open the profile of any Famous Relative, you can see what sources are attached.
I'll use one of my Famous Relatives to illustrate. According to FS, Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," is my 7C1R.
If I click on her name, I see
There are several ways to view her full profile. I generally choose "View Full Relationship" because I like to see everything.
And from there, I can click on her name and see the pop-up.
And then click on Sources (23) under her name to see the full list of attached sources. https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/sources/LFFJ-HFS
You can view each profile linking you to your Famous Relative and determine for yourself if the research is accurate. Unless the Famous Relative is marked Read Only, you can edit almost everything.1 -
On Ancestry, way too many people create trees without looking at source documents or stating sources. Also, too many people copy other trees without verifying sources or asking the tree authors where they got the information. That then spills over to FamilySearch.
I am often posting Collaborate notes on FS profiles stating "Need proof …" of relationships, dates, etc.
For one half of my extended family, there is someone on Ancestry who has valued quantity over quality. They have well over 100,000 names on their tree. But I can prove at least 3 relationships are completely wrong, including that their own gg-grandfather is fake. All they had to do was look at the original documents, but I guess that was too much work for them.
Here are a couple of recent posts on the subject:
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