Genealogy Chat

I have started researching my best friend's family tree and wondered how other researchers would feel about giving information to a third party. There are several people who have added my friend's father to their tree but I am unsure as to whether to contact them as I have no tree to share and very little information at the moment.

Hi Kim.

My advice would be the same as with your own tree - that is, start with what facts your friend has and work back steadily.

If you contact other members, I would avoid asking to see their tree at this point. It might be best to ask about more distant relatives, her great-granparents for example. Be upfront about your involvement and explain why you are contacting them.

I did this some years ago, and explained my reasons for doing so, giving what info I had.

Just a personal opinion, but I think it might be best to wait till you have a bit more info on the family before contacting anyone.

Good luck!

Jan

Talk it over with your friend - it's really their tree you're working on, so the decision should be theirs - at least, that's what I think.

Is your friend's father alive?

If so, anyone who has him in a GR tree should have obtained his permission.

What is the purpose of the research? Does your friend have a specific objective?

It would, in my opinion, be unwise to give info about your friend to anyone...unless he/she asks you to do so.

You can research the tree without contacting anyone......................I would suggest that you start off by doing that.

Reggie

Why do you need permission to put someones name on your tree, I thought it just applied to photos?

Read the guidelines.............they are very clear about this matter

This site is not secure, and invasion of privacy is the issue.................

I would certainly object very strongly if anyone added me to a tree on here without my permission! Wouldn't you?

You need the permission of living relatives to add their names to a tree on this site

Thank you everyone. I have been researching my own tree for many years and I do have the permission of my friend to do her research and her father is alive, which is one of the reasons I posed the question in the first place. Neither he nor she recognise the names of the people who have him on their trees. He is not particluarly troubled by it, but nevertheless rules are rules and I was not happy when something similar was done to me. I will discuss it all with my friend and see how she wants to proceed. Thank you all again for your advice.

Kim

Can I just ask if the father's name is sufficiently unusual for you to be certain that the man in members' trees is actually your friend's father....................or could it be a coincidence?

While his name is not unusual, it is his name, his year of birth and his place of birth. The trees also carry his mother's name which is an unusual one.

Kim