Genealogy Chat

Excuse the pun but there are a lot of ghosts on this site. I found two names on my Hot Matches - exact matches for my cousin and his wife I sent of messages to both - no reply. I spoke to my cousin and asked if either he and/or his wife were members of GC. He explained that they had 'toyed' with the idea a couple of years ago. They had instigated proceedings but then decided against it. Their names, however, remain 'in the system'. How many more instances of this could there be? Is that why so many of us never get replies to our messages. GC needs to have a thorough clean up. M. Steer

Yeah! My ISP expunges my stored e-mails if I don't access the system regularly, perhaps something slightly less draconian would suffice for GR, though.....J.

I have long suspected that there are really only about half a million individual 'ancestors' on this Site. GR will never do anything to change this because 'Seaarch 44 million ancestors' looks so much more impressive than 'search about half a million' - and also makes the Site far more valuable with view to selling it! Olde Crone

And there are some strange names too!! :-) Joy

That explains why there are seemingly so many rude people-they don't know you have contacted them as they changed their email address 2 years ago!!! I bet a few have died too - surely if the site has not been visited for a year they (genes) should delete it. Jacquie

The other day I sent a message to my own daughter!!!!! (not knowing) after looking at 'hot matches' GEE! did I get excited! She wrote back saying....'I bloody hope so, your my Mother!' LOL She is'nt a member of GR but did a few years ago add her name to FR. Silly me ~~

LOL - Gerri! Well I suppose that it does at least show that hot matches can work! Good idea though, to have a clean-up on this site - maybe they could get rid of all the Donald Ducks, Mickey Mouses, Bilbo Baggins, Darth Vaders etc whilst they're at it! Don't think it will ever happen though, as OC said, all they're interested in at the moment is making this site more saleable, so the more names they have, the better - even if most of them are defunct or even fictional! Richard

LOL - Richard......I thought that the whole idea of this site was that most of the persons named would be defunct...otherwise you could just pick up the phone and ask them all the questions you wanted to;-)...J.

Jude, Yes, most of the names on this site are defunct, as you wish to call them (i.e. dead). However, the so called 'Members' tracing them should be 'alive and kicking' and fully paid up members, genuinely researching their family. M. Steer

Wot's this then...a lets have ago at GR party? I've been using this site for 3 or so years as a paid member & have found it very useful/easy to use. I've got some odd names in my tree that other 'Ancestor websites' won't create a message board for/ even entertain, no matter how much I whinge... genes is bargain at £7.50 a year! My only gripe the the gedcom function is broken...please fix it genes gods, please!

Zara Its not even the odd names that I have a problem with - after all, you will only find Darth Vader if you search for him - but they must clog up the system and the presence of these stupid names makes the Site look a bit amateurish. Its the endlessly duplicated ones - someone who uploads their Gedcom every week say, will have all their ancestors entered as 250 individuals, when in fact it is only one individual, uploaded 250 times. At best its sloppy housekeeping on Gr's part and at worst it is misrepresentation of the facts. This is a useful Site as far as I am concerned, only because of the contact with OTHER MEMBERS and their knowledge and expertise. It is not a genuine resource. Olde Crone

Yes I got rather excited quite awhile ago thinking I'd got a close contact who had hubby in their tree - turned out to be hubby - he wasn't a member just put his name in when it first started up I think. So couldn't have been much closer but hasn't furthered my research at all.

I would suggest that if you know you have had other GC 'accounts' over the years that you ask GC to delete them. I remembered this morning I had started a tree on here when I was in school 5 years ago. I knew I only had one email address back then so tried to log in and went through every password combination I could think of that I would have use at 17 and finally found my tree. I asked GR to remove the account and they did. Self removel link available under the contact us link.

I can't comment on the upload function as I've never tried it - sounds messy (and i'm not too happy about the export function not being fixed ) But there are good points about genes: The message/name boards are easy to get around (navigate) and I've found lots of information without needing to contact anyone. It's mainly UK based tree stuff, I find it nice that we (UK) have our own resource. There's more chance of younger generation people taking an interest in history/family tree because of the friends reunited sister site - I got into family tree stuff out of curiosity when looking for old friends there & now I'm hooked, I got my mother hooked & other members of the family whom are not on-line/computer literate are starting to take an interest in it too.

Yes, but what REALLY ticks me off is that Darth Vader states he was born on the Death Star! Surely he must know he was born on Tattooine! ;-) Darth must have the smallest family tree on GR - just his mother, the Midichlorians for his Dad, his secret wife Padme Amidala and the two kids Luke and Leia! (Tee-Hee) You'll have to excuse me, I'm in a batty mood! Cheers, Lynn

For family tree purposes I think Darth Vader should surely go by his birth name: Anakin Skywalker........ Merry

Yep, good point! Definitely should be Anakin Skywalker but could add: 'Otherwise known as Darth Vader'. Thanks for pointing this out Merry ;-) Cheers, Lynn (genealogist for 20th Century Fox) ;-)

Hubby tells me he didn't have a father...... Maybe we should ask the GRO for a copy of his cert, just to be certain?? Merry :O)

Merry, Well, there was some talk that The Emperor arranged Anakin's existence. Not quite sure how that worked?! Didn't Schmee Skywalker notice that someone had been tampering with her reproductive system?!!! As for not finding his father, I'd have thought someone could have tracked him down on Ancestry!!! I suppose e-mailing the local BMD records office on Tattooine would be our best bet. ;-) Merry, thanks for humouring this lunatic woman! Cheers, Lynn

Lynn, Merry ... the genealogy of Star Wars characters? Isn't that like wearing two anoraks at once? :o)