Private trees on Ancestry.com

Why are some of the trees private? Why bother putting them online if others can't see them?

Those are only a couple of questions being asked recently about private trees.

I have a private tree. In fact, if you search, you not only won't find it, you won't find any documents that I've uploaded to it. I think it's horrible when someone uploads something to a private tree, allows others to know they have a picture or document and then won't share any of the information.

Honestly, if you're going to do that, make it so nothing in the tree shows up on the searches. It's very easy to do.

Why do I have a private tree? Why even bother to put it online?

Simple. When I started I bought Mac Family Tree as my genealogy program. I can't attach documents or photos to people in Mac Family Tree from Ancestry.com. I've tried. I even downloaded the GEDCOM file and none of the attached information would upload to Mac Family Tree.

So, I made the tree private and did my research there. Since then I've switched to Family Tree Maker, which is supported by Ancestry.com, but my FTM is for a Mac and not all things are equal in how it works with a Mac and how it works with a Windows based machine.

It's easier to do the research at Ancestry.com and attach things to the people in the tree, than to do it through FTM.

Because I'm picky and I want to make sure things are right, my tree is private until I have everything verified. To me, and I know this is just me, making my tree public at this time is equivalent to your favorite author letting you see the first draft of their current work in progress. Trust me on this, if you have never read a first draft, there is a reason why they are typically called shitty first drafts. You would be appalled to see the drivel that is included in a first draft.

It's who I am. I don't want it public until it's right. Or verified with everything that's possible to find at this time. This is genealogy, and what we prove today can be unproven tomorrow. But everyone can see the steps reached to come to the conclusion. Honestly, if you can't follow in my tracks, I have not done my job. There are still plenty of ancestors in my tree where the trail is pretty skimpy and you won't be able to follow in my tracks.

My day job is in the medical field. I have been trained, and rightfully so, to not release information to other care givers until I know that the information is correct. It does not always make me popular. However, it has saved the lives of patients. I can't nor will I turn that training off when it comes to genealogy.

I realize the majority of people in my tree are long gone. They still deserve the respect that we give the living. They deserve to be put with the correct parents and siblings. They deserve to be married to their spouse, not some other person who married someone with the same name. They deserve their own children to be listed as their children, not some unknown children that belongs to that wrong spouse.

I'm sorry, but before my tree is public, I have to make sure the claims in it will hold up not only to my verification, but to yours, too. I want you to have your questions answered pertaining to how I came to that conclusion by reviewing the documents I've attached to each person.

Even being that picky, I know there will be mistakes. But I want them to be as few as possible.

With that said, if I use something from your public tree, I will contact you. I will also give you the chance to view my private tree. Even if I don't use anything from your tree, if I see we are working on the same family, I will contact you and there's a very good chance that I will invite you to view my tree.

I know there are others out there with family trees who keep them private for other reasons. Some don't want to share. Some think they're special if they know something that no one else knows. Some want you and the world to know they have information that you have to beg to see.

Shrugging. Chances are they are the type of person I wouldn't care to know in real life either. I can bypass them on the internet, even knowing there's a very good chance that we're related. I've found plenty of awesome relatives without having to endure the ones who are sloppy, lazy, liars, sneaky and forgot their scruples and that people, living and deceased, should be shown dignity and respect.

Not all of us who have private trees are like those people, just as not all who have public trees copy and paste everything they see, no matter how wild.