Peeking at Other's Trees

A scroll through an unfamiliar family tree unearthed shocking portraits of the Rimes clan, my distant relatives. I'd never focused on this family, but these newspaper photographs drew me in, prompting a deep dive into their past. I verified grim dates entwined with the terrible fire in the Iroquois Theatre, a catastrophic building fire in Chicago, Illinois, that broke out on December 30, 1903 during a performance attended by 1,700 people. The fire caused 602 deaths including almost the entire Rimes family. I was drawn to the fourth child in this person's tree, the sole surviving member of the family, who was previously unknown to me.

We often spend a great deal of time criticizing erroneous trees on sites like Ancestry, but they can assist our family history research too. Fortunately, this genealogist was thorough and had added many sources.  Upon careful review, I embraced her findings and added that poor child to my tree as well.

How do you decide whether to accept photographs or other information found in other family trees? It's tempting to quickly add such information, but please use caution! I've personally worked with clients who had pictures on their walls of people who were not, in fact, part of their ancestral family.

What would have taken me months to do in days gone by was accomplished in 30 minutes, thanks to the internet and it's powerful search engines. I may have missed this tragic story were it not for a dedicated genealogist who was willing to share their work.

Lessons to remember:

#1: Be vigilant in your own sourcing and citations of those sources, so others can benefit from your hard work!  Linking your sources to your ancestors is easier now than ever. Watch this video for suggestions:

#2: Check the sources others and independently research information found in other's trees to be sure their research is reliable before grafting their fruit into your family tree.