Genealogy is one of my hobbies, and I tend to trace all of my lines up/down/sideways. Basically, this means that I trace my direct line back as far as possible and then work down all of the lines of the descendants of the earliest ancestors. YES, it's a BIG tree, it's proven (I use the records and don't copy and guess, so there are no kings, queens, Biblical figures, "prophets," etc., in my tree), and it's not on the web. I am not a "serial tree copier" that tries to connect myself to Noah and Moses, nor am I a "serial grave adder" that throws accuracy to the wind while trying set some record for the most entries compiled in a week.

Instead, I enter relatively few graves, mostly family. I also enter some that might otherwise be forgotten and occasionally accept a grave that I know something of that the original contributor would prefer to pass along. I sometimes include applicable and appropriate bits of biography and history when I know them.

Though sometimes requested and assured that "this is the Gospel truth," I do not include "facts" that are speculative ("grandson of George Washington by his third secret wife"), unproven ("28th cousin, once removed, of Elvis AND Queen Elizabeth"), embarrassing ("known to parade naked in the woods while strumming a banjo"), or simply too negative ("sent to prison for...").

I also try to help others to ensure accuracy. If you get an "edit" or an email from me, be assured that I am NEITHER insulting NOR assaulting you, and helping improve accuracy is the only motivation. I know that I sometimes make mistakes as well, and in fact an edit request or two were properly denied because I did make mistakes. Another was denied because the contributor misread something in a record, but I am not an elementary school teacher, and it wasn't worth further debating. A third was denied because the "naming conventions state..." No doubt this contributor was a lawyer. Yet another was denied because the contributor's philosophy is to enter whatever they find on the death certificate, no matter how ridiculously wrong the information provided by some informant after the fact and written by some clerk might be. I tend not to waste time with such fools, and perhaps some others see me as a fool. It takes one to know one I suppose. I don't know and don't really care.

In all the time I've sent messages, I've gotten just TWO (yes, TWO) nasty replies, about three years apart from one another. One was from a (presumably prominent) "member of the local genealogy society," that told me she "entered hundreds of graves and didn't have the time to be sure they were correct." Further, she had originally "volunteered to enter the information" and "would not and could not" now be bothered to fix things herself. How/who else?

The other was from what I would term a self-appointed Findagrave "expert" that has actually given "seminars" on the topic (imagine that!) and knows how to type but is apparently too ignorant to check when she enters a grave that it's not already in the system. Be careful if you tell her, as she's apparently infallible (like the Pope I imagine) and doesn't like it when the evidence might show otherwise. I suspect she failed the final exam of her own seminar, but I'll never know, as she's the grader. She's also apparently offended at being part of a group that is addressed as "you folks." Should I have said "you dopes?" No doubt a fellow Californian that has been bitten by the "politically correct bug."

Rather than thanking me for trying to help, each of these goofs (goof is a technical term meaning complete idiot that is offended when confronted with a mistake, either in content or in procedure, that he or she has made) sent me terse "rap on the knuckles" emails that were as childish and ridiculous as I imagine they must be in person. Needless to say, my replies back were emphatic.

(I will update the above if/when another silly situation should arise.)

If you are one of these "sensitive" types of folks and send me such a nasty email you can be assured of a vigorous response.

If, on the other hand, you've learned to be nice and send me an email regarding the accuracy of a grave I have entered or manage, then you can be assured that I will look into the matter and make corrections if/as necessary and that you will also have my sincere thanks. The same goes if you fulfill (or try to fulfill) a photo request I've made. I sometimes forget to thank folks for these, and if that's the case with you I apologize and thank you now.

If you are interested in a person in my list and/or want to know if they might be related to someone feel free to ask. Use "Edit/Suggest any other correction or addition" to do so. I prefer these to the silly "public wall" and to email, both of which I have disabled.

Genealogy is one of my hobbies, and I tend to trace all of my lines up/down/sideways. Basically, this means that I trace my direct line back as far as possible and then work down all of the lines of the descendants of the earliest ancestors. YES, it's a BIG tree, it's proven (I use the records and don't copy and guess, so there are no kings, queens, Biblical figures, "prophets," etc., in my tree), and it's not on the web. I am not a "serial tree copier" that tries to connect myself to Noah and Moses, nor am I a "serial grave adder" that throws accuracy to the wind while trying set some record for the most entries compiled in a week.

Instead, I enter relatively few graves, mostly family. I also enter some that might otherwise be forgotten and occasionally accept a grave that I know something of that the original contributor would prefer to pass along. I sometimes include applicable and appropriate bits of biography and history when I know them.

Though sometimes requested and assured that "this is the Gospel truth," I do not include "facts" that are speculative ("grandson of George Washington by his third secret wife"), unproven ("28th cousin, once removed, of Elvis AND Queen Elizabeth"), embarrassing ("known to parade naked in the woods while strumming a banjo"), or simply too negative ("sent to prison for...").

I also try to help others to ensure accuracy. If you get an "edit" or an email from me, be assured that I am NEITHER insulting NOR assaulting you, and helping improve accuracy is the only motivation. I know that I sometimes make mistakes as well, and in fact an edit request or two were properly denied because I did make mistakes. Another was denied because the contributor misread something in a record, but I am not an elementary school teacher, and it wasn't worth further debating. A third was denied because the "naming conventions state..." No doubt this contributor was a lawyer. Yet another was denied because the contributor's philosophy is to enter whatever they find on the death certificate, no matter how ridiculously wrong the information provided by some informant after the fact and written by some clerk might be. I tend not to waste time with such fools, and perhaps some others see me as a fool. It takes one to know one I suppose. I don't know and don't really care.

In all the time I've sent messages, I've gotten just TWO (yes, TWO) nasty replies, about three years apart from one another. One was from a (presumably prominent) "member of the local genealogy society," that told me she "entered hundreds of graves and didn't have the time to be sure they were correct." Further, she had originally "volunteered to enter the information" and "would not and could not" now be bothered to fix things herself. How/who else?

The other was from what I would term a self-appointed Findagrave "expert" that has actually given "seminars" on the topic (imagine that!) and knows how to type but is apparently too ignorant to check when she enters a grave that it's not already in the system. Be careful if you tell her, as she's apparently infallible (like the Pope I imagine) and doesn't like it when the evidence might show otherwise. I suspect she failed the final exam of her own seminar, but I'll never know, as she's the grader. She's also apparently offended at being part of a group that is addressed as "you folks." Should I have said "you dopes?" No doubt a fellow Californian that has been bitten by the "politically correct bug."

Rather than thanking me for trying to help, each of these goofs (goof is a technical term meaning complete idiot that is offended when confronted with a mistake, either in content or in procedure, that he or she has made) sent me terse "rap on the knuckles" emails that were as childish and ridiculous as I imagine they must be in person. Needless to say, my replies back were emphatic.

(I will update the above if/when another silly situation should arise.)

If you are one of these "sensitive" types of folks and send me such a nasty email you can be assured of a vigorous response.

If, on the other hand, you've learned to be nice and send me an email regarding the accuracy of a grave I have entered or manage, then you can be assured that I will look into the matter and make corrections if/as necessary and that you will also have my sincere thanks. The same goes if you fulfill (or try to fulfill) a photo request I've made. I sometimes forget to thank folks for these, and if that's the case with you I apologize and thank you now.

If you are interested in a person in my list and/or want to know if they might be related to someone feel free to ask. Use "Edit/Suggest any other correction or addition" to do so. I prefer these to the silly "public wall" and to email, both of which I have disabled.