I haven't been a "member" at F-a-G nearly as long, nor have I put up as many contributions as you or others. It is not relevant to my issue.
I do tend to feel, though, that a number of contributors have included unproven/unprovable information, and one or two I've found with erroneous information that is not on the stone itself. Likewise I've found info I was later able to confirm in official sources. However, if on 1 Aug 2010 I cited my source as "DELAUTER, Roger U., /18th Virginia Cavalry: The Virginia Regimental Series/ (c 1985 H.E. Howard, Inc., Lynchburg, VA, 1st ed.) pg 24" anyone looking at pg 24 (DeLauder, op cit) in Nov 2014 will see the same information -- The info may be _wrong_ but it is guaranteed to be as I cited it where I cited it. If, however, on 2 Aug 2010 I cited my source as "http://www.FindaGrave.com /Memorial # 1458201/" it may have changed by Nov 2014. Whether the change is an improvement is not relevant. The source cited CHANGED and no longer says what it did when cited. So, as a new researcher, Quizzlefrump asks me about our common ancestor, I send him what I have with my source citations, which being a good li'l doobee, he goes off to check. And, Wow! That's not what that memorial says!! If Cheryl made a mistake this obvious, how can I trust anything else she says? Example: there's a memorial up that has the name of one of my ancestors; I've got census, vitals, info from family whose parents knew the man ... the whole 9 yards. Yet, the memorial now has a completely different wife and children listed. We're working it out (two men, same uncommon name, different wives, one death-date, one cemetery, copious data on both) but I cited it before the original contributor transferred to the descendant of the other guy, so what I copied and pasted THEN doesn't match what's there NOW. Cheryl Pauline B. Cramer wrote: > Cheryl, > > I have been a contributor to Find A Grave for over seven years, creating > memorials for my family lines, ancestors and their descendants, > requesting transfer of some existing memorials to me for further work, > and otherwise trying to improve the data in FAG, by pointing out > duplicates and other errors that I run across. It is my impression that > the data in FAG is getting better and better as a function of time, as > more and more families are searching and entering data in FAG. > > I use Find-A-Grave memorials to provide a simple format in my Legacy > Family Tree General Notes. I paste the memorial text at the top of the > General Notes field, where it is readily visible, and other General > Notes are below. This provides the basic information about the > individual whose grave has been recorded in FAG, and I can easily > compare it with what is in other fields of my Legacy family file. I > enter the FAG memorial number as part of the FAG Source Detail in my > Legacy db , and also copy the FAG memorial number into the Legacy USER > ID field. I currently can create a list of over 1400 individuals in my > main Legacy Family file who have FAG as a source. > > On FAG memorials that I create and/or maintain, I add a biography based > on data documented in my Legacy family file and also add FAG family > links for graves of parents, spouse, children and siblings as I find them. > For FAG memorials that I do not manage, I suggest edits to the memorial > maintainer and provide additional data as appropriate, as I find it. > Whenever I notice that a FAG memorial has been updated by someone, I > review the changes, make any desirable changes in my Legacy file, and > move the older version of FAG memorial into my Legacy Research Notes. > In my experience, most changes usually are additional family grave > links, which is desirable. > I do revise bios on FAG memorials that I manage, based on new data that > I have found in various sources or based on new insights. I tend to > put a revision date on those bios. > Considering that most big FAG contributors are working from obituaries, > and they do not cite or keep their sources, and other big FAG > contributors are working from cemetery records or grave marker > transcriptions, we are fortunate to have the photographers photographing > grave markers, as described in the Legacy FAG Webinar, so we can read > names and dates that may not be the same as data entered by the FAG > memorial creator. > > Pauline > > > On 9/1/2014 7:04 AM, singhals wrote: >> I've been away for a funeral and just now saw this. >> >> I'm using F-a-G to as an easily-accessible, independent >> confirmation of facts proven a century ago. And, of course, >> it gives the source-crazed something to argue with besides me. >> >> I suspect most of us (yeah, even me) will be more likely to >> blame the citer not the maintainer when the Memorial # cited >> shows something different than what I copied last winter. >> That's not a fight I care to get into. >> >> Cheryl >> >> >> Paula Ryburn wrote: >>> Cheryl, After watching the webinar, I have sent several >>> updates to maintainers, as well as asked them to transfer >>> maintenance to me, so I can see why you see things >>> changing--in the case of my ancestors, things are getting >>> more accurate or complete. >>> >>> I think that as long as you recorded your access date in the >>> citation, any mismatch found by a researcher who comes after >>> you will be understood. We can only hope& assume (?!) the >>> updates are better information. >>> >>> Bottom line, though, these are secondary sources--always >>> best to find the original if you are trying to prove >>> something, publish, etc. >>> >>> I have been using F-A-G to claim photo requests for the >>> local cemeteries, then walk& take pictures when the weather >>> is nice. Here in Houston that means I haven't done it in >>> months, ha! >>> >>> I believe there is an option in the search to just see >>> what's been updated in the past X days, too. That might help >>> you see what's changed for your family's memorials. >>> --Paula in Texas >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------ >>> *From:* singhals<[email protected]> >>> *To:* [email protected] >>> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2014 12:04 PM >>> *Subject:* Re: [LegacyUG] Register for Webinar Wednesday - >>> Find A Grave: the World's Largest Cemetery Database by Russ >>> Worthington >>> >>> Geoff Rasmussen wrote: >>> > Explore Find-A-Grave, the largest cemetery database in the >>> > world and a must-have tool in your genealogy toolbox. In >>> > Wednesday's webinar, Russ Worthington will share insights >>> > and methodologies into best using the site for family >>> > history research. He will also provide suggestions about >>> > contributing your own photographs. >>> >>> I hope he mentions something I tripped across this week : >>> revisiting some Memorials at FaG that I had already saved, I >>> discovered information missing, added, or changed from my >>> previous visit! That means, I'm going to have to through >>> several thousand names that have a FaG citation. It is, at >>> best, irksome. >>> >>> Cheryl-the-grumpy Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
