How accurate is my heritage.com?

Question

How accurate is my heritage.com?

Answer 1

There is no website which can claim accuracy.. 90% are based on user submitted information, which by it's very nature is NOT A RECORD.  If the file itself is based on valid records/ sources.. it may be good, but those copied from other persons (or "I have 3 trillion names, but I don't have time to verify them.. worse than a virus) are often unreliable.  

Understand that sites can have original records.. images of the census, copies from original documents, extractions from parish registers.. these are not pre-packaged trees. These are closer to actual records. It is up to you to determine HOW VALID those documents are, how they do relate to your own ancestry, etc.

Answer 2

Wendy gave you a great answer.   Original source records are one thing.  Family Trees on ANY website, free or not free, are another.  

The trees are not put on the websites by experts that are working for the websites but by folks like you and me.  There are errors and they are very poorly documented if documented at all.  You might see different info on the same people from different subscribers. Then you will see repeatedly the same info on the same people from different subscribers, but that is no guarantee at all it is correct. A lot of people copy without verifying.  They can be useful as CLUES as to where to search and perhaps get the documentation.

Answer 3

Only as accurate as the information that has been put in the system.