I done my family tree, and my aunt is giving out the information saying she done it?

Question

I have spent a lot of money and hard work doing my family tree. a close aunt was very intrested so I copied everything and gave it to her,

I found a cousin on facebook that had photos with my hand wirtting on, when I asked how she got them she said "me and Jane (my aunt) done our family tree.

That really got to me as I put a lot of hard work into it and shes passing it as her own, and this women is! anyone else had this problem?

and from now on so I act selfish and keep it all to myself??

Answer 1

Look at it this way...who exactly DID you do your family tree for?  Was it for YOU AND YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY (sons, daughters, husband) or was it for your ENTIRE family (your cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews, etc.) to know?

I know you spent alot of money, put alot of time and alot of effort into your project and it is really pathetic that your other family members would try to claim your project as their own, you should have the personal sense of accomplishment in knowing that you did something that they only dreamed that they had been the first to accomplish.

I, personally, have found 2 living relatives on my father's side of the family (one, like you, paid to have a family tree completed and the other is still working on one), but I would never dream of claiming the information they have found as my own because I know how difficult it is to dig it up.  I do, however, ask questions of something I find, from time to time.)

If anything, I think you should have a sense of pride (even though you paid to have someone else trace your family tree) in knowing that you were the first to learn about your family and if they ask anything specific about Uncle Joe or Cousin Jane, just tell them to go look it up for themselves because YOU are NOT the dictionary and you DON'T have the answer (even though you might have it).

Answer 2

the hilarious thing about when this happened to me.. the person who 'took' it, had all of my children, (living, of course) born to my husband and his first wife.  Then arrogantly tried to claim it as 'public record'.  

What a fool. The truth of it is, those who steal info, have no idea of what it can really take to find it.  One way to "i.d." your work is to plant a fake child/ fact that only you know is false.  You see that, it is obvious.

Take it this way.. if it was not worthwhile, she would not have taken it. We all know what it is like, unfortunately.  

Answer 3

Be wary, Family Trees online could provide information that can lead to Identity theft.

Answer 4

you are not the only one in the world to have worked on a family tree.  Is it not possible that she too has also done one?  why are you acting like a two year old?  grow up!

Answer 5

Bump off your Aunt then you can add her name to YOUR tree.......revenge is sweet

Answer 6

Publishing or sharing is a constant problem. I published my work; my data is on Roots Web World Connect. That is, in effect, sharing it with anyone in the world who wants it and has web access.

On the bad side, people copy your research. Sometimes they credit you as a source, sometimes they don't. It happens, and nothing you can do, short of not publishing or sharing, will stop it.

On the good side, people you don't know will send you corrections and additions. Sometimes, especially if you are on dial-up, it is a 3 MB picture of a tombstone of a 4th great aunt by marriage's FIRST husband, one to whom you have no relation and no interest, but sometimes you get really good stuff.

11 people I can see on RWWC have copied my data. About half gave me credit. I always figure that the sin of claiming the research for their own is on their soul, not mine. I also figure I had fun tracking those people down. I would have done it anyway.

I'm a steam locomotive of research, barelling down through the generations at 67 mph, whistle blowing; if there are some tramps who want to sneak a ride in an empty car, it doesn't slow me down.

Answer 7

I completely understand how you feel. 10 years ago I shared just a part of my research with someone with the express understanding that it's my work and is not to ever be shared or put on the internet because so many people were still alive. 5 years ago I found that segment of my tree published on the internet by a complete stranger. I contacted her and insisted she take it down. She refused and claimed it's "public domain". Then I contacted Ancestry.com and demanded they take it down. They also refused. So I sent their lawyer a bill for $30,000 for publishing my copyrighted work. Funny. They took it down in a couple of days and canceled the lady's subscription.

My only suggestion to you is to explain how hurt you are to your aunt and to let her know that your cousin taking credit for your work is outrageous. I'd also suggest you copyright all of your work before you ever share it with anyone (it's free to do and you may not realize you already qualify for a copyright). Then you bill them for use of your material. They never expect it and any attorney will tell them to stop taking credit for it and give it back...because you do have a right to protect your work and put a price tag on it. Send her a letter by certified mail that she's plagiarizing your work and that if she continues, you're charging her $10,000 for every person she shares it with and for every day that she keeps your materials on her web page. You'll get her attention. The lesson being: cheating is never cheap

Answer 8

Been in the same boat a few years back. Found my info posted all over the internet with incorrect info put into it. I contacted the person and told them that if they were going to steal my research the least they could do is get it correct when they posted it. They took it down. I don't even let family post info. I don't want my info all over the net. If someone wants info I will email it under certain conditions. The main condition is that it is never posted on the net. I've tried to protect my family from identity theft and gotten nailed a couple of times.

You could always ask your Aunt for a copy of the work she did. If she can't cough it up, you could tell her that's ok, I knew you didn't do the work and carma will get you in the end.

Answer 9

Been there.  Done it.  Got the T-shirt.  An uncle rather than an aunt though.  It is really irritating when I know he's been contacting other people and claiming its all his own work.  I think it's happened to most of us.  Its a more common problem than you think - that and people who copy trees they find on the internet without even trying to check that what they're copying is right.  That irritates me even more!

Answer 10

Yes I have had the same problem, but with my brother.

It is infuriating and I can remember being very hurt over it.

I stopped sending him information, not because I am selfish - I'm far from it because I love to share my research with the many contacts that I have found on websites like Genes-reunited. (both close and distant rellies)

I can assure you that even though you are upset about this now, in time you will get over it.

This is some information on copyright for genealogy

One subject which is always good for a passionate discussion among genealogists is the issue of copyright laws as they pertain to genealogy. Some feel the family data they compile and place in GEDCOM files or on the Web is protected by copyright. Others are of the opinion that everything genealogy-related on the Internet is public information and free for the taking. The remaining genealogists cover the spectrum of opinions between the two extremes.



Is it Copyrighted?

Copyright laws vary by country, but for most countries the basic premises are the same: facts and data can not be copyrighted narration, compilations and creative works are protected by copyright

Copyright law in the U.S. does not protect data, only the presentation of the data. This is an important point for genealogists, because it means that facts (names, dates, places, etc.) presented in a standard format, such as a pedigree chart or GEDCOM file, are not protected by copyright. However, if you take this data and present it in your own unique format, such as a narrative, then the presentation of the material is protected by copyright, even when the facts are not. Large, original compilations of facts can also be protected by copyright - such as in the case of genealogical data CDs. You can enter a fact from such a CD into your database and it is free for use, but you can not legally reproduce the entire content of the CD. Public records in the U.S. are also not protected by copyright laws. This means that information copied from vital records, tombstones, court records, etc. are considered facts and cannot be copyrighted.

Not all creative works are protected by copyright laws. Original, published works created prior to 1923 are no longer covered by copyright. Some works created after 1922 may also not be eligible for copyright protection, but this takes careful research to verify. In general, it is best to assume that such works are protected unless they include a statement to the contrary.



Protecting Your Work

So how do you go about publishing your genealogy information on the Internet, while still protecting it from genealogists too lazy to do their own research? It's all in the extras. If you wish to display your information in GEDCOM or pedigree chart format, then include plenty of personal commentary in the form of notes. Or consider displaying your family information in a story format complete with photos (yes, they are protected by copyright). This won't prevent people from using your facts, but it will make it difficult for them to legally import your family tree into their database verbatim.

Answer 11

Genevieve's Mom gave you some good information.

However Kelly, make sure that your aunt didn't do research herself and when she asked for a copy of your tree, she just wanted to check it against hers.   Both of you should have documentation to back up your information.

A lot of people don't want their tree online for that very reason.  However, what bothers me is I can see a lot of people copying without verifying. Too many people think that if it is on a website, it is correct.  Nothing can be further from the truth.

Answer 12

please done is wrong did is right sorry to moan....

this did happen to me and it is awful i know...i have spent the last 10 years doing the research and i also found wrong info on the mormon site that i have tried in  vain to get them to remove....

Answer 13

i have heard of this happening, im sorry that this happened to you, dont let it put you off your research. luckily i havent had anything like this happen, but thats mainly because i havent got any family that are interested in it.

good luck with the rest of it