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Are These Really My Ancestors? Validate Your Family Tree | Tips & Tricks Virtual Event | Ancestry

Ancestry

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Even the most careful genealogists occasionally find themselves climbing the wrong family tree. Learn how to audit your existing family tree to ensure every branch is built on a solid foundation. We’ll show you how to look for red flags in dates, verify that records are logically attached, and use Ancestry’s latest tools to cross-reference relationships. Learn professional techniques for "gut-checking" your data and correcting mistakes before they spread. Don't just grow your tree, ensure it’s accurate!

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20 Comments

@leslieschnakenberg1167 2 days ago

Thank you for showing how to turn off the family tree hints and the potential ancestors! I didn't know it was an option to turn them off!

@dannamcgowen3889 1 day ago

Crista, you are an excellent teacher. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

@949sherry9 2 days ago

😃👍Always great info Crista ! I wish everyone would watch this episode.

@jaymm165 1 day ago

Who knew what member connect was? I do now. Member Tree hints now turned off and potential ancestors. I’ve been at this since the get go and always learning. Great video.

@mikeschilling5244 16 hours ago

This has been one of the best videos you have ever provided. Things that I learned 1) the thrulines stick test 2) the list view with filtering on tags 3) the feature to cross check several tags at once.

@Katharin_CaCO 2 days ago

Thank You i was unaware of the comparison tool & the fact checker

@susanmford1950 1 day ago

Loved learning how to turn off hints from other family trees! You are the BEST! Thank you!

@Heidi_Bradshaw 1 day ago

Before I add someone to the tree, I check, double check, triple check etc etc EVERYTHING! I am pretty darn stubborn when it comes to accuracy. The past three days, I’ve had 3 different ‘Famous Ancestors’ suggested to me and WOULD link up with everything, but ONE detail prevented that. I could have just put everything in, it because I want to have a clean tree, I kept it out. Good luck to all researching.

@teresasumfleth2167 1 day ago

I have learned a lot from your videos!!! Today the two things that stand out are first about the hint notifications on/off buttons. I have recently felt very distracted by the member tree and potential relative hints and wished I could turn them off. Et Voila! I have just learned not only can I turn them off, I can turn them back on just as easily. Second, I learned I am not alone in the frustration of Franken people and Trees whose potential relatives become the popular consensus and the evidence points otherwise. Thank you for the great work you do and for sharing your knowledge!!!

@kathleensnow5358 2 days ago

Crista, may I make a request for a future video? Irish genealogy is still a challenge and always will be due to the amount of record loss. Could someone from Ancestry make an updated video on best practices for Irish genealogy? There are so many of us in the Irish Diaspora in North America who can only find one or two records of our ancestor. How does the genealogical proof standard apply when for example the only record of our ancestor is Griffith's Valuation?

@TeresaMills-d9k 2 days ago

I am a CG, but also a sponge and always looking for methodology training! Never stop learning.☺️

@johefford8980 2 days ago

Thank you. I have learned lots of new things and I’m just off to start my tree again. Simple and slowly, with just parents of parents etc. Will start to branch out when I’m confident that I have creditable information of the parents. These sessions are so useful and good to know that the pros make mistakes too ❤

@zaidalookhoff3253 1 day ago

Hi Crista. Blessings to you and family. Your knowledge of the workings of Ancestry are amazing. I've been "digging up bones" for 20 years and always learn something new from you. You're right to check over our tree often. So much advancement in the field of genealogy and DNA. Thank you for sharing such important information. Looking forward to your next video. Blessings. Zaida

@ramonaearnest4709 1 day ago

One of many issues is Ancestors being married more than once and also naming family members with the same name. It can make you crazy! I always give disclaimers with my reports to family and friends because nothing is exact in researching! I'm still addicted and I always will be!

@s.f.8867 1 day ago (edited)

The are so many sources on ancestry without picture of the document to actually read and check. When will they be added?

@shelleymonson8750 1 day ago

I learned about the new standard tags - looking forward to using some of them! Great episode!

@LynnNeal-dw8uh 2 days ago

So happy to find I can turn off the Member Tree Hints. They have driven me crazy because the research is usually not helpful. Will be turning off the Potential Parent Hints too. Love your videos. I always learn something new with each one.

@jacqulynbell2069 1 day ago

How to turn off and on the Tree hints was new to me

@caroleanderson7582 1 day ago

As always I enjoyed this video. I did not realize that you could turn off hints. I also have another way to think about the jigsaw puzzle analogy. When my children were preschoolers we had 2 puzzles each with a different Muppet character on it. The pieces had the exact same shapes and were in the same positions so they could be put together with the pieces mixed up. For example, Bert might end up with Ernie's nose.The piece fit but was not correct based on the other pieces that surrounded it.