What if I completely disagree with a profile manager?

Question

I am new to Wikitree so this concept of one ancestral tree is a little foreign to me.  I began to build out my family tree, starting with Webb-27511. About 5 generations in on my Webb's side I noticed a family member (Webb-8529) already had profile posted. So I accepted this profile, thinking I could work off it. This tree rebuild shocked me. It included ancestors I have fought for years to disprove (i.e, Boones).  The profile owner is someone I have gone head to head for years. We can never agree regarding this one profile. But it looks like if I edit or delete something in this profile, it goes away (forever)?  I don't want to change this man's work, I just want to represent my point of view. I have DNA evidence that is contrary to his findings. I have already replied to his biography, but nothing is being changed.  How can I make my research visible?

Comments

One suggestion would be to ask for assistance here on G2G, showing the information you believe to be correct (with links to your documentation).  Having more eyes look at the question may help to resolve the differences.

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Thank you.  Should I post my findings in this G2G forum? Or does it belong somewhere else?

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I agree with Kathy.

Looking at the comments, it would appear that there is some disagreement about  the validity of different types of DNA evidence. If I've read that correctly, it's  likely that you'll  get some excellent feedback on G2G (we seem to have a lot of expertise)

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Thank you!  I will post a new G2G question then.

Answer 1

If you've posted on the profile, either as Research Notes in the bio or as comments on the profile, without success, I'd suggest summarizing the issue and the basis for your conclusions in a question here on G2G, e.g.  "Who were the parents of xxx?"  or "Was Mary Smith or Mary Jones the wife of Joe Brown?"  You'll find a number of questions like that here.   That's one of the benefits of collaboration.

Answer 2

Looks like you've gotten good advice, which I would echo -- make a post (as straightforward as possible) on G2G. Don't try to solve the world in one go, just try to ask for second opinions, one relationship at a time. What is the core disagreement? What sources support your position? What sources support the other position? Are there additional sources not yet in view that could help clarify?

We all have a stake in accuracy, not just profile managers and descendants. Anyone should be able to weigh in, dispassionately, based on sources alone, not favouring one outcome over another.

If ultimately there is not enough evidence to make a firm conclusion either way, detailed Research Notes can be made, relationships marked as uncertain, etc., as appropriate.

I'll also add that DNA evidence is helpful, but must be used carefully in conjunction with traditional genealogical evidence. If my second cousin on paper is shown to be my second cousin on a DNA test, we probably can say we share the same great grandparents, but we need the traditional genealogy piece to tell us WHO those great grandparents are.

Lastly, I wonder if the profile in question would be of interest to Wikitree's US Southern Colonies Project or the 1776 Project. Maybe they could help get it sorted.

Answer 3

Hi Jerry,

Welcome to WikiTree!  I have the same situation with 2 profile managers that share a profile, resulting in two ancestors with the same name Joshua and neither one will budge, claiming, without sources, that both Joshua  are the son of Thomas , but they will not merge the two!

I have to count to ten, apply a little WikiTree Community love, and tell myself we will all work together and figure it out, no matter how long it takes.  Those two Joshua are not going anywhere!  

Comments

David, your situation sounds to me like a classic case of Problems With Members, where mentor intervention is needed.  The only difference is that you are not party to the case, but merely an outside obsever watching the managers of duplicate profiles refuse to merge them in order to have their own versions of reality stand separately.

Regarding your statement "Those two Joshua are not going anywhere!", one of them needs to go somewhere!  Allowing both profiles to co-exist, knowing that they are duplicates, seems to me as much a violation of the Honor Code as deliberately creating duplicates in the first place.  I urge you to file a MIR about this issue, even though you are not one of the parties to it.