It’s Time to Rake the Leaves
Several years ago I wrote an article for the October 2018 issue of Digging History Magazine, entitled “Genealogically Speaking: It’s Time to Rake the Leaves”. I thought it might be a good reminder to share excerpts from that article, plus some updates since some of the information now appears to be obsolete.
Having now officially passed into the autumnal equinox, it’s time to think about raking up leaves – in our yards and, metaphorically, our family trees. And, since 2001 when Congress made it officially so, October is Family History Month, what better time to do a little “yard work” – genealogically speaking.
Those of us who have accounts at Ancestry.com are familiar with the “shaking leaves” – hints which might help us solve family history mysteries. The word “might” should be emphasized here. Not all hints are equal – some are just leading you down a path to ruin (genealogically speaking).
I manage several trees through my Ancestry account, the majority of them belonging to clients who have engaged my research services. With so many trees to manage, I admit to leeting the leaves pile up” Ever so often we all need to review our tree(s) and “rake the leaves” – and not be afraid to click “Ignore” if the hint seems a bit dubious. These days, Ancestry tucks those “Ignored” hints away so you can still re-visit them later if you wish.
In the original article I highlighted a few of the more dubious (in my opinion) databases available at Ancestry. Those included: Family Data Collection and Millennium File. While those two databases appear to no longer exist as resources at Ancestry, let me share a bit of what I wrote back in 2018 – just in case you might have based some of your research in days gone by on these dubious databases.
Family Data Collection
What exactly is a “Family Data Collection”? Officially, Ancestry defined it as a database created while gathering genealogical data for use in the study of human genetics and disease.
So, exactly when was this data collected? It didn’t say. For me, no citation equals questionable reliability, plain and simple. Originally, the collection was considered a unique database consisting of five million genealogical record representing some twenty million names, which “were saved from destruction after being rejected from scientific studies.” Note the word “rejected”.1
To Ancestry’s credit they did mention the possibility of an “absence of cited documentation”, but how many people bother to read the “fine print” and just attach it to their tree without verifying? Rather than see the data destroyed, however, Ancestry purchased the electronic data rights. After those rights were purchased in 2000, Ancestry decided to divvy them up into three separate collections: Births, Marriages and Deaths.
It’s not that these records were totally useless (yet, in many cases they are fiction or “fantasy” as someone may have tried to link themselves to some famous person, for instance). They might have served as a starting point to investigate further. If, however, you relied on them as primary sources, you might have actually created a nightmare in terms of reliably connecting family lines.
Another consideration in deciding whether to base your research on any records of this type is that other researchers, often casual hobbyists, will copy what you copied and keep passing along potentially incorrect data. Some people think you can just whip through “research” by copying other people’s trees. I had to keep from busting out laughing a few years ago when speaking to a nurse at a rehab facility where my dad was staying for a few days.
He had the same surname (Hall) and came from around Vernon, Texas where we do have some family connections. He was potentially a distant cousin. I told him how I had been researching our family history,and he somewhat smugly informed me he had concluded his research – it only took him three weeks! Hahahahaha, I wanted to bust out laughing!
I’m pretty sure I know exactly how his “research” went. Several years ago we purchased an Ancestry membership for my mother and she, unfortunately and unknowingly, did much the same thing. It took me awhile to undo all of that once I became involved. Again, it wasn’t that it was ALL wrong – it just needed to be proved with valid data. Unfortunately, there are just too many gullible and impatient people who don’t know any better, and like the nurse just want to “get it done and over with.”
Today, we have more reliable means with DNA technology and artificial (or super) intelligence. Ancestry (as well other genealogical research sites) is constantly fine-tuning their DNA technology. For instance, I now know that the 2% Native American heritage I claim comes from the maternal side. My dad was convinced we had Cherokee heritage because some distant cousin swore it was true. According to DNA results, I have ZERO Native American blood on the paternal side of my tree. Plain and simple, DNA does not lie.
Millennium File
Even more mysterious than the “Family Data” collections was the “Millennium File”. Ancestry listed the source of this database as Heritage Consulting, a well-known and reputable Salt Lake City research firm who performs most, if not all, their research at the nearby Family History Library. Originally, the Millennium File was a database created by the Institute of Family Research which long ago dissolved into five different research firms. The database was created in order to track records of its clients and the results of their research.
It was a significant database of over 880,000 “linked family records, with lineages from throughout the world, including colonial America, the British Isles, Switzerland, and Germany. Many of these lineages extend back to nobility and renowned historical figures. In fact, one of the things the Millennium File focuses on is linking to European nobility and royalty.”
Good to know, but was this a reliable database upon which to base proof of one’s ancestry? Ancestry suggested a good use of this particular database is assisting in identifying what’s called a “gateway ancestor”, the early American immigrant “identified as having roots in British or European nobility.” However, despite the size of this database, it included only about 300 so-called “gateway ancestors” with proven ties to nobility or royalty.2
Google “millennium file” today and you’ll still find a lot of negativity regarding this database. Thankfully, this database no longer exists, but for those who started their research “many moons” ago may still want to review the various hints and records you have attached to your tree.
“Virtual” Graves
And now for one of my favorite genealogical “pet peeves”: Global and/or “Virtual” Find-A-Grave “records”. I put records in quotes for a reason because oftentimes I seriously wonder sometimes where these are really records or just someone’s best (or worst!) guess as to where someone was buried, or when and where they were born and died.
The Ancestry database is officially entitled “Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current”. As the title implies the records for this database are gleaned from the Find-A-Grave web site, which purports to be a “virtual cemetery experience”.
The web site was started in 1995 by Jim Tipton so he could share his hobby of visiting cemeteries where famous people had been buried. People began visiting the site and decided, “hey, my ancestor may not have been famous but I want to post my own pictures for posterity’s sake.” Today, the site now has more than 265 million memorials. Again, it’s not that the information found there is necessarily unreliable. Some people take the courtesy of providing source information, even if it’s just an informal reference.
The ones that trouble me are those which are so vague as not to be believed. Without any type of source, I am somewhat leery of any entry which does not include a grave marker which I can read or deemed to have been reliably transcribed by the person posting a picture.
One example of someone’s misguided posting (or just “guessing”) was one I came across while researching an article for my local genealogical society’s newsletter (which, at the time, I was editing and writing many of the articles). I wrote (regarding the demise of a recently-released inmate of the Colorado Insane Asylum):
One particular case, that of William Arundale, caught my eye. It was a sad story. William was on his way home to Hot Sulphur Springs after being released from the Pueblo hospital when he was crushed by a train at Elk Creek. Authorities believed he had relapsed and committed suicide. His wife was sure it was an accident.
His remains were to be interred at Mount Olivet in Jefferson County. Let’s say William Arundale was your ancestor and you knew he lived in Hot Sulphur Springs (Grand County, Colorado) and you wanted to find his grave. Many people would automatically go to Find-A-Grave and look up “William Arundale” in Grand County.
And, you would find an entry for William Arundale — your William Arundale (sort of) — with only the notation “killed by a train” and an unknown birth and death date. Had you searched all counties in Colorado for “Arundale” you would find two named William Arundale in Mount Olivet, one of them being your ancestor (1867-1900). Someone has apparently entered a “virtual cemetery” entry (or a wild guess!) for William Arundale in Hot Sulphur Springs without adequately researching his demise.3
You might also want to check out an article published earlier this year, “Don’t Be Duped: The King of Genealogical Fraud“. You might think you’re “safe”, but blatant genealogical fraud which occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries still affects research today.
We all come across “vague” records which most of the time require further research. Does your tree need a good “raking”? It might be time for a check-up! Like I always say, “genealogy research, at least the serious kind, is not for the faint of heart!” As the saying goes . . . caveat investigator.
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Footnotes:
- Accessed at: http://www.city-data.com/forum/genealogy/2703300-family-data-collection-records-ancestry.html on October 23, 2026.
- “About Millennium File”, accessed on September 14, 2018 at https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7249.
- Sharon Hall, “Mining the 1880 Census Mother Lode: Was My Ancestor Really Crazy?”, South Plains Roots, the official newsletter of the South Plains Genealogical Society, May 2017, 8.