ChatGPT has better artistic skills than I do, so I asked it to do the following:
Create an image titled "unsourced family trees = genealogy slop" with a stylized family tree and random genealogy words in a slop whirlwind.
Chat took the initiative to insert some typical "family legends" such as an ancestor of royal blood, a Mayflower ancestor, a witch trial victim. It sprinkled phrases like "somewhere online" and "internet tree" in the whirlwind of slop. And voila, a fun depiction of a hard truth.
Unsourced trees are nothing more than genealogy slop because they get copied and pasted and spread like kudzu.
Slop is a pretty good description, right?!
This is my "free space" post for week 30 of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2026.
Interesting image. However, I still look at unsourced trees for possible clues. My own tree online is unsourced because back around 2015 when Ancestry updated their terms to include a statement that, once we uploaded any of our own items to our trees, the company had the right to do what it wanted with them. That really annoyed me and I spent a couple of weeks stripping out every single document and image from my trees.
ReplyDeleteI stripped personal photos at that time but left documents, with the thought that I don't mind sharing documents with others. Lots of clues on unsourced trees but because they get copied all over the place, any tiny error gets slopped everywhere IMHO!
DeleteIf only it weren't so easy to copy from other trees, then we might not have so much slop. If only people would do their own research.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this post. ChatGPT did a great job. Once you know it's not true, you'll still find something out there that accepts it as true. That is indeed slop.
ReplyDeleteVery true and I used to be very guilty of it. But as I learn more I am now taking off those trees I used as a source when they are unsourced - I hope that comes out right - sounds better in my head. Anyway, I will now only use those trees as a clue, as others have said. If they happen to have a source for information, that is great!
ReplyDeleteClues are great! I just wish more folks would actually show sources so the trees seem more credible...because inevitably these unsourced trees are copied and copied and copied.
DeleteParts of my tree are currently unsourced because they are still a work in progress. The main reason for this is that I’ve been given old, handwritten trees, faithfully researched in archives decades ago, that I’m slowly adding. One approach would be to only ever share my tree at those rare moments when everything is just so. Instead, I fully disclose its work-in-progress status and encourage questions from anyone interested.
ReplyDeleteJane, this sounds like a thoughtful approach. Sounds like at least parts of your tree include sources for others to see and follow up on. Thanks for commenting!
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