# Ancestry dot com **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 15, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698 "2015-10-15T04:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/41 "2016-06-10T12:25:37Z")
I’m unclear about your recommendation. Do you suggest _share with_ or _discontinue_? She’s not trying to save $99 (or whatever it is), just wants to be able to access everything from a single account. What is the mechanism to share DNA results with another account? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/42 "2016-06-10T13:31:22Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I’m unclear about your recommendation. Do you suggest _share with_ or _discontinue_? She’s not trying to save $99 (or whatever it is), just wants to be able to access everything from a single account. > > What is the mechanism to share DNA results with another account? If she wants to discontinue, that seems the simplest solution unless there’s a reason she doesn’t want to give up the account. I was puzzled why this has gone on for years so assumed she had a reason for wanting the DNA attached to the original account rather than just abandoning it and moving her subscription on to the DNA account. If there’s no reason to keep the original, ditch it. If she doesn’t want to ditch the original, she could share the results with the original account. On my mobile, there is a gear icon on the main DNA results page that takes you into settings, and from there you can access the sharing options. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/43 "2016-06-10T13:43:09Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > May I Pit [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) for something else? [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) has a huge collection of Family Trees – I’m sure it’s unequalled in scope. (I’m also sure some of the trees are quite unreliable, but that’s not the point of my Pitting.) > > It is extremely difficult to view a Family Tree. When you click _View Family Tree_, you get an elegant(?) graphic tree, but often so huge that it’s time-consuming to scroll just to see an ancestor’s parents. And the display is immune to copy-paste: If you want to keep the info to peruse offline you can’t even do screenshot-print (the parents may be at the opposite end from the children, one or more screenwidths away) – you’d have to copy the data by typing with your own fingers. No normal text ancestor table, no Gedcom available, etc. NOT user-friendly (but somehow good for Ancestry revenue-wise?) > > Or is this just my ignorance? Is there a way to get a text-format, copiable ancestor table (relative to one specified individual) for an [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) Public Member Tree? My mother is on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) and there is a personal family tree you can install on your pc and that is printable, copyable, etc. It is linked to your family tree on Ancestry, so it updates both trees. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/44 "2016-06-10T14:07:43Z")
My credit card company is going to be sending out the chipped cards sometime this summer. Maybe when I get it I will sign up with my existing card, use it for a few days, and then activate my chipped card, thus deactivating the card Ancestry has on file. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/45 "2016-06-10T14:35:25Z")
> [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](#): > > My mother is on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) and there is a personal family tree you can install on your pc and that is printable, copyable, etc. It is linked to your family tree on Ancestry, so it updates both trees. What if I want to view _another_ member’s public tree? Would I need to (or even be able to) download it to the pc before getting friendly access to it? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/46 "2016-06-10T15:18:39Z")
Just a note on others’ Family Trees on Ancestry. I found some useful info, linked to the town one grandmother was born in. She was related to some pioneering families in that little corner of Indiana. Tracing back further, one finds that other folks just accept data on people with similar names to their ancestors’. Rich & famous families tend to have more documentation. One ggg?-grandmother had the maiden name of Calvert; she was apparently born & died in Ulster. (That branch of the family had several lines that went Ulster–\>Pennsylvania–\>Kentucky–\>Indiana.) Obviously, she must be one of\* the \*Calverts–aristocratic Catholics who founded Maryland! At the same time she was living her non-aristocratic life in Ulster. Other people accepted the link. Nope. Show me real documentation. So, take strange Family Trees with several grains of salt. And there are only so many names making the rounds. Not just Scots-Irish–my Popish Bogtrotter ancestors (the majority) named their kids Michael, Patrick, William, Mary, Margaret or Bridget. (Yes, I was almost baptized Bridget–but my parents picked a more lace curtain option.) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/47 "2016-06-10T16:18:54Z")
By Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/48 "2016-06-10T18:49:55Z")
By bye Sent from my mom’s Palm Vx > [@Trinopus](#): > > This is the first time I ever encountered this. It offended me enough to throw it to the Pit. Yeah, the first time you get clickbait-and-switched, a little chunk of your optimism dies. (The second through tenth time? whoa…) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/49 "2016-06-10T19:54:06Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > By > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Sorry, didn’t mean to post. I literally just had a great two weeks with Ancestry. I researched way further than I thought possible and found a ton of really amazing photos, including some dating back to the Civil War. Kind of incredible. No need to go to extremes. You can “cancel” your membership immediately and not get charged. Requiring a card number for a trial is not uncommon, and since it’s their service, I’m not really in a position to complain. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/50 "2016-06-10T20:50:17Z")
I’ve occasionally used leftover MC/Visa gift cards (that had only small amounts left on them) for free trials. Usually you can add a name and address via the card issuer’s website to make the card usable for online shopping. You can use a fake name and address if you wish. Another thing I’ve done before signing up is check [justdelete.me](http://justdelete.me/) and [deleteyouraccount.com](http://deleteyouraccount.com/) to see if the cancellation process is problematic. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Windshoeffel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Max\_Windshoeffel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Windshoeffel)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/51 "2016-06-12T03:52:27Z")
Just make sure you dont accidentally sign up with incestry. com. That site offers only the family trees of the Lannisters, the Ptolemies and few others. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/52 "2016-06-12T05:19:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > If you lived here you could get it for free at the library. We don’t offer remote access to that one, but a lot of libraries also have the library edition. San Diego PL has that arrangement as well. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/53 "2016-06-12T07:54:36Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > What I don’t like about [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) is that I could find no way to correct information that they had wrong. > > My maternal grandmother was given a completely different name. Without registering or paying them something I can’t correct the inaccuracy. There’s no way to make changes to someone else’s tree. You can only make your own tree with the correct data. Once you have a basic tree in place, [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) will start suggesting links to more information, either from databases (census, military, social security, etc.) or from other trees. You can click to compare to one of the people on your tree. if you accept the information, it’s added to your tree. You have to be careful about adding information from other trees. You used to be able to see if they had supporting documentation, but the interface has been changed and I’m not sure if you still can. For most trees, you can’t see the full names of living people. Oh, I think there’s a way to message people, if you think their tree is inaccurate. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/54 "2016-06-12T10:33:36Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Oh, I think there’s a way to message people, if you think their tree is inaccurate. I just did that to three people last weekend. So far, no response. I’ve had about a 50% success rate over the years in getting people to change things. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/55 "2016-06-14T14:32:17Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > What if I want to view _another_ member’s public tree? Would I need to (or even be able to) download it to the pc before getting friendly access to it? I’m not sure…I’ll ask her. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/56 "2016-06-22T10:49:51Z")
> [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](#): > > I’m not sure…I’ll ask her. Sorry took so long. You can’t download entire trees, only individual documents. So yea, back to your original dilemna. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/57 "2016-06-22T11:53:21Z")
> [@Max\_Windshoeffel](#): > > Just make sure you dont accidentally sign up with incestry dot com.[link broken] > That site offers only the family trees of the Lannisters, the Ptolemies and few others. Do not clink on that link, it goes to a malware site. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/58 "2016-06-22T12:01:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Do not clink on that link, it goes to a malware site. Yes, it does. I’ve asked that a mod break the link in the post. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/59 "2016-06-22T12:09:44Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Yes, it does. I’ve asked that a mod break the link in the post. done ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698/60 "2016-06-23T00:54:44Z")
Why would you want to correct errors on Ancestry dot com anyway, by creating a tree on there all you are doing is helping the LDS church proxy-baptize your dead relatives. Outside of that their main function is to offer a middling service that is just good enough to prevent government orgs from developing public owned access solutions to public information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancestry-dot-com/734698.md?page=4)