One question at a time
Specific questions have answers. Broad ones don't.
Why hints build bad trees
A suggested record is a guess made by software about someone else's guess.
How we work
A question, a plan, a source
Online trees propagate errors at remarkable speed. One wrong attachment in 2009 becomes forty identical trees, and newcomers accept it because it appears everywhere.
Proper research starts from a specific question about a named person in a place and time, works through the records that would answer it, and records where every fact came from. It's slower and it produces a tree that survives scrutiny.
We also treat the human side seriously. DNA turns up surprises, living relatives have privacy, and some discoveries need care rather than enthusiasm.
Our principles
Three beliefs behind the method
Cite everything
A fact without a source is a rumor waiting to spread.
Genealogy, not health
We never interpret medical information from a DNA test.
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