I've spent the last week looking at family trees on a well known commercial website, these "Public Member Trees" are something else! So far I have contacted over 12 'owners', the response so far 1 reply, who in all credit to him has corrected the mistakes within his tree. In the vast majority of cases it seems to be a case of reproduction without verification. I even had and old contact of mine get in touch, giving me her research only to find, yet again information from a 'Public member tree' had found its way into her family tree.

There are too many examples to highlight here, but one I think must be taken to task. There are over 40 trees on this site, with a gentleman by the name of HYWELL GRONOW born 18th February 1757, all 40 trees give the same birth date & marriage date & in most cases same death date. In 30 years research I have never come across him! Most trees say he was born, married & died in Coity, Glamorganshire. Well he is nowhere to be seen in the parish registers of St. Mary Coity, nor have I ever come across him in over 50 parish registers that I have indexed.

So if anyone out there has Hywell Gronow in their tree, and would like to give me the source for his baptism, marriage or death I'll be the first to apologise! once it's been checked & verified of course.