Q.  Very many of the entries now duplicate each other and it can be hard to discover which, if any, contain useful source information. I've put in a Post-em for one entry where my file has much more detail, but I wonder if there is any way of grouping what look like multiple entries for the same person.

A.  WorldConnect is comprised of GEDCOMs (family trees) placed in a central location at RootsWeb by thousands of submitters. All of the files are made searchable by a global search engine. Many WorldConnect family trees contain entries that duplicate, contradict, and supplement one another. When a submitter uploads a file to WorldConnect, he is creating an individual Web site where he may display the results of his own research. He is not contributing information to one master database.

RootsWeb does not judge the accuracy, or lack thereof, of the research results reflected in those GEDCOMs. Entries from different files cannot be combined. The information is all there, just as each submitter uploaded it. Evaluation of that information is left to the discretion of researchers. Compare the data and reach your own conclusions. Add Post-em notes with information or comments. Upload your own GEDCOM to WorldConnect.

Remember that information found at WorldConnect, like any other genealogical material you find published on the Internet or in traditional sources, provides clues and contacts, not proof.



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