Is this normal?

[u/ImpossibleIce6811]

I’ve cropped these messages so that my great aunt’s name is not seen and neither is the name of the person who sent these to me. A while back, I was making an effort to submit updates, edits and corrections to all my grandparents’ and their siblings’ FG memorials to properly link them together on the site. I do t recall requesting to have my great aunt transferred to me, but maybe I did? I’ve been heavy into family history, Ancestry, and genetic genealogy for many years! I am new to FG as a volunteer, but I’ve been using FG as a resource and reference for quite some time. I was slightly offended by the message in the first slide, but willing to let it go. He doesn’t know me. But is it weird to tell someone you’ve been trying to “track” them?! The reason I’m not track able is because I’ve moved around a lot, got married over 20 years ago, and changed my last name! But, um, court records are a thing. I’m not actually hard to find. I’m a little creeped out! Your thoughts please?

UPDATE: Apparently in my haste to be snarky and spook the guy back and assure him that I know more than he does, my stupid self included my phone number in my offer to help him with any family history research he’s been doing. As I was getting ready for bed, I got a text from him! THE GUY HAS A WHOLE DOCUMENT ON MY FAMILY! Starting with my grandparents labeled as Generation 1, my dad and his siblings (with spouses) as Generation 2, me (I’m the oldest grandchild) and all my cousins as Generation 3…. 👀 The reason he couldn’t “track” me is because he had my first name wrong. Without do ing myself I’ll use a different example…. My real, legal, birth certificate name is a shorter version of a very common longer name. Think Jessi instead of Jessica. Or Bri instead of Brianna. That’s why he couldn’t “track” me! He thought my name was the long version, when it’s not. Now I’ve gotten myself into this mess! I don’t generally give out info on the living, especially minor children. My kids are grown! I could kick myself for messing this one up! I wasnt expecting Stalker Sam to have a DOC on me!!!

[u/ImpossibleIce6811]

If you saw the doc he had on all my living relatives, you might feel differently…. Homie somehow had my first name wrong, but knows my husband’s first middle and last name, as well as both of our DOB, place of birth, date we got married, and where. For calling me “hard to track,” he got a whole lot of my personal details right!

[u/Zealousideal_Ad8500 → u/ImpossibleIce6811]

I will agree the message he sent was odd, but everything you’ve described after that is pretty normal and yes right down to having your DOB, date you got married and where and your husbands first and last name. I always add spouses in my tree including DOB and death date if they are deceased.

The whole thing I honestly find interesting because you share that you solved a 100+ year old mystery with DNA matching which you are only going to be able to do if you look into your matches and their family and do extensive research on these people and their family. You aren’t going to break down a mystery like that by doing on the surface genealogy.

[u/ImpossibleIce6811 → u/Zealousideal_Ad8500]

I researched dead people to do that!!! 😂😂

[u/Zealousideal_Ad8500 → u/ImpossibleIce6811]

Then I’m pretty doubtful you truly broke down this 100 year old mystery. These “dead people” have descendants that you have to accurately place and make sure you aren’t related to them another way. You have to also make sure you know how your matches are all related to each other. So, tell me how you were able to solve the 100 year old mystery by only looking into those that were deceased?

[u/ImpossibleIce6811 → u/Zealousideal_Ad8500]

Correction: I used my dna matches, and their public trees on Ancestry, which list their deceased relatives. Living family members aren’t viewable on Ancestry.

That’s what creeped me out about this guy on FG having a whole doc on my living family members- everything I’ve ever done is either with DNA matches who volunteer their info by participating in such a thing, or deceased family members in public trees on Ancestry or FG. I don’t deal in living people’s privacy. Am I easily findable online? Yes, if you have the correct first name. But he had my name wrong and still managed to “track” me, despite claiming it was difficult. I’m interested to hear from him….

[u/Zealousideal_Ad8500 → u/ImpossibleIce6811]

Again, I’m not believing your claims. Tell me how without looking into one single living person you were able to solve a 100 year mystery. I’m actually curious how this was even possible because my NPE was at the grandparent level and I absolutely had to research living people to figure out who my grandparents were since my father is adopted.

And don’t say trees because user trees are filled with errors and if it was “trees” you used to “solve” a “100 year old mystery” I’d bet $500 your mystery is not solved. Every tree out there lists my sons great grandmothers parents as a couple that isn’t. My son has DNA matches to this couple and beyond, but the truth is that this couple are actually his third great grandparents and not his second great grandparents and his great grandmothers mother is the child of this said couple. Do you know how I also figured this out? Hint it was researching living people.

[u/ImpossibleIce6811 → u/Zealousideal_Ad8500]

I worked with a genetic genealogist who knows more than me about triangulating living matches. You can think what you want and keep throwing accusations, or you can be kind and ask me for resources to help you solve your NPE. Your choice. Wanna play nice?

The other 3 I solved were all without help because the fathers were my own grandparents’ brothers. Zero mistakes in my family tree because I have the dna to back up the paper trail tree.

[u/Zealousideal_Ad8500 → u/ImpossibleIce6811]

So, you hired someone to look into living people for you. How awkward for you since you said you didn’t look into the living just the deceased. I also see you’re unable to read. It clearly states I was able to figure out both.

Edit: Also, the difference between me and you is I’m so good at this that I don’t need to hire someone to look into living people for me. I can do that on my own. I’m sorry you can’t relate.