* 25,000 names - Where From ?

[peteraitchef]

I bought my FH from an establised UK supplier in 2003. Last year while tidying up 'My Documents'I was surprised to come across two folders, both with the FH icon (3 green squares) and the title '1289491'. I was even more surprised when I opened one up to find a FH database of 25,076 names and 11,763 families.

The earliest entry was for Echu Mugmedon, High King of Ireland, who was recorded as dying in 366 AD. The latest entry was for Princess Diana's death in 1997. The records cover parts of various European royal families including England, Scotland and Ireland, but not the House of Windsor. They also list groups of nobility, and others to include Australia and the USA.
There are even two entries for a father and a daughter with my family name ?

However, the information in most cases is sparse. For example, a king is given his full title, but for his Queen and children only a single forename is shown for each. Similarly, most entries have no details of births marriages, or deaths, at best mentioning
'1291, England' for a death. No real attempt has been made to create any reasonable genealogical tree. It appears that he or she is just a name collector, so they can say that they have 'over 25,000'. As far as I am concerned it is a useless piece of research. But what I am interested in, is how did it get into my computer with a FH icon ? Any ideas please ?

I do, of course, have anti-virus, ant-spam etc. software.

Peter

ID:730

[Jane]

On most systems with FH installed All files with a .ged extension get a FH icon. This does not mean that FH installed them just that it can read them.

Another program for family history may have installed them at some time in the past. If its the file I think it is, it is widely available for download from the internet.

So I suspect its likly that

1. Another program installed the file at some point as demo data for its self.

or

2. You downloaded it and typed in a name when you did.

[peteraitchef]

Thanks for your quick response and comments, Jane.
I didn't think it had come direct from Calico, I just wondered how it had managed to sneak in. I now find that I first started using FH on 17.5.2003, whereas the rogue tree file was last modified on 11.6.2001 and possibly came unnoticed into my PC on 11.11.2003.

The rogue is 5.66MB, and I can't see anyone wanting to download it as demo data. For one thing it is too big, and another, it would only be useful to show how not to collect data for a tree. Its content is so widespread and disjointed, it can serve no useful purpose. [smile]

I have not knowingly downloaded anything of that size, nor would I ever want that content. In any event, I am always wary of any attachments. I just wondered if it was allied to some virus or spam, and if anyone else had had a similar experience.
Peter.