Ancestry is committed to telling important stories from history, even difficult ones. But while the past can be inspiring, some discoveries and historical content you come across may be surprising, unsettling, or offensive.
Ancestry provides access to billions of digitised historical records, sourced from archives around the world. These records are products of specific times and places, ideologies and cultures. Because of their nature, some records or indexes may contain obsolete or inappropriate terminology, symbols, artifacts, or depictions.
It’s our general practice to present historical records and information as they were originally recorded, but we’re sensitive to the fact that discovering something offensive in these records may be difficult. Although some terms may be unfamiliar or offensive, displaying records in their original state provides opportunities to learn about the specific times, places, and socio-cultural environments of our ancestors.
Objectionable content may describe:
- References to people as property
- Obsolete racial terminology, categories, or descriptors
- Political or fraternal affiliations, organizations, and events
- Gendered household roles
- Descriptions of people with disabilities
- Limited gender identities and definitions of marriage
- Occupations
- References to religion and religious beliefs and practices
- Legal terminology
This list is meant to give you an idea of the objectionable historical references you may see, but it doesn’t cover everything.
Though historical records may contain inappropriate content, our Community Rules prohibit customers from posting illegal, threatening, harmful, abusive, or otherwise objectionable content. If you’re concerned about something you see on Ancestry, or if something violates our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement, or Community Guidelines, please report it.