2. Send Me a Disk, Ok? -Sharing Genealogical Information With Your Relatives Beau Sharbrough PO Box 3170 Grapevine TX 76099-3170

3. www.sharbrough.net Is the location for the syllabus material for this class. The author mailed his materials to Oregon instead of Washington DC as instructed.

4. This is the time when … … we remind the speaker to turn off his cell phone.

5. General Topics Five steps to understanding what theyre saying Five steps to understanding what theyre saying Update on software developers plans for merging files Update on software developers plans for merging files Update on GENTECH GEDCOM TestBook Project Update on GENTECH GEDCOM TestBook Project

6. Five Steps to Combining Your Research

7. Step 1. Determine What Form the Data Is in. Which program do they use? Which program do they use? What type of disk drives do they have? What type of disk drives do they have? What general field usage have they adopted? What general field usage have they adopted? Are they a crypto-genealogist? Are they a crypto-genealogist?

8. Step 2. Exchange Pedigree and Group Sheet Examples. Look for detail, accuracy, thoroughness. Look for detail, accuracy, thoroughness. Are there full or partial dates? Are there full or partial dates? Do the citations for US places include counties? Streets? Cemetery names? Do the citations for US places include counties? Streets? Cemetery names? Are nicknames used in place of real names? Are nicknames used in place of real names? Are sources cited? Are sources cited?

9. Step 3. Agree on Usage of Fields. RESIdes or ADDRess? RESIdes or ADDRess? Will you both use CHRIsten? Will you both use CHRIsten? Are there any user-defined tags? Are there any user-defined tags? How will you document sources? How will you document sources? How will you document the research of others? How will you document the research of others?

10. Step 4. Convert Your Information. Agree with your relative what information you will convert and how Agree with your relative what information you will convert and how Normally, this means saying things like, "Ill put in the counties after I get it from you" Normally, this means saying things like, "Ill put in the counties after I get it from you" Nobody Can Avoid This Step.

11. Step 5. Exchange Only the Individuals You Want. NEVER just import the whole family on top of the information you already have. NEVER just import the whole family on top of the information you already have. No computer routines for merging data effectively exist today. No computer routines for merging data effectively exist today.

12. There Are Simply No Effective Routines for Merging Data Sets at Present. The problems of The problems of identity identity merging methods and merging methods and data formats data formats are too new for generalized solutions to be available in the marketplace are too new for generalized solutions to be available in the marketplace Good theoretical solutions dont even exist Good theoretical solutions dont even exist

13. Merging Data Sets

14. WHY?

15. Customers who just assume that someone will know what they want and have it ready when they recognize that need had parents that spoilt them rotten.

16. WHY? Family history record-keeping is increasingly becoming a digital process. Family history record-keeping is increasingly becoming a digital process. Linking ones information to the information already gathered by other family members and researchers is becoming more and more common. Linking ones information to the information already gathered by other family members and researchers is becoming more and more common.

17. Downloading GEDCOM files isnt all there is to doing genealogy. Its more like finding another researchers conclusions. Its more like finding another researchers conclusions. Or their group sheets. Or their group sheets. You still have no scholarly investment. You still have no scholarly investment. Genealogy includes adding your mark to the tableau. Genealogy includes adding your mark to the tableau.

18. We Have to Put Our Information Together Somehow

19. A Few Basics Computer programs store the data that we enter in FILES Computer programs store the data that we enter in FILES Each genealogy program stores the information in its own way, called a PROPRIETARY FORMAT Each genealogy program stores the information in its own way, called a PROPRIETARY FORMAT Most programs can also read and write in GEDCOM format Most programs can also read and write in GEDCOM format

20. A Few Basics Merging is copying Merging is copying From a SOURCE From a SOURCE To a TARGET To a TARGET Sometimes called the SURVIVING INFORMATION Sometimes called the SURVIVING INFORMATION

21. MERGING DATABASES merging the databases merging the databases merging the duplicated individuals merging the duplicated individuals merging the rest merging the rest sources sources repositories repositories

22. The database merging process is evolving More input sources More input sources More freedom to choose the features you like. More freedom to choose the features you like. GenBridge GenBridge

23. Freedom has a price Enter a name Enter a name Program wont break it up Program wont break it up Enter a place Enter a place Program wont break it up Program wont break it up

24. Legacy Trick You can open two family files at the same time, and copy and paste a person and their descendents from one set into another, like grafting a tree branch from one tree to another. You can open two family files at the same time, and copy and paste a person and their descendents from one set into another, like grafting a tree branch from one tree to another.

25. Making automatic citations Legacy – individual level Legacy – individual level TMG and FTM – field level TMG and FTM – field level

26. MERGING INDIVIDUALS: The old way Copy the info Copy the info Delete one of the people Delete one of the people Type the info into the new one Type the info into the new one

27. MERGING INDIVIDUALS: The middle way View both persons View both persons Select what you want Select what you want The program does the rest The program does the rest

28. MERGING INDIVIDUALS: The future way Computer spots likely dups Computer spots likely dups Recommends them to you Recommends them to you You control the process You control the process

29. Limits to Storage Some programs have really limited storage, and only store conclusions Some programs have really limited storage, and only store conclusions If you have two birth dates, they put your favorite one in and throw the other away, or store it in a note. If you have two birth dates, they put your favorite one in and throw the other away, or store it in a note. Some programs have a lot of storage, and let you make your own tags such as executrix. Some programs have a lot of storage, and let you make your own tags such as executrix.

30. Merging The Rest source citations, master sources, repositories, and places source citations, master sources, repositories, and places Most programs just combine the tables, creating duplicates Most programs just combine the tables, creating duplicates LG will combine a source, with exact spelling LG will combine a source, with exact spelling UFT and FTM merge master sources UFT and FTM merge master sources PAF and TMG merge master sources and repositories PAF and TMG merge master sources and repositories

31. SPOTTING DUPLICATES Some programs have merging routines based on: Some programs have merging routines based on: Soundex Soundex Spelling of name Spelling of name Birth date Birth date TMG and Legacy use a large variety of match choices TMG and Legacy use a large variety of match choices

32. MERGING SUMMARY Users can merge from a wider variety of data formats than in the past. Users can merge individuals more easily.

33. MERGING SUMMARY Routines to help identify candidates for merging are becoming quite sophisticated. More programs store the resultant conflicting data today.

34. Its also encouraging that they are not all doing the same thing. The resultant diversity and innovation offer us more chances to connect Where-Weve-Been to Where-Were-Going than weve ever had before.

35. The GEDCOM TestBook Project Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to test as many aspects of the GEDCOM 5.5 standard as possible. Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to test as many aspects of the GEDCOM 5.5 standard as possible.

36. The events and notes provided below, depending on the program into which they are entered, will: utilize all but four of the available GEDCOM tags and all levels in the lineage linked hierarchy.

37. How it works Once data entry is complete, a GEDCOM file is created. This file is compared with the original data and the GEDCOM tag of each item recorded.

38. How it works Any item not being transferred by GEDCOM is noted. The GEDCOM is then checked for conformance to the 5.5 standard.

39. The Story Reginald Edward Smythe was born August 3rd 1780 at Little Chesterford, Essex, the third son and fifth child of Sir Charles Smythe by his first wife, Jane Edwards. Sir Charles was a successful East India merchant and maintained residences in Little Chesterford and London. His staff was composed of native Indians whose service had impressed him during his years in India. Reginalds life was destined to be a difficult one from his birth. His mother died during childbirth. His father, while providing for the child, seemed to favor him less than the other children, possibly blaming him for his mothers death. The newborn Reginald was turned over to the wife of Sir Charles gardener who would wet nurse the child and serve as a nanny. This woman, Anna Chordray, was a Hindu of the Sudra caste. Sir Charles did not attend the christening of Reginald at St Margarets Church in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, leaving Anna to attend to that detail.

40. Individual 2 Elizabeth Conyer

41. Sources Source 1 AUTHORTownship of Brighton TITLETownship Papers PUBLISHERArchives of Ontario REPOSITORY5 Source 2 AUTHORClarence Alexander Smythe II TITLE Smythe Family Records PUBLISHERVanity Publishers, The Strand, London, England REPOSITORY Repository 2 NOTE Condition Fair. Indexed. This is a limited edition book. Only known copy is in the Saffron Walden Library. CALL NUMBER 93 V 32mn

42. TMG to FTW transfer TMG offers its users a wide variety of GEDCOM export choices to compensate for some of the variations found in importation requirements of other programs. Users must read the GEDCOM export section of the manual before creating a GEDCOM file. For this test the standard options were used.

43. TMG to FTW transfer TMG recorded but did not export the following: Role (ROLE) tags Alias (ALIA) tag Physical description (DSCR) LDS temple location if Temple Code present Individuals address Tags exported in unexpected manner Ordination (ORDN) tag data (Deacon) exported as note Nickname exported using NAME tag not the expected NICK Cause of Death (CAUS) exported as NOTE EVEN tagged events described the event exported using the NOTE tag. E.g. Type: rebellion.

44. TMG to FTW transfer Sources: TMG exports Citation detail using PAGE and CONT tags. The PAGE tag is limited to 248 characters resulting in data being truncated. Call numbers were added to source title. This can result in the use of the CONT tag. FTW did not recognize: NMR, number of marriages. NCHI, number of children, reported as at wrong level. TMG exported it properly. OBJE, the series of tags identifying image location. Dates using the From-To convention. E.g From 1826 to 1834. Other date ranges using months and year transferred.

45. TMG to FTW transfer Summary. Of the data contained in the TMG GEDCOM almost all of it transferred properly. Aside from source data, which will require editing, the only data loss that might create problems are those events using the EVEN tag and the date ranges using the From-To convention.. In these instances the event will have to be properly identified and the sources linked. The missing dates would have to be recovered from the GEDCOM. Citation information that was truncated as a result of TMGs use of the PAGE tag will have to be recovered from the GEDCOM.

46. Send Me A Disk, Ok? Dos and Donts Dos and Donts Merging Technique Merging Technique GEDCOM limitations GEDCOM limitations Beau Sharbrough PO Box 3170 Grapevine TX 76099-3170 beau@sharbrough.net www.sharbrough.net More on GEDCOM tomorrow at 3. Dont forget GENTECH 2002

47. The End www.sharbrough.net www.sharbrough.net contains syllabus matl www.gentech.org www.gentech.org contains GEDCOM TestBook