Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (SNGF) - What Are Your Genealogy Goals for 2017?

It's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun! 

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1) What goals do you have for your genealogy research, education and writing during 2017?  

2) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook or Google+ in response to this post.

Here's mine:

RESEARCH:

a)  Continue to add to and improve the content and source citations in my RootsMagic database through searching online, by following record hints on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch and Findmypast, or by searching in repositories.

b)  Continue to add descendants of my 4th great-grandparents to my RootsMagic database in an effort to find relatively close DNA cousins.

c)  Continue the 52 Ancestors series for another year, researching for information about a particular ancestor each week, and compiling a genealogical and biographical report about that person on Genea-Musings.

d)  Revisit my "brick wall ancestors" to determine if there are more records for them, or other researchers who share them with me.

e)  Learn how to use the sync features in RootsMagic with my Ancestry Member Trees, and the search capability in RootsMagic with Ancestry record collections.

f)  Continue to match my RootsMagic persons with FamilySearch Family Tree profiles, and systematically add events, notes and sources from one to the other.

g)  Update and add to my To-Do list and Research Logs in RootsMagic and use them when I visit the FHL in February to find records on microfilm for my ancestral families.  

h)  Continue to blog regularly using the daily themes of Amanuensis Monday, Treasure Chest Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, Treasure Chest Thursday, and 52 Ancestors to add content, notes, sources and media to my RootsMagic database.

i)  Keep up-to-date on new and updated record collections on Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Findmypast, AmericanAncestors, GenealogyBank, and other record providers, and search them systematically for records of my ancestral families.

j)  Update my DNA cousins list to include matches on AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe and GEDMatch.  Do some chromosome mapping based on available information.

EDUCATION:

a)  Attend RootsTech in February 2017 to learn about the exhibitors, interact with the major players, and enjoy the company of my geneablogger colleagues.

b)  Attend the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree in early June 2017 to learn about the exhibitors, interact with the major players, and enjoy the company of my geneablogger colleagues.

c)  Watch at least one Family Tree Webinar each week in order to continuously learn new techniques and research opportunities.

d)  Participate in the Mondays With Myrt hangouts weekly, and occasionally join other hangouts.  I need to learn how to do that so I can make my own videos.

e)  Watch other webinars from companies and societies occasionally.  

f)  Attend CVGS and SDGS monthly program meetings and seminars and perhaps other seminars in Southern California.

g)  Continue to make presentations to Southern California societies and groups, moderate the monthly CVGS Research Group, and moderate the monthly SDGS RootsMagic group.

WRITING

a)  I plan to write 800 to 1,000 blog posts in 2017, using the usual daily themes, commenting on the daily or weekly news items that come across my desk, answering reader and colleague questions, plus whatever I feel like writing about.

b)  I need to update my e-books on Scribd - I last did that in 2012, and while few ancestors have been added, plenty of records and sources have been added since then.

c)  I want to start putting stories and photos together for many of my ancestors to be passed down to my children and grandchildren in a useful form. 

All of that is pretty much what I've been doing for ten years now, and the tasks should keep me busy every day of the year!  They do now, like 8-10 hours most days.

Those are my plans - what are yours???

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/01/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-sngf-what.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

My Genealogy Database Statistics Update - 1 January 2017

I last updated my Genea-Musings readers on the "numbers" in my genealogy database in My Genealogy Database Statistics Update - 1 January 2016 (and before that in Genealogy Database Statistics Update - 1 January 2015 and Genealogy Database Statistics Update - 1 January 2014.)  I was curious to see how much progress I had made in the last 12 months.

Here is the family tree database summary from RootsMagic on 1 January 2017:

Here are the "numbers" from 1 January 2016 in my RootsMagic database (with increases from 2015):

*  47,194 persons (+ 1,805)
*  18,875 families  (+ 705)
*  152,092 events  (+ 7,470)
*  2,422 Alternate names (+ 1,849)
*  9,766 places (+ 904)  
*  1,452 sources (+ 140)
*  79,464 citations (+ 11,169)
*  1,130 Multi-media Items (+ 6)
*  3,114 Multimedia links (+67)
*  14,417 Persons matched to FamilySearch Family Tree persons

In the past 12 months, I've averaged adding 5 persons, 2 families, 20 events and 30 source citations a day.  I've been trying to work at least an hour in the evening (since baseball season ended) adding content and sources to the database, although vacations and the holidays intervene.  Consequently, I've  managed to improve my  citations/person from 150.46% to 168.38%, and my  Citations/Events from 47.22% to 52.25% this past year.  Obviously, I don't have a citation for every event, and in some cases I have more than one citation for an event.  At that rate, to reach 100% in citations/events will take about 20 more years!  

I added over 1,800 persons to my database in 2016, some in my 5th great-grandparent's descendant lines, some in my one-name studies, and some from further research on my ancestral families.  Some additions are the result of systematically "mining" online databases (notably vital records and newspaper records) using MyHeritage Record Matches, and Ancestry.com Hints (including 1910 and 1920 census records, Social Security Applications and Claims, World War I draft registrations, Indiana vital records, and more).  I also mine new Ancestry and FamilySearch databases for my one-name study surnames, and add content and source citations.  I have also corrected some relationship and date errors found while working on the database. 

I last updated my ancestral Ancestry Member Tree (AMT) on Ancestry.com in August 2014 with the latest tree information, and will add a new tree sometime in 2017 when RootsMagic is able to synchronize with it.  I do not attach "shaky leaf Hints" to that Ancestry Member Tree because I know that it will be replaced eventually.  I do review and manually add records from Ancestry Hints to my RootsMagic database manually to add content and sources to my family tree database.

Doing the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge for a third year in 2016, along with deciding to start with my great-grandparents and doing it by ancestor chart numbers, has greatly improved the events, source citations and notes for the ancestors I write about.  I am still in the fifth great-grandparents at the end of the year, doing them in ahnentafel number order.  I will continue this weekly meme because it helps me focus on one individual each week and improves my database and my family history.

My trip to the Family History Library in February adds more ancestral records to enrich my database - recently they have been probate records and land deed records for my ancestors found on FHL microfilm.  I am also mining the probate and land records now available on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch and AmericanAncestors on a regular basis.

There are only so many hours in my genealogy day - usually 10 to 12 hours, but often only 6 to 8 hours.  I spend one to three hours each day reading blog posts and answering emails, one to three hours writing blog posts, an hour or two doing online research, one to three hours adding content and sources to the database, and the balance doing society support tasks, creating presentations, watching Hangouts and webinars, or working on other projects.  My genealogy life is varied, and definitely not boring (I gave up doing boring genealogy things like extended client research, or going  often to libraries and archives - with some exceptions!). 

My conclusion is:  I've made steady progress, and I'm still actively improving my database in both quantity and quality, but still have a long way to go to have a "fully sourced and accurate" family tree.  It's better than it was, but can still be improved.  It is a lifelong task, I think!  I truly need a genealogy clone or assistant.

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The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/01/my-genealogy-database-statistics-update.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

Dear Randy: What Are You Doing to Prepare for the RootsMagic Program Sync With Your Ancestry Member Tree?

I received this question in email last week from a Genea-Musings reader, but have not had time to respond to it.

My short answer is:  I'm Waiting to See how the sync of a RootsMagic database with an Ancestry Member Tree works once it is released.

1)  What I don't know:

*  Will the whole RootsMagic file  be able to sync with an Ancestry Member Tree, or will the sync  be for one specific person at a time, or will it sync one event/note/source/media for a specific person at a time?  The first option is what Ancestry.com synced with Family Tree Maker 2008 to 2014, but Ancestry has said that won't be the case sometime after 1 January 2017.  The third option is how RootsMagic (and other programs) syncs with FamilySearch Family Tree at present.

*  How will the transfer of Hints from Ancestry to RootsMagic will work?  Will it capture the record image and put it in my computer files, and add Event(s) and the Source to a specific person in my database?  What about a record for a group of family members, like a census record?  What about a multi-page record for an event, like a 20 page probate record?

I dislike Ancestry.com's source citations and don't want them to make extra work for me to fix them - I'd rather do them myself in Evidence Explained format and not crap up my source citations with Ancestry's poor citations.  I try to standardize all of my place names and really don't want to crap up my place list with Ancestry's inconsistent and non-standard place names.  I have document images and photographs in specific family files with a file naming convention for my ancestral families, and I don't want to have to find an image captured from Ancestry into RootsMagic and determine where RootsMagic put it, then change the file name and then move it to my family files.  I think I will continue to download the record image when I find it, download it to my computer, rename the file using my file naming system, and put it into my family file system.

I really expect to see an Ancestry green leaf icon on the name lines to enable the sync feature with an Ancestry Member Tree for matched persons (similar to the FamilySearch blue icon for matched persons).

2)  My plan is:

*  Get my RootsMagic database as up to date as possible.  I continue to add persons, relationships, dates, places, notes and sources almost every day from Hints and Record Matches on Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Findmypast, GenealogyBank, and AmericanAncestors, plus information from other online or repository resources.

*   I don't want to use a current Ancestry Member Tree because the one I am using for Hints is 2.5 years old now, and doesn't include 4,700 persons, and tens of thousands of events and sources, which I've added over the last 2.5 years.

*  When the RootsMagic sync feature is stable, I will create a new GEDCOM file from the RootsMagic file, and upload it to Ancestry.com and will then sync the RootsMagic file to that tree. 

*  I will then sync persons and/or events, notes, sources, etc. (depending on how the sync works!) when I add content to RootsMagic.  Most of my syncing will be from RootsMagic to the Ancestry tree, and not the other way.  Ancestry immediately should create Hints for a new person added to the Member Tree, or even when new data is added for an existing person.  I will need to use those Hints to capture the "low hanging fruit" records for a new or existing person.  This way, I will keep my RootsMagic database current.

3)  That's my plan.  What's your plan?

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Disclosure:  I have a paid Ancestry.com U.S. subscription, and have purchased every RootsMagic version since 3.0.  Ancestry.com has provided compensation in past years for travel, lodging and meals to specific events in Salt Lake City.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/12/dear-randy-what-are-you-doing-to.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

RootsMagic 7 Updated - Fixes FamilySearch Family Tree Sync Problem

I was working in RootsMagic 7 yesterday matching my RootsMagic persons with FamilySearch Family Tree profiles, and all of a sudden every person had multiple spouses, and in addition to the correct spouse(s), their in-laws, parents and children were their spouses also, and their grandkids were their children.  Here is the FamilySearch Person Tools screen for my grandfather, Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942):

 He had another 9 spouses and more children according to FamilySearch!  But when I went to the profile in the FamilySearch Family Tree, he had only the correct one spouse and seven children.  Every person I had matched using RootsMagic was like this.  Obviously, something was wrong.

So I went to the RootsMagic Facebook group, and posted:

"Have a problem in the FamilySearch Person Tools. All of my matched profiles show extraneous spouses - in-laws, parents, children, etc. The FamilySearch Family Tree profiles don't show all of those spouses and relationships. Did FS mess up the API?"

Before long, I had the answer.  Renee Zamora answered:

"FamilySearch made changes today that require an update to RootsMagic. Our next update will fix this issue."

And today, when I opened RootsMagic I got the Update message and installed Version 7.2.2.0 easily.  Now the FamilySearch Person Tools work correctly!

Only one spouse and seven children!  Whew!

The latest RootsMagic newsletter was in my email this afternoon, saying:

"We have released a new minor update for RootsMagic 7 users, version 7.2.2.0.  This update addresses a problem with changes in FamilySearch which caused RootsMagic to display other relatives as spouses and children on the Share Data screen.  It also adds a couple of recently dedicated LDS temples."

This email newsletter also noted that this was not an Update with the Ancestry sync feature.  That is coming soon, but may not be available by the end of 2016 as promised earlier.  The newsletter said:

"Anyways, I am going to be writing a blog post in the next day or so which spells out where we are, how we got there, and what is coming.  But don't worry, we aren't talking about a 6 month delay or anything like that.  We just want to make sure that when we release these new features, you can depend on them working right, and keeping your data safe."

I'll wait.  Patiently.  Tomorrow, we should have more news.

I need to make a GEDCOM file in RootsMagic soon and upload it to a new Ancestry Member Tree on Ancestry with all of my additions to my database since August 2014.  I can do that at any time but I will do it just before I start syncing my RootsMagic database with the new Ancestry Member Tree so I only have to sync newly found data after the sync feature is available.

If you have RootsMagic 7, and need to use the FamilySearch Person Tools to match profiles and/or add or edit data to either your RootsMagic database or the FamilySearch Family Tree, you should install the RootsMagic Version 7.2.2.0 update immediately.  

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/12/rootsmagic-7-updated-fixes-familysearch.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

A Look at RootsMagic WebHints for Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer

I wrote Comparing Search Results on Four Record Providers from FamilySearch Profile Page on 31 October.

Another way for RootsMagic genealogy software users to search some of the record providers is through WebHints.  When activated in RootsMagic, assuming that the user has a subscription to FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage, each person on the Pedigree, Family or Descendants View screen in RootsMagic may have a "light bulb" icon next to the person's name.

1)  Here is the Family View of David Jackson Carringer and Rebecca Spangler, my 2nd great-grandparents, with Rebecca highlighted.  On the screen below, I clicked on the "light bulb" icon, and the WebHints screen appeared (at the bottom of the screen above).

Do you see the yellowish light bulb to the right of her name?  That's the WebHints icon.  If the light bulb is yellow, that means there are Pending WebHints.  If the light bulb is clear, there are WebHints but none are pending:

I have 4 WebHints for Rebecca on Family Search, 2 on Findmypast, and 1 on MyHeritage.  There are four columns - for Total, Pending, Confirmed, and Rejected.  The blue numbers provide links to the different websites.

2)  I clicked on the 4 in the Total column for FamilySearch and saw:

I had already confirmed the 1880 U.S. Census for Rebecca Carringer.  I had already Rejected the 3 WebHints for other, wrong, persons named Rebecca Spangler from the 1850, 1860 and 1860 U.S. Census records.  When I clicked on the red X on the screen above, a new browser window opened and it showed me the rejected record.

3)  I clicked on the 2 in the Pending column for Findmypast, and a new window opened on my browser:

The WebHints found the 1880 U.S. Census for Rebecca Carringer, and the 1850 U.S. Census for Rebecca Spangler.  Both of these are correct, and I can confirm them to my Findmypast family tree.

4)  I clicked on the 1 in the Total column for MyHeritage, and a new browser window opened and showed the WebHint:

The WebHints found the 1880 U.S. Census record for Rebecca Carringer.  I had already accepted this Hint.

5)  I closed the WebHint screen in RootsMagic, then clicked on the light bulb again, and saw:

The FamilySearch and MyHeritage rows are still on the screen and show that there are no Pending Hints, but where did the Findmypast Hints go?  Why doesn't the screen show that there are two Hints and that they are Confirmed?

6)  From the earlier post, we know that there are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 U.S. census records for Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer, plus a Find A Grave record, an 1885 Colorado state census record, and family tree records for birth, marriage and death.  

While there are name variants for the 1860 census (Casinger or Caringer), the 1870 census (Current), and the 1900 census (Caringer), I was surprised that the WebHints did not find them.  

I was surprised that FamilySearch and MyHeritage did not find the 1850 U.S. Census record for Rebecca Spangler.  

My guess is that the searches are performed for the Exact name.  I don't know if the search is performed for both a maiden name and a married last name.  Frankly, it should be done for both last names for females.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/11/a-look-at-rootsmagic-webhints-for.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

Dear Randy: What is Your Workflow to Move Ancestry Member Tree Hints Into RootsMagic?

Jay commented on my post Adding Descendant Information the Easy Way - Post 3: Stimulating Hints in the Ancestry Member Tree (posted 31 August 2016).

"'I've been looking for a follow up telling us your progress on this effort. How is it going, and what is your work flow from the Ancestry hints to adding new information to your RootsMagic database? I am looking at various ways of doing this for all of the new information I have turned up with the shaky leaves."

That's a good question.  I no sooner posted that and then went away for to weekends for family events and have gotten bogged down on the Ancestry Hint resolution because of the volume of Hints (stimulating worked really well!), time conflicts (life, Padres baseball, football, etc.), and access to Ancestry Hints being sporadic in the evening.   I have three thoughts:

A)  My current workflow for using the Ancestry Hints in these descendant family trees is:

1)  Review all of the Hints for a person, one person at a time. 

2)  Compare the Hint information for the person with what is in my RootsMagic database.  

3)  Add events, dates, places, alternate names and relationships to persons in my RootsMagic database.  Pay particular attention to records that include family members that I don't have - for instance, a census record may list children.  

4)  Add source citations for each event for which I added content to my RootsMagic database.

5)  I do look at the Hints for Ancestry Member Trees that have additional family members - parents, siblings, spouses, and children.  I then research those persons in Ancestry and FamilySearch and add them to my RootsMagic database if I find conclusive records for the person - name, relationship, events, dates, places, sources, etc.  

6)  Accept or Ignore the Hints in the Ancestry Member Tree.

7)  Add or edit the new information in the FamilySearch Family Tree (for deceased persons only).

B)  Because we are less than four months from the time that RootsMagic said they would be enabling synchronizing with an Ancestry Member Tree, and for downloading the event, record and source citation directly to RootsMagic.   I think I may delay doing a lot of the Hint resolution until after the RootsMagic synchronization occurs, and modifying my work flow to:

1)  Synchronize my RootsMagic persons with my Ancestry Member Tree persons, one person at a time.

2)  Review the Ancestry Member Tree Hints for the person from within RootsMagic.

3)  Capture the Hint information from Ancestry in RootsMagic, adding events, names, dates, places, media and sources as required.  I may have to edit the place names and the source citations, but that is not an onerous task.

4)  Accept or Ignore the Hints in the Ancestry Member Tree (hopefully using RootsMagic).

5)  Add or edit the new information in the FamilySearch Family Tree (for deceased persons only).

Here is a screen mockup for what I hope will be available in RootsMagic to access persons in my Ancestry Member Trees:

C)  In the best of all possible worlds, RootsMagic will arrange to do similar processes for FamilySearch Record Hints, Findmypast Record Hints, MyHeritage Record Matches and other record provider websites.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/09/dear-randy-what-is-your-workflow-to.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- How Many Surnames in Your Family Tree Database?

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) Go into your Genealogy Management Program (GMP; either software on your computer, or an online family tree) and figure out how to Count how many surnames you have in your family tree database.

2)  Tell us which GMP you're using and how you did this task.

3)  Tell us how many surnames are in your database and, if possible, which Surname has the most entries.  If this excites you, tell us which surnames are in the top 5!  Or 10!!  Or 20!!!

4)  Write about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a status or comment on Facebook, or in Google Plus Stream post.

NOTE:  If you can't figure out how to do this in your GMP (Genealogy Management Program), use the Help button in your program and search for "count surnames" then follow directions.  

Here's mine:

I'm going to use RootsMagic 7 because that's where I'm doing my current additions, deletions and editing and is my most up-to-date collection.  In RootsMagic 7, go to Reports, then Lists and scroll down to "Surname Statistics List."  I then chose "Frequency of Surnames" from the list presented.  

That took about 30 seconds and I have a 163 page list!  I didn't count every one of them - there are 163 pages with 39 names per page.  That's a grand total of about 6,350 surnames in my database with 46,707 persons.  The top 25 are, with birth date ranges:

*  SEAVER - 5,086 persons, from 1608 to 2015

*  [unknown] - 1,457 persons, from 470 to 2013
*  BUCK - 759 persons, from 1577 to 1997
*  SMITH - 714 persons, from 1526 to 2014
* VAUX - 490 persons, from 1620 to 2013

*  FITZ RANDOLPH - 483 persons, from 1420 to 1884

*  DILL - 452 persons, from 1629 to 2014
*  SEVER - 447 persons, from 1673 to 2014
*  NEWTON - 325 persons, from 1600 to 2008

*  CHAMPLIN - 302 persons, from 1618 to 1917

*  RICHMAN - 298 persons, from 1598 to 1985

*  CULVER - 263 persons, from 1700 to 2010
*  BRESEE - 255 persons, from 1650 to 1900
*  BROWN - 240 persons, from 1580 to 2000

*  WHITE - 239 persons, 1539-2015

*  CARRINGER - 212 persons, from 1758 to 2015
*  McKNEW - 205 persons, from 1640 to 2007

*  AUBLE - 204 persons, from 1780 to 2014

*  HAWKINS - 200 persons, from 1570 to 1975
*  CLARK - 190 persons, from 1561 to 2008

*  WOOD - 186 persons, from 1530 to 2016

*  KEMP - 184 persons, from 1672 to 2012

*  SOVEREIGN - 173 persons, from 1742 to 1936

*  FLETCHER - 165 persons, from 1593 to 1947

*  HILDRETH - 163 persons, from 1605 to 2000
NOTE:  We've done this before, but I'm out of town and needed a quick post.  See  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-how-many.html (on 26 September 2015) for the last time we did this for SNGF.  My list has changed a little since I added 1,677 persons since then, including 38 AUBLE persons.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-how-many.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

RootsMagic Provides More Information About Ancestry.com Synchronization

I received the August 2016 issue of the RootsMagic Newsletter yesterday - you can read it at  http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8e85643d5218349ea32bc4f19&id=1bd2682a44.  The Archive of RootsMagic newsletters is at http://www.rootsmagic.com/Newsletter/Archive.aspx.

The first article is "When Will RootsMagic Sync with Ancestry?"  The article says:

"When will RootsMagic sync with Ancestry? - The RootsMagic / Ancestry sync is scheduled to be released by the end of this year.

"What does this "sync" include? - RootsMagic will let you share data (in both directions) between your RootsMagic tree and your personal Ancestry online trees.  This includes people, events, notes, sources, and media.  In addition, RootsMagic will be able to display WebHints from Ancestry, and allow you to download and attach those documents to individuals in your RootsMagic file.

"Will the Ancestry sync features require me to buy an upgrade? - If you are using RootsMagic 7, the Ancestry sync features will be a free upgrade.  If you are using an older version of RootsMagic (6 or older), you will need to upgrade to RM7 to use the new Ancestry sync features.

"Will I need an Ancestry subscription when RootsMagic's sync is released? - You will need an Ancestry account to use the new sync features in RootsMagic.  Some features will work with the free Ancestry account, but other features will require you to have a paid Ancestry subscription.  The features and records available to you will depend on your subscription level."

There are two key issues regarding RootsMagic synchronization with an Ancestry Member Tree here:

*  Sharing data between RootsMagic and your Ancestry Member Tree.  Apparently, this includes people, events, notes, sources and media.

I believe that this will work in a similar way that RootsMagic currently shares data with the FamilySearch Family Tree.  The user matches a person, then adds content (people, events, notes, sources and media) from one file to the other so that both files have the same information.

I don't believe that this will work like Family Tree Maker 2014 syncs with an Ancestry Member Tree, whereby pushing one button makes the information for every person in the FTM file the same as is in the Ancestry Member Tree file.

Of course, I may be wrong.  We will have to wait until the end of the year to find out.

*  RootsMagic will display Ancestry.com WebHints, and users will be able to download and attach documents from Ancestry to RootsMagic persons.  This may work like Family Tree Maker 2014's Web Merge feature wherein the record is brought into the database for an event and with a source citation and media item.

Again, we will have to wait until the end of the year to find out.

I think that this is all good news.  RootsMagic has been consistent in their statements all year, and, hopefully, will succeed in making the sync and download/attach document features work efficiently and logically by the end of 2016.  I'm looking forward to be able to do these tasks in early 2017.  Stay tuned.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/rootsmagic-provides-more-information.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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Adding Descendant Information the Easy Way - Post 2: Importing it to an Ancestry Member Tree

I wrote Finding Descendants of Rudolph Spangler (1738-1811) In the FamilySearch Family Tree on 23 August 2016, and followed that with Adding Descendant Information the Easy Way - Post 1: Importing it From FamilySearch Family Tree on 25 August 2016.  In the latter post, I laid out the steps I'm taking to add descendants of Rudolph Spangler to my RootsMagic database, starting from the FamilySearch Family Tree.

Step 2 in my process was to create a GEDCOM file in RootsMagic.  I did that yesterday, and did some cleanup of duplicate persons and nameless persons before I created the GEDCOM file.

Step 3 is to upload the GEDCOM file to a new Ancestry Member Tree, so that Ancestry will find Hints and Suggested Records for me without my having to search for them.  Here is that process:

1)  On my Ancestry Home Page, I clicked on "Trees" and selected "Create and Manage Trees:"

2)  When I clicked on "Create and Manage Trees" my list of current trees opened, and at the bottom of the list was "Create a new tree" and "Upload a GEDCOM file:"

3)  I clicked on "Upload a GEDCOM file" and filled in the information on the screen:

I chose the GEDCOM file that I created for "Rudolf Spangler Descendants," added a short description of the tree,  and clicked that I accept the Submission Agreement.

4)  I clicked the orange "Upload" button on the screen above, and within seconds my new Ancestry Member Tree with 1,349 persons was uploaded.  My tree opened in the Family View, and I clicked on the down arrow by the tree name to open the dropdown menu with the different tree options available:

5)  I chose "Tree Settings" from the dropdown menu, and made the home person Rudolph Spangler, and identified myself in the tree:

6)  All of this took about four minutes to complete - it's really easy for a small tree like this.  I clicked the down arrow next to the tree name in the upper left-hand corner, and clicked on the "All Hints" item and saw:

In the four minutes from upload to clicking "All Hints," the Ancestry Hinting system has generated 277 Hints, of which 99 are Ancestry Member Trees and 178 are Records.  

7)  Step 3 in this process is completed, so now I will wait a bit before I go on to Step 4 in my process, which is to Let Ancestry find more Hints for persons in this tree.  I may have to help them along, though!

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/adding-descendant-information-easy-way_26.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].

Adding Descendant Information the Easy Way - Post 1: Importing it From FamilySearch Family Tree

I wrote Finding Descendants of Rudolph Spangler (1738-1811) In the FamilySearch Family Tree on 23 August 2016, and reader James asked me in email:

"OK, you found 793 descendants of Rudolph Spangler, how are you going to add their information to your RootsMagic database?  Don't you already have some of them?"

Two good questions, and my responses are:

1)  Here is the process I am going to use to improve my RootsMagic database and the FamilySearch Family Tree entries:

*  Step 1)  Download the descendants of Rudolph Spangler that are in the FamilySearch Family Tree into a new RootsMagic database, 
*  Step 2)   Create a GEDCOM file of that database
*  Step 3)  Upload the GEDCOM to a new Ancestry Member Tree.  
*  Step 4)  Let Ancestry find the records for those persons in the Hints, Suggested Records, and Searches
*  Step 5)  Add the pertinent names, relationships, events, dates, places, and sources to my master RootsMagic database manually.  
*  Step 6)  Match the new persons in my RootsMagic database with the FamilySearch Family Tree persons and add or correct information as needed.

2)  I already do have some of them for my particular line from Rudolph Spangler, so I will double check the Ancestry Hints for those persons and add content and sources for them as necessary.  However, I am more interested in the descendants of the siblings of my Spangler ancestors - these are also my cousins and may be DNA matches.  

Step 1 is to download the descendants of Rudolph Spangler from the FamilySearch Family Tree into a new RootsMagic database.  Here is the process for Step 1:

1)  I clicked on File > New on my RootsMagic screen and the "Create a new RootsMagic file" screen opened.  [Note:  I want to create a NEW RootsMagic database so that the information I import doesn't create problems in my "Master" RootsMagic database.] I gave my new database a name - "Rudolf Spangler Descendants" - and picked "Import information from another program."

2)  Now I want to Import persons from the FamilySearch Family Tree.  This can be performed from within the RootsMagic 7 program in the Main > FamilySearch Central menu item:

3)  The "FamilySearch Central" screen opened, and I clicked on the "Import" button on the screen, and the "Import a Tree From FamilySearch" screen appeared.  I had to go look for the FamilySearch ID for Rudolf Spangler (it is LCRX-2X9) and picked 0 Ancestors and 6 Descendants for the "Generations to import."

4)  I clicked on the "Import" button, and the importing process started - you can watch the names flash by almost one at a time.  I took this screen shot at the beginning of the process:

5)  The Import took about 12 minutes to bring in 1402 names (and their births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials) from the FamilySearch Family Tree into my "Rudolf Spangler Descendants" RootsMagic database:

6)  I "Close"d the screen and looked at my new RootsMagic database.  

What a mess - there are many ? names, no list of children is in date order, there are some of duplicate persons, there are few standard place names, etc.  It is apparent that very few persons have worked on this Spangler branch of the FamilySearch Family Tree, with the exception of my branch from Daniel Spangler.  I spent about an hour trying to clean up some of the obvious problems, and now have a tree with 1349 persons.

7)  Step 2 is to create a GEDCOM file for this Spangler database.  I will do that and then do Step 3 to import the GEDCOM file into a new Ancestry Member Tree in the next post in this series.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/adding-descendant-information-easy-way.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at [email protected].