Is there a way to un-do another user's duplicate family tree upload?
On October 22, 2022, a distant cousin seemingly uploaded a fairly large duplicate family tree with all the sources listed as GEDCOM Data, and the mostly the only entries are LDS proxy sacraments. I wrote to him asking what he was trying to do, and no response (I think he was trying to mass-add all the LDS sacrament records as it appears he has been on this site long enough to know these ancestors are already documented here). Every time I merge his duplicate record with the good record, then it says that I input the LDS proxy sacraments instead of him, so I stopped doing that. I have no idea if any of those proxy baptisms, confirmations, sealings, are correct or not, so I do not want my name associated with them. Any suggestions? Is there a giant-UNDO button someone high up on the ladder can press? It is exasperating. I did not want to correct the Rhode/Gray branches of the family tree of Indiana & Ohio pioneering farmers, as that side of the family has a well-documented family history book, and I would rather they fix those records above my grandmother as I do not want them thinking young whipper-snapper here is messing with their family tree. Any suggestions would be appreciated. After years of cleaning up and adding to my ancestry, it just drains all my energy to see this mess. If not, no worries. I will clean up as time allows. P.S. It would be nice and interesting to know who went through all the trouble to proxy baptise and confirm the dead, so can people include that when they add those sacraments? I do not mind if that is what they believe and want to do. I am also trying to document my family's baptisms and christenings as I find them, so people do not have to worry about them being saved.
Best Answers
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Unfortunately, there is no way I know of that such a GEDCOM import can be reversed. All you can do is go ahead and keep merging.
The LDS proxy sacraments are not supposed to be on a person's detail page. They are only to be recorded on the Ordinances tab that is not visible to people who are not member of the church. The information on the Ordinances page only comes from official church records and cannot be added by users of Family Tree. There is no need for you to move those over in the merge and, in fact, is it best that you do not.
Sorry to hear about the mess you are dealing with. I'm sure it is frustrating.
The GEDCOM Data notation you see is not a source. It is just a flag automatically added by the import process to let people know that that was how the data was entered into Family Tree.
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To expand on @Gordon Collett's comment, when merging GEDCOM duplicates you'll want to carry over only information that is in public historical records. Since the GEDCOM has no historical records attached, that usually means you carry over nothing. And you also don't have to spend much time comparing the two profiles. Is there a discrepancy in a date? Prefer the profile with historical records attached.
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It really helps to know that I do not need to preserve the LDS sacraments as they will be on an official church section not viewable by the public. I did not want anyone to be mad if I merged these duplicates without that. What a relief to know it is not needed. Wish there was a big undo, but both your tips and advice is very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to answer. I really appreciate it!
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If you find proxy ones in "Other Information", just delete. I run into this often and purge them.
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The above responses are great answers, but I'm curious about how the user uploaded so many individuals, and how Gedcom Data was the source. Could you give a couple of the ID numbers so I can investigate more? I want to understand better how this occurred.
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Many brands of genealogy software, and other online genealogy sites such as Ancestry, enable the user to create a GEDCOM file. The user then uploads the GEDCOM to the FamilySearch Genealogies site. From there, the user can import profiles to Family Tree using the Compare tool. When the imported profiles lack detail they pass right through the duplicate profiles detector built into Compare. Hence massive numbers of duplicate profiles enter Family Tree.
The Compare tool enters "GEDCOM Data" into the Reason statement of every scrap of information in the GEDCOM file that is imported to Family Tree.
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I know what Gedcoms are. Having worked with many third-party programs that create Gedcoms AND having worked on the Gedcom upload to Genealogies AND having worked through the Compare to Family Tree function available to those uploaded Gedcoms, AND having synced with Family Tree through Ancestry.com, I have seen a lot of different ways the sources are brought in or added. I've not seen that Gedcom Data statement come in from an uploaded Gedcom through the Compare to Family Tree function. I've seen it request a reason statement from the user. That's why I'm curious. Is that a new thing with the Compare to Family Tree function? (I just tested it and it asked me for a reason statement. So, No, not a new thing). Is that an old piece of data from someone's copy of someone else's Gedcom that was brought in through several iterations of sharing? If Gedcom Data is the source, what third-party program brought it over?
That's why I wanted some ID numbers; to explore those questions. And if I read it right, the original post said the Sources said Gedcom Data, not the Reason Statements. So far as I can tell, when comparing a gedcom to Family Tree through the Genealogies upload system, you can't move over sources. They simply don't display at all in that tool. If you have found otherwise, I'd love to compare notes.
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I've not seen that Gedcom Data statement come in from an uploaded Gedcom through the Compare to Family Tree function.
I have seen it result when I do not give a reason statement.
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Please share some PIDs so we can examine this incident.
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Yes, not sources, but explanations. I am sorry for the confusion. Here are a couple duplicate examples:
Jemima Wolf GN2X-FMS
Claude JOHNSON GNJF-R2Z
It appears it was Oct 22nd & 27th that these duplicates were created. It also seems not all only have LDS sacraments as custom events, like this one, Mary Ann PORTER GN2X-CLN
Many are connected to ones that are not duplicated, so not a complete duplicate tree as I may have indicated.
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It appears that in FamilySearch Genealogies all instances of Jemima Wolf with the particular birth and death details are imports from MyTrees.com.
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And here in the Change Log of Jemima Wolf GN2X-FMS is a confirming Reason statement, possibly added by hand by the contributor.
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It appears that Jemima was duplicated on MyTrees 6 times between Oct 1, 2019 and Oct 9, 2019, so a mess there as well. Thank you for your research.
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There appear to be thousands of copies of Jemima Wolf in the FamilySearch Genealogies section.
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