Importing GEDCOM File

Janette Pattenden

Hi,

I have already set up my family tree and want to import a GEDCOM file from a reputable source.

I've had a practice run and notice it wants me to name my tree. Does this mean I have to set up a separate tree or will it automatically be incorporated into my existing, extensive one? I realise there will be duplicates but I'll happily sort those out.

Thank you for your help.

Janette

Julia Szent-Györgyi

Are you certain you're on the correct site? I ask because the Family Tree on FamilySearch is a single, collaborative tree: you do not have a separate "existing, extensive" tree here, unless you're talking about a static file in the Genealogies section.

The Genealogies section is where GEDCOM uploads go, and in my opinion, that is where they should stay. There is a compare-and-add process by which you can add profiles and conclusions from your file to the shared Tree, but the tool for it is so badly flawed that it causes more headaches than it's worth. I liken it to working blindfolded, with a six-year-old to serve as screen reader.

Janette Pattenden

Hi Julia,

Ah I see what you mean. Yes my tree is on FamilySearch and what you say makes sense.

So would it be better for me to add names individually from the site I downloaded the GEDCOM file from rather than importing the GEDCOM file to Genealogies?

Thank you for your help.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

There can be value in uploading a file to Genealogies: it's free cloud storage/backup, and it's publicly searchable and viewable, so it's a way to share information while preserving it at the same time. However, it loses things like notes and sources, so if the website where you'd be importing from preserves those details, then copy-paste from there would be better than copy-paste from Genealogies. But yes, in my opinion, it is far better to edit profiles in Family Tree directly and individually.

(Technically, the compare-and-add process also does things individually -- too individually. When I tried it, it kept giving me profiles to add that I knew had to be in the tree already, but it wasn't showing me the existing family that it was suggesting that I add to. After the third such suggestion where I turned out to be right, I stopped using the tool.)