Importing a tree?
I've got quite a big tree on Ancestry so want to import that to Family Search - is this possible? I have it as a GEDCOM file.
Thanks
Answers
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It is possible. Detailed instructions can be found in the following article:
As explained, it is a two stage process. First you transfer your file into Genealogies. Then you run View to compare your information with Family Tree and can add names.
The key point to remember is that Family Tree is not a collection of separate trees submitted by different people, as is the case with other sites such as Ancestry, MyHeritage and FindMyPast. It is intended to be a single tree built by many different users.
For more information, see What is the purpose of FamilySearch and Family Tree?.
Due to the nature of Family Tree and the desire to avoid duplication of records, the system for adding names in bulk has to be tightly controlled. If it was possible to add names in bulk, the number of duplicates thereby created would be huge. That is why it is necessary to add names one at a time.
It should be mentioned that, when using View, the system at present is weak in identifying potential matches with people already in Family Tree. Thus, it is quite likely that, if you add a person for which a match has not been found, when you look at that new person in Family Tree, a potential duplicate may exist. In that situation, you can either merge the records (assuming they are the same) or delete your newly created record.
The need to try to avoid creating duplicates is why I strongly recommend taking your time over using the View feature. There is no requirement to complete the View stage in one go. You can take as long as you wish.
The probability that your ancestors already exist in Family Tree, although not necessarily linked from generation to generation increases substantially once you go back around 100 years or more. We would guess that well over half your records are already there. However, your records may have additional information, such as death or burial dates, that can usefully be added to the existing records. This can be done directly in cases where the system identifies matches in Family Tree. In cases where it does not, as mentioned above, you can add the new record, go into that new record in Family Tree (create a new tab in your browser?), check for duplicates and merge the two records if a duplicate is found at that stage.
To repeat, if you have a large file, the View stage could take you weeks or months. Do not be tempted to rush it.
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Mod note: This discussion has been moved from General Questions to the Family Tree category.
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