Two ID numbers for the same person
GR4L-4TP and GFGF-KB9 : I believe these two record numbers are the same person. Same parents. I'm sure you see this all the time. Is it important to merge the two or just pick one and continue? I don't want to change anything that someone else has produced in their Family Tree. Interested in getting your input. The Maria Martinez I am tracking is the mother of a child Adolfo(Rodolfo) Hernandez, son of Vincente Hernandez (GFGF-YYM) who received I believe, an adopted name from another individual, Vicente Almaraz and is listed as Rodolfo Almaraz on his wedding to Rosa Covarrubias in Mexico City in 1940. Maria Martinez is the mother of the groom. Vicente Almaraz is listed as the father, but it appears he adopted the child and gave him his (adoptive) name. Can you shed some light on the two numbers? Are the numbers linked to the parents by the person that first discovered the individual and entered it under that family's name?
Are there records of name changes in Mexico? Adoption Records, or are these sometimes informal and are not registered?
Answers
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One of the fundamental goals of Family Tree is to have exactly one profile for each person who lived on the earth. Family Tree world best when multiple users combine their best efforts to find the source records that document a person's life and relationships, and then make that single profile the best it can be. Having two or more profiles for the same individual makes that collaborative work much more difficult.
So if you have gathered the relevant documents and attached them as sources, and you feel confident that these two profiles represent the same person, then you should go ahead and merge the two profiles, giving your explanation in the reason statement for the merge.
Although it is kind of you to be concerned about making changes to someone else's contributions, the kindest things you can do is to make the Tree as accurate as possible.
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I agree with Alan that if you are convinced that two profiles represent the same person, you should merge them. However, merges can be difficult to undo, so if there's doubt, the merge should be postponed until more research has relieved that doubt.
I don't actually know any Spanish, and I haven't even looked at the adoption question, but I think the Maria Martinez profile with the two marriages is a conflation of two different people. They're based on four entries in the civil register of marriages in Aguascalientes (announcement, 1912 number 283; marriage, 1912 number 262; announcement, 1913 number 285; marriage, 1913 number 315). I believe the names are as follows:
1912: Maria (de) Jesus Martinez, origin Zacatecas, parents José Luz Martinez and Ana Garcia.
1913: Maria Martinez, origin local, parents José Luz Martinez and Maria Ana Garcia.
I am likewise doubtful about the accuracy of the other Maria Martinez profile, specifically about the possibility of her having a younger sister named "Maria Sesaria", but I don't know enough about the relevant naming customs to say anything more definite than "there were many girls named Maria Martinez in town".
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I agree completely with Julia here, just didn't have time to add comments earlier.
I find conflated profiles to be a far more important issue than there being duplicates in Family Tree, though naturally agree with Alan about one-profile-per-individual being one of the fundamental goals of the project.
Best to be absolutely sure before carrying out a merge, whereby you are also merging a profile that might be for the exact same individual but could also have incorrect relationships and sources attached - errors that would then be perpetuated after the merge has been completed.
Unless the user is completely confident about making the checks and carrying out any necessary detachments required during the process, I feel it is best for them to add notes to each profile about the likelihood of them being the same person, but leave the actual merge to a more experienced user.
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