Merging duplicates
May I ask whether there is any etiquette when merging duplicates?
in my tree I have an ancestor and his wife (GDTC-XNW and MQS7-QK9) who have 5 children. There is another couple (G2JK-6PR and G2JK-LG3) who have the same 5 children, although there are also duplicates between the children).
A third couple (GGZ1-28H and GGZ1-Y1Q) who have just one of the 5 children.
A fourth couple (MH5F-NXD and MQS7-QK9) who have just one of the 5 children
A fifth couple (MHVP-SNT and MHVP-SJZ) who have just one of the 5 children. .
There is another father (G2JK-VJD0 of one of the children
What cautions should I follow before performing any merge if I am confident the parents are duplicates?
I do not want to rain on anyone’s carefully constructed tree.
Many thanks for any constructive advice/guidance
Best Answers
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@Keith9212 You are showing some good restraint as without careful thought as you go along, things could get messy… quickly….
My quick take is that alot of what you see has been caused by the 1871 census that created some of the duplicates. That record is attached to Rebecca Arnold [G974-R89] and Thomas [K2Q7-Q9C] but not any of the others. And then there is Rebecca's marriage record that also generated 'new' relations.
If you deal with the 1871 census and come to some satisfaction it does belong to your line, I think that will clean up alot of what is presently there.
Just take it slow….
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I agree with @Mark McKenzie_1
In addition to thoroughly reading all sources to make sure you are sure, I suggest:
Read the change history, under "Latest Changes" to see who has been doing changes, when those users were last active, and what comments they have made when they deleted/detached/merged.
If a user has been active on that profile in the last 2-3 years and/or seems to be a related to the profile, perhaps reach out to them to collaborate/brainstorm.
If a user has a generic username, it’s doubtful that they have any relation to the decedent (but not impossible). e.g. MHVP-SNT was created and last modified by FamilySearch. Merging that profile with another won't step on anyone's toes.
Once I decide to do a merge, I look at the change history to help me decide which profile should survive. The surviving profile will keep the change history of that profile. As such, I will give preference for survival to the profile that has the most useful change history and/or usernames that may be related to the person.
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Ideally I'd look for the one that’s the oldest, with the most sources, and the most fully filled in to be the surviving record after a merge.
However the oldest one, the one with the most sources attached, and the one that’s most fully filled in with other info, may be three different records.
The one with the most useful changelog is a good suggestion.
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@Keith9212 - remember that there is no "my tree" or "their tree" in FamilySearch FamilyTree. Assuming that you are right that they are the same people in each family (and I'm just saying that for the sake of form), then those duplicates created by someone else are just as much your relatives as theirs.
The important bit is to check, double check and triple check that the profiles and everything else are the "same" people. That's the bit that takes the first 80% of the effort. The second 80% of the effort is doing the merging. (Arithmetical error a deliberate piece of whimsy on my part to emphasise how much time doing it properly takes).
If you wait for responses from someone to a query, then you might be waiting for months. If they have just been working on those profiles, then it's an excellent idea to try and contact them. If they haven't worked on the profiles for years then they may no longer be active and / or interested.
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Good points by @Adrian Bruce1 To build upon that …
When I contact someone regarding collaboration, I give them at least one week to respond. But I wouldn't wait longer than one month, as I would assume that they are no longer active on FS.
Or if I can see they are active, but are not responding, then I assume they are technologically challenged or are just choosing to ignore me.
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Answers
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thank you very much for the constructive advice!
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