Should I merge when there is no data?

Question

When I'm merging, I sometimes come across profiles where no data has been entered besides the name. Obviously the names match but there is nothing else to match them on. So do I merge or reject for lack of data?

Answer 1

If the names match and there is no other data on one of the profiles, please do merge! The empty name isn't providing any value.

An alternative is to contact the profile manager of the empty profile and ask them to fill it out. Sometimes mistakes have happened in early GEDCOMs, and the PM can fix it right up.

Comments

Thank you Erin!

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What shall I put when contacting the Profile Manager?

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You can just send a note saying that you noticed that one of the profiles they manage has no information other than a name, and that if they could fix it up to add more information or family members it would be appreciated. You can also offer to merge it into another profile as well.

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Thanks!

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I learned something new as well in arborism.Thanks, Erin ~