Challenge of the week: Clean up GEDCOM-generated data

Question

Hi WikiTreers,

Will you join our "Data Doctor" Challenge of the week?

Once again, Aleš has come up with something to help us work together on a category of profiles that need our help. This time it's GEDCOM-generated data that needs to be reviewed and cleaned up.

Here is the list of profiles that could use some TLC.

Will you join us?

Every time you record a status update it will earn you a point. The member with the most points at 11:59pm EDT on Sunday night will get the Winner badge this week and the bragging rights. But we'll all benefit from a neater, cleaner shared tree.

If you're participating, please post here to let us know. It's nice to cheer each other on. Or post if you have any questions about how to participate.

Thanks for helping!

P.S. If you want to chat or coordinate what you are working on with others, in addition to this G2G post there is a handy spreadsheet courtesy of Steven Tibbetts. 

Real-Time Tracking Stats

Top 10

• Helen E. Edwards - 1,042
• Nigel M. Parker - 820
• A Hayes - 744
• Missy S. Berryann - 645
• Debra L. Akin - 563
• Carolyn S. Martin - 469
• Carolyn A. Napoli - 426
• Carl F. Dickason - 404
• P Kreutzer - 231
• Rae L. Davis - 143

Comments

Challenge is active.

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Has anyone else noticed that most of these profiles also need {{unsourced}} templates? If so, am I correct to add them? I hope so, since I have done a ton already! 

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Hi Missy

Yes add the unsource template as you go.  Could you if possible add the different countries for example {{Unsourced|England}}

Thanks

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Great! That is exactly what I have been doing. Thank you, Janet!

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I have 5 different GEDcom trees that I am trying to make sense of and would welcome any guidance.  It's quite a bit of a zoo and I am not very experienced.

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Can one join even if I am not officially a Data Doctor?

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Hi Sharon yes you can join in

For both Sharons Take a look through the following page for assistance 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:GEDCOM-Created_Biographies 

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I might try my hand at this. I’ve been trying to clean up my own GedCom transfers. They take so long to do right!

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I am not a paid ancestry.com member.  Do the source links to Ancestry on most of these gedcom imports work for members, or only people given access to the ancestry tree, or are they just junk that can be deleted ?  

Thanks in advance.

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T,

I test the Ancestry links and if they do not work, then I put them at the bottom and note that the links do not work. I try to replace links that go to actual sources. I have noticed the links that do not work are usually ones that go to peoples trees, which I do not want anyway. I would NEVER delete anyone else's sources, however. I hope this helps. Good luck!

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Links to Ancestry.com Trees 

Many uploaded GEDCOMs include as sources links to user-generated family trees such as those on Ancestry.com. The entry will often look something like this:

Source: #S-1939516510

Page: Ancestry Family Trees

Note:

Data:

Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=26833486&pid=1942554678

You should feel free to delete these unless:

1. No other source is available on the profile, and
2. The link is not broken (many are).

We retain such links in the absence of better source information even if the link goes to a private family tree. However, our goal is to provide better, more original sources.

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Hi,

Adding to Janet's comment, profiles of persons in the United States will have the template: {{Unsourced|State Name}} if no sources are in the profile.

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I'll try a few

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Working on it...

Answer 1

I may not have time to do a lot, but I'm in.

Answer 2

I'll chop away at the list.

Answer 3

I can do a few.

Answer 4

I'll have a go at some of the Scottish ones again 

Answer 5

I'll try a few.

Answer 6

I will try to do a few.

Answer 7

Virginia 1800's

Answer 8

I’ll try and find some

Eta I’m new to this challenge. I did find her death info by going through her husband and finding his. I put the info on both but when I went to the challenge tracker I only found the Sourcerers challenge. Is there a separate box or something else I should do to count it?

Eta I think I figured it out.

Answer 9

I'll try to do a few. Thank you.

Answer 10

I will work on some.

Missy 

Answer 11

Hi,

What if the GENCOM generated profiles have no dates in them.  Will these not generate errors later for us to correct in the future?

Should we look up citations and fill in some dates?

Carolyn

Answer 12

My favorite patient!

Answer 13

I'll work on some :)

Answer 14

Some useful pages for you to look through

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:GEDCOM-Created_Biographies

View the Data Doctor videos https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Biography_Suggestions_Group for 851, 852 and 853 Gedcom suggestions

Have fun

Answer 15

I will automatically be doing some of these so put me down ...My long project is going back through every profile I have ever created ( some of my oldest created are not inline soured).  Or in the  many adopted adopted often are GEDCOM uploads. And for each formatting , cleaning and bio writing, and any other connection or correction. I'm in October 2014...

Answer 16

Happy to help - many hands make light the load.

Answer 17

I plan on giving this a shot. I know I have a number of adopted profiles needing to have their profiles cleaned up that are loaded with gedcom gobbledygook. I've slowly been working my way through them.

Answer 18

Not sure if I should be doing this but I went in and had a look at your list and picked one out Brayley-118 Crossed him to Ancestry and got matches on all the names and most of the dates. So I pulled the info and pasted it in. I also found a FAG Memorial so I added that. Not sure what to do about all those other notes?

Answer 19

I'll try a few

Valerie  Crowley

Answer 20

I can get some done. Every little bit helps.