Can we import a Gedcom from ancestry instead of refinding all 500 people?

Question

I have 490 People in my GEDCOM from Ancestry, I also have my Ancestry DNA results. I would like to be able to just import all the information and match them to other profiles if they exist. While I can compare the profiles and match them I cannot seem to figure out how to insert the GEDCOM into my Wikitree family Tree. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

GEDCOM import isn't the recommended way of creating profiles, although I believe post-1500 profiles can still be imported that way. The quality of Ancestry.com trees is variable but renowned for generally being less accurate than needed here. There's probably a Help topic that covers the import process, inlcuding the need to add sources as the profiles are being added.

Creating a tree from scratch is harder work, but unless you have done a significant amount of research and documentation over there it may be the best option.

Answer 2

Hey Bradley,

Welcome to G2G. I see you are already importing people from your GedCom. So you have gone through the matching process and hopefully encountered some already existing profiles.

So I hope your answer 'how to import' is clear.

The thing that might be different from your expectation is that there is no such thing as 'my Wikitree family tree'. There are profiles and connections. You are connected to your parents, they are connected to eachother and their parents etc.

In the end, are all connected. There is also only 1 profile for each person, created by importing one person from the GedCom, or manually creating the profiles. In the past, before my time, it was possible to do mass imports. We are still cleaning up those profiles, which in general do not have sources and include a lot of things we do not like to see on biographies. So some moment it was decided to do a one by one import.

I hated that in the beginning as well, but learned the good part: you get to check all your sources, you can clean up little bits and you can review all weblinks.

This process keeps quality high, at the cost of time and ease. But it is better.

You are maybe not seeing connections in your personal tree view, as you have to make sure you check all the necessary options when importing. Make sure to check the 'is parent' and 'xxx is mother'' options. When importing, start with an early ancestor and work your way up, importing all children only when you have the parents as well.

For more tips: please search the forum here, you are not the first so to say

Answer 3

Dear Bradley,
I have more than 6,000 ancestors in my pedigree.
At first I was disappointed that I could upload a maximum of 5,000 with GEDCOM, so I had to share my GEDCOM. Then it took over 12 hours to upload everything.
The second time I was disappointed that I couldn't just import this data.
But now I understand why.
It is not about uploading your personal family tree to get new matches. It's about working together on a worldwide family tree and connecting it with all living and no more living people in this world. In other words a universal, worldwide family tree.
So that this functions, each person and each date with a comprehensible source must be deposited, so that other members can reconstruct and if necessary even examine this.
I then started to enter generation after generation and to provide sources. At the moment I am at the 10th generation and am far from finished.
People for whom I do not have reasonable sources, I leave out for now until I find sources.
This is the only reasonable way to build a clean, worldwide family tree.
So, don't get discouraged and just start, then you will understand why this is the right way.

Answer 4

Hi Bradley and welcome!  As you work through the collection of your profiles, please, please convert Ancestry sources to links that non-Ancestry members can access.  Yes, it is more work for you, but your potential cousins will thank you over and over.  I find my sources through FamilySearch, and they are publicly available.  Thanks from Jane

Comments

To Janes point, you can use the Ancestry Citer, and if there is an image you can create a "free to view" link from Ancestry without having to go to another site for sources.

I use this one all the time, its quite handy