Idea for new profile improvement tool (à la Database Error Tool)

Question

A thought occurred to me while working on errors from the Database Error Tool.

Family Search has a function where they provide suggestions for a possible missing child based on the birthdates of the children

I have noticed that a lot of profiles on WikiTree only put in the child for a direct ancestral line, often leaving out siblings.  I know I did this a lot but, over the years, I have learned that having the family greatly improves researching the ancestor and eliminating many mistakes.   It that regard, it helps eliminate errors.

Many profiles would be improved if the children/siblings were provided.

So, I throw this out to the Database Errors Wizards.

Can a tool be developed to examine a profile and identify it as possibly missing children/siblings?

I am thinking that it would help one (me) find those profiles in their tree that only included one offspring and not the complete family.

Answer 1

Hi Michael!  Your question gave me an idea. Perhaps adding siblings to existing profiles can be worked in as a challenge with the Connection Project.  

"Goals: The primary goal of the Connectors project is to have all profiles connected to the main WikiTree tree. In working on that goal, we'd also like to see sources add, family added, collaboration between members, and community involvement via challenges"

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Connectors

 

Answer 2

Michael, I am not involved with the Database project but let me throw this out there. I am active on familysearch.org and while they do provide the suggestion about possible missing siblings in my own family those suggestions are almost always false leads. There are several times in my family line that the missing child hint comes up and there is no missing child. I for one do not bother with siblings that died within the first year because there is normally not much information of value with their profiles from a genealogy standpoint and sources are very hard to find. My own father was an only child but when I look at his parents records on familysearch it keeps telling me that his siblings are "missing".

Comments

There is also a gap of 6 years between two of my brothers so that would be another false error. not everyone has children that can fit a model based on birth dates.

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If you know that all children are known, you can mark that on the page of the parents. So the problem that Familysearch has need not be in a Wikitree- solution.. But having said that, I don't think that I like this idea.

Answer 3

Please NO!  It drives me crazy with fury when software/a computer suggests there might be a missing child.  I have two answers to this:
A) I know.  The father was away in the army for six years in a foreign country.  I would be more worried if there was a mysterious child.
B) I have one or two brain cells, computer.  I can work it out for myself that there is a gap.  I don't need you to point it out.