How do you find Duplicates on WikiTree?

Question

Tell us your method and share what you have learned in the process.

Answer 1

Use FIND MATCHES on WikiTree

Comments

I believe this searches everyone in your Watch List against all of WikiTree.  It results in a huge amount of potential duplicates per profile.  Playing with the settings may reduce that number.

Answer 2

USING ROOTSMAGIC: 

1. Download (Export) a selected GEDCOM of your branch from WikiTree.  I choose a grandparent line.

2. Upload (Import) that GEDCOM to RootsMagic.

3. From RootsMagic Select: 

Tools > Merge > Duplicate Search Merge > Click on Search for Duplicates.

A box appears showing all potential duplicates.  Note that the GEDCOM does not include the WikiTree ID.  Also, do not confuse the RootsMagic Id with the WikiTree ID

4. Search for that person on WikiTree using the Search Box. Start broad and narrow.  You may find additional duplicates that were not connected to your branch on WikiTree in the process.

5. Merge Duplicates per WikiTree Duplicates Policy and Procedures.

Comments

This method focuses on only those you have limited to the GEDCOM, in this case only those in my Maternal Grandmother's line.  Using RootsMagic, the Duplicate Search only focuses on those in the GEDCOM.  This then shows duplicates within this Branch only.  This method may be more efficient overall.

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This applies to any genealogy software program. not just Roots Magic.

Answer 3

If I'm wondering about duplicates existing for a modern name that follows modern American formats, i.e. Jackson Day, I just put it in the WikiTree's search bar at the top of the page and trust the results.

If it's a person who may have used a variety of names, I use Google Advanced Search, put WikiTree in for one of the qualifications, and add in all the other combinations I can think of.  Google Advanced Search has sometimes found duplicate persons for me on WikiTree I would never have found using other methods.

Answer 4

Use the Search function in the drop down menus. If there are a lot I sort by birth date and death date. You can also fiddle with the blue radio button parameters to narrow the hits. You also have to check the ones with no dates (although if there are tons of these I just generally check the ones with lower numbers, so I know I'm merging into the lowest number.)

Answer 5

In my Arborist role, I will pick a surname, put them in order by date of birth and literally go through the whole list page by page.  I have been working on the Davis surname (I am on 7000 out of 36,000 and something) and have found dozens of duplicates this way.  Sometimes they are extremely obvious and other times I have to dig a little deeper and look a little closer.