GEDCOM import/compare: marriages and sources

Question

Hi Folks,

I'm a longtime family history researcher but just recently discovered WikiTree. I'm very much looking forward to collaborating with other genealogists here.

Over the years I've used probably half a dozen genealogy programs and moved my research from one to the next with GEDCOM files. I'm familiar with the process of reviewing and cleaning up the data after the import. In a past life I worked with large corporate databases as an application developer so I'm pretty handy with data conversions.

I've been trying to use the GEDCOMpare functionality to bring in some or all of my family tree. I've read through much of the online help and searched through many messages on this forum, but I haven't seen these two issues addressed.

After completing the compare/reject process I added two individuals to my WikiTree. Both my wife and mother came in with a Marriage field that contained the marriages of their parents. Also, while there is an HTML link to source numbers, no sources appear on their profile. Is this just an problem with the way my genealogy program (Reunion for Mac) creates GEDCOM files, or is there something I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Mark Whipple

Comments

Well, I did my first GEDCOM upload here today as a test to see what other people are dealing with.  I have a lot of computer experience, including tech support, and a lot of genealogy experience, including at one time long ago heading up a team to develop a gedcom replacement.  And I find the GEDCOMpare function to be much worse than the regular merge function.  It is so tedious, and forces you to reject mostly bad suggestions, that it makes the process cumbersome to the point that it isn't worth doing.  Maybe that would have been a really good thing to have though 5-8 years to prevent so many bad profiles being added.  I'm not through yet with my little test because the buttons/links aren't working in my Firefox-clone browser which could be due to some of the content-blocking I have installed/setup.  So I'll have to try a less restricted browser to see if I can actually mange to create a profile.  Overall, it left me with the general impression of "Why compare if that's all you can do?"  EDIT: got the Add buttons, very strange though to have to finish the whole thing; and editing one profile to a suitable state took longer than manual creation would have.

Answer 1

Hi Mark,  The marriage thing seems to be an order of addition thing.  If you have the marriage data with a source, most programs that create the gedcom tie the husband and wife and any children associated with them in a linked format as part of gedcom standards. So you get the: Husband Irwin Herbert Cohen. Wife Shirley Frances Quint. Marriage 22 FEB 1951. ^[1] Child: Marilyn Eileen (Living) Cohen.

All well and good for Herbert and Shirley in their Profile, but it goes into Marilyn's as well. Not good.  For some reason it has to do with the order you added them to WikiTree.  If you added Shirley and Herbert before Marilyn, this would not show up in Marilyn's Profile.  Add Marilyn before Herbert and Shirley, it shows up in her profile.  I have just learned it is a quirk that I watch for when I am Adding a name to WikiTree by GEDCOMpare and delete it in the Edit Text area before I save.  But the order in how persons who are related is important for WikiTree to make automatic connections between family members.

Now to the Source: #S16.  It points back to Marilyn's Profile.  Could you have perhaps created a WikiTree Mobius Loop???  LOL  I have rough time giving you an answer as the Privacy level on Marilyn's Profile does not permit me to go into the edit section to see how the Wiki Markup is set so you are getting that result.  Have not run across many Reunion imported Profiles yet, so hard to tell if it is a Reunion to WikiTree problem or not.  Do you have any other Profiles where this problem has occurred that are set to Open Privacy so I could take a peek.

And welcome Mark to WikiTree.  I loved the concept of one Global Tree where we all connect which is why I joined WikiTree.  I am a WikiTree GEDCOMpare Mentor, so if I am here to assist with questions about it.  As you have probably noticed, WikiTree gedcom file imports are not load and dump.  Since WikiTree is a shared environment, more care is taken on Adding names to it.  Hence, the GEDCOMpare utility.

While my answer on the marriage mystery is more of a work around than a cure, it does help to keep you on your toes.  LOL

All the best Mark and Welcome again,

LJ

Answer 2

Hi Mark, welcome to WikiTree! I suggest you add the tags GECOM and GEDCOMpare so this question will be brought to the attention of a GEDCOM/GEDCOMpare Mentor. Here are two GEDCOM Mentors that you might ask: L J Russell and Ellen Smith

Answer 3

Hi Mark!  The issue of the marriage source not coming through isn't new. It is a bug.  The problem occurs on any shared event, not just marriages. For example I have shared events such as censuses, residences, etc. The citation is added, but the source doesn't appear at the bottom unless it was also used in a non-shared event.

I asked for help with this issue back  in November. See this thread:  https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/498016/how-can-i-get-my-shared-event-sources-to-import-from-gedcom

It has never been resolved to my knowledge.

Comments

Thanks, Joyce. I did come across your thread but I didn't recognize I was having the same issue as you described. FYI, I am a former TMG user and I miss the level of source detail in TMG - once I finally understood how to use it! I know it's no longer in development but I'm now a Mac user anyway.

Answer 4

Hi Mark,

The sources importing issue is one we're aware of and working on. I've added your note about parents' marriage information importing for the children to our updates list.

Thanks!

Comments

Thanks for the update Abby, that's good news!