Question

Adding Gedcom, finding duplicates (20+) ie Rebecca Baldwin -56 & -1602. What next?

Answer 1

1. If you still have suggested matches on the GEDCOMpare, you will need to finish reviewing those and either match or reject as neccessary.
2. If all suggestions have been handled, and you have add buttons on the GEDCOMpare, you will need to start adding those profiles to WIkiTree (complete with sources). Note: you will need specific badges to add profiles that are Pre-1700.
3. If you have done all of the above and consider the GEDCOMpare complete, then I would suggest moving on to the My WikiTree > Suggestions feature. Here you will be given a list of profiles, and any errors or corrections that should be reviewed . 

You can look at either the GEDCOMpare help page or the GEDCOM help page.

 

Let us know if you need more help  :)

 

Comments

Thank you for the answer.

1.  My GEDCOM is 4,400 + profiles.  I had over 2800 suggested matches on my GEDCOMpare and that has been completed. I noticed 20 + duplicate matches during that process -- COMPLETED.

2. Have started adding profiles, about 1,100 added to date.  This GEDCOM is from ancestry.com and appears to contain sources.  My side of the tree is going quickly, no overlap with WikiTree for my 1800's Irish / German immigrants.  My wife however, is from Groton, CT and 1/4 of her tree, hundreds of ancestors, go back to the Pre-1700's.  My GEDCOMpare had 700+ 'completes' when it first loaded.

I'm loading profiles from the present and using the compare button to work back thru ancestors, adding / comparing / adding as I go.  Then I get to an existing profile and a 'match'.  Here I less sure of your process.

I do not want to add my profile to an existing one without permission.  I have sent a few PM's but not sure how active some profile managers may be.  Also, I need to review format, details on profile editing.

Thanks.

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Joyce has some great suggestions below for adding profiles.

For editing existing profiles, I would look at the help page:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:How_to_Edit_a_Profile

Answer 2

If you're finding duplicate profiles already existing on WikiTree as you go through the GedCompare process, it's best to 

1. First determine which profile you believe to be using the correct Last Name at Birth (LNAB).
2. If both use the same LNAB, as in your Baldwin example, determine which has the lowest ID number (i.e. Baldwin-56). That should be the remaining profile after the other one is merged away.
3. From the OTHER profile -- the one with the HIGHER ID number (or incorrect LNAB), which in your example would be Baldwin-1602) -- scroll to the bottom of the profile page and select the link to "initiate a merge". 
4. It will ask you for the profile ID of the 2nd profile to merge into (i.e. Baldwin-56), then let you review the two profiles side-by-side to confirm they represent the same person. 
5. Then you can click the "merge them" link, which will prompt you to enter a comment on the profile explaining your reasons for believing they are duplicates (usually the reasons are obvious -- same name, same parents, same spouse, same children, same birth/death, etc.).
6. Since there are two different profile managers on these profiles, the system allows 30 days for each of them to approve the merge. If they get it approved and the merge is completed, you should get an email from WikiTree informing you the merge is done. 
7. If either of them doesn't respond, then after 30 days it will open up to anyone to complete the merge, so you can complete it yourself, being careful to include the appropriate information from each profile without creating redundant information in the biography. If there's conflicting information, add a Research Note section explaining it.
8. You can go ahead and match your Gedcom person to the lower-numbered ID before the merge completes, just so you can get through your process.

In the meantime, you can check other family members that the duplicate profiles link to (such as Rebecca's husband and several of his family members who are also duplicated), and propose merges for them as well, using the same process as above. Even if your gedcom won't be importing people that match them, it's a good idea to be civic-minded and propose merges for a healthier, cleaner tree.

You can always view a list of pending merges that you've initiated by going to the main WikiTree menu, select Find, then Pending Merges, then select the link for "Pending Merges Initiated by Me". That will show you the list of the merges you initiated, the date the merge was proposed, and their approval status.

Suggesting merges can seem intimidating at first, but it really isn't difficult. You mainly need to be certain that the people are actual duplicates, and not just same-named siblings (which can happen) or different generations, or same-named cousins, etc.

Hope this helps!

Comments

Outstanding answer, Joyce!