HOW TO...

Learn how to merge GEDCOMs into your tree with Nick Peers

1 Export your research

Look under your program’s File menu for an Export option. Choose File > Export. Set the ‘Output’ format to ‘GEDCOM 5.5’, then tick the options relating to private information to choose what to include. We suggest sharing media files separately, so untick ‘Include media files’.

2 Choose what to export

If exporting a branch of your tree, choose ‘Selected individuals’. Either add individual names, or select a person and then click ‘Ancestors’ or ‘Descendants’ to choose which parents and how many generations to include. Tick ‘Include ancestors’ descendants’ to add other relations.

3 Fine tune your selection

Check that the people you want to include are listed; if not, add them manually and exclude individuals you don’t want to share. Once complete, click ‘OK’ twice. Set ‘Destination’ to ‘Other’ and ‘Character’ set to ‘UTF- 8’ for maximum compatibility. Click ‘OK’ and save the file.

4 Merge data from elsewhere

To import a file, choose File > Merge and click ‘Yes’ when prompted to back up your tree. Next, choose the GEDCOM file to import, and when the Merge Wizard opens, choose ‘Include only selected individuals’ and click ‘Individuals to Include’ if you wish to pick who to import.

5 Advanced options

Click the ‘Advanced’ drop- down arrow to alter the similarity threshold Family Tree Maker uses to determine whether similar individuals are a match. The default 400 is a good starting point, but if you encounter issues, restore your backup and try a different setting.

6 Review the merge

The wizard will examine the GEDCOM file and perform a dummy merge. The results will be listed, with individuals requiring review (usually people marked as living) listed at the top. Go through the list reviewing how FTM plans to add, merge or discard people and data.

7 Fix incorrect matches

If you find the program has matched someone to the wrong person in your tree, click ‘Merge to other’ to change the match. If there’s no match, click ‘Do not merge’ and the individual will be treated as a new person and added to the ‘New’ list at the bottom of the records list.

8 Check your facts

Review the facts being imported before clicking ‘Merge’ to finish the job. These are shown on the right. The same controls as those found when merging records from Ancestry apply – you can choose which fact is primary by clicking it, plus choose to keep or reject sources.