TECH TIPS
Nick Peers reveals how to create a GEDCOM file that contains a single branch of your tree
Learn how to share part of your tree using Geneanet
Anyone who’s been asked to share their tree as a GEDCOM file knows the potential issue involved: your tree is only 100 percent relevant to you and your siblings. Most requests come from researchers who are only interested in a particular branch, so how do you go about producing a truncated tree containing just the information they need? Most family history programs allow you to export part of your tree as a GEDCOM file, but if you store your tree on the web, then your options are more restricted.
Thankfully, you no longer need to run a downloaded GEDCOM file through a third-party program to produce a truncated version. Geneanet ( en.geneanet.org) has just added a selective-export option allowing you to pick a single ancestor and export a family tree containing just them, their immediate family, and their forebears and/or descendants. What’s more, it’s completely free to use.
Another benefit of using Geneanet is that many of its over four million members live on the Continent, particularly in France. So adding your tree to those available on the site is a simple way to find relations outside the UK. 1
Export The GEDCOM File Step one is to download your tree from your current website. All online tree-sharing services should support this – for example, users of Ancestry ( ancestry.co.uk) should open the dropdown menu, choose ‘Settings’ then click the ‘Export Tree’ button followed by ‘Download’ when prompted. 2
Sign Up Or Sign In Now head over to en.geneanet.org and click ‘Sign In’ or ‘Sign Up’ depending on whether you have an existing account or not (it’s completely free). Once signed in, open the ‘Family Tree’ menu in the top-left-hand corner and choose ‘Import/Export a GEDCOM File’. 3
Upload The GEDCOM File Follow the prompts to select your GEDCOM file to upload. If you’ve previously uploaded a family tree, choose ‘Replace Data’ to wipe it in favour of this one, or ‘Add Data’ to merge the two. Expand the ‘Options’ section to tweak settings such as the date format. Click ‘Send’.
4
Browse Tree Once uploaded, choose ‘Family Tree > Your Family Tree’ to navigate your tree using a top-down ancestors chart view. Use this view to help locate the person whose branch you wish to export as a separate GEDCOM file, whether it contains their forebears, their descendants, or both. 5
Export Branch Once identified, choose ‘Family Tree > Import/ Export a GEDCOM File’ again, but this time click ‘Export’ in the panel on the left and choose ‘Export a Branch’. Start typing a name to bring up a pop-up menu containing potential matches, then select your ancestor by clicking the button to the left of their name. 6
Choose What To Export Use the options under ‘Number of generations to be exported’ to decide which generations of ancestors and descendants to include for the selected person. Just click the dropdown menu next to each one to set a specific number, or choose all (or no) generations to include. 7
Select Collateral Relatives By default, only the direct ancestors of your selected individual will be included in the GEDCOM file. Use the ‘Collateral relatives’ dropdown menu to include the descendants of their ancestors too – either all their descendants, or the same generation as the selected person only. 8
Download File The final options include specifying a source for your GEDCOM file – if you’re sharing it with someone who plans to add it to their own family tree, then it’s a good idea to fill the ‘Replace by a unique source’ box with your name. Leave ASCII selected and click ‘Download’ to save the file. 9
Test The GEDCOM File Once the file is downloaded, check its contents by opening it in a GEDCOM viewer, for example FTAnalyzer ( ftanalyzer.com) or Ancestris ( ancestris.org). Once you’re satisfied that the correct relations have been included, you can send the GEDCOM file to your contact as an email attachment.