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Genealogy/memories

Seperating fsnily tree

(27 Posts)
Anniebach Tue 29-Dec-15 09:50:58

Is there any way of seperating my maternal line from paternal line ? I have them on ancestry and just realised cousins on each side will have no interest in other side -duh! Will I have to enter every name one by one in a new tree?

Elegran Tue 29-Dec-15 16:40:47

You need a GEDCOM file, ab into which you decant the half of the family that you want to move. Then you start a new tree with the half that you removed, loaded straight into it. After that you delete them from the original tree (don't do it too soon, until you know that they have transferred OK!).

When you start to make the GEDCOM file, it asks who you want in it, and you can probably add your father and all his ancestors, or whoever. I have not used ancestry, so I don't know how they do GEDCOMS so I don't know the details. There will be something in the help file.

A GEDCOM file is a database, which has all the info in a grid form. Family tree apps and progs can use it to put the info into their display.

M0nica Tue 29-Dec-15 20:19:41

I save my family tree onto an excel spreadsheet. It is very easy to save a second copy of it and just remove the irrelevant section from one copy to circulate to those on that side of the family.

Elegran Tue 29-Dec-15 20:29:01

How do you display it to them, Monica ?

rosequartz Tue 29-Dec-15 20:48:04

I have one main tree for all of DH's and my families on Ancestry. I have split off separate trees, the way I did it was set up a tree for, say, my paternal ancestors then you can import them from the joint main tree. I think that's how I did it but it was ages ago and ancestry has changed since then. It imports all the information, I would try it and write it out but this tab is playing up, it has taken me over 7 minutes to type this post!!

M0nica Tue 29-Dec-15 20:48:48

Just send them a copy.

It means I can display the information and tree how I like it and link it with other spread sheets.

I generally find that any software that has pre-prepared reports rarely sets them up or operates them the way I want to do it. Our minds all work differently and what we want a report to do varies from person to person.

DH and I use excel spread sheets extensively for everything from accounts to the family diary, toalmost anything else you could name.

Anniebach Tue 29-Dec-15 20:49:00

Thank you again Elegran , thought I may have to enter hundreds of names,

Thank you Monica, so relieved I can seperate them

Elegran Tue 29-Dec-15 20:55:24

You are welcome, Anniebach Monica I still am not sure how the people you send the Ecxcell to display tghem to see them as a tree. Not everyone can visualise the information in a spreadsheet as a joined-up tree. Can it be loaded into a family tree programme?

A GEDCOM has the info in cells in rows and columns, which are accessed by any family tree programme and dropped into the places that programme has for each item, on the tree or on individual summaries.

Elegran Tue 29-Dec-15 20:57:09

trees.ancestry.co.uk/pt/learnmore/gedcom.aspx

M0nica Tue 29-Dec-15 21:03:36

There is no problem whatsoever with drawing a tree structure in excel. It does lines and borders and my excel family tree has a very obvious tree structure and looks like the kind of family tree you get in any history book.

No one has to visualise anything it is all clearly displayed.

Elegran Tue 29-Dec-15 21:07:11

Thanks.

rosequartz Wed 30-Dec-15 12:49:30

Anniebach I must say I have been attempting to tidy up my trees on Ancestry and update with the hints, but I find the new layout increasingly annoying and frustrating and in parts ridiculous. I need to change from them as soon as I have updated everything I think. hmm

Anniebach Wed 30-Dec-15 13:18:08

Rosequartz, I am doing the same, Ancestry has to go or my PC or my sanity . Their hints are now useless, had a load this morning, one g g grandmother married when she was nine ! And was living in South of England , seems Anglesey moved in 1832 and again in 1850

rosequartz Wed 30-Dec-15 13:28:38

The silly storylines are a waste of time; I followed a hint about my great-aunt in someone else's tree, because they had put down two different dates for marriage (one must have been for the banns and the other for the marriage a month later). Ancestry airily said that 'Mary married her first husband in October 1876 and her second husband in November 1876'.

It is driving me up the wall, I want to get it all off there but I need to sort out something else asap and my brain is not up to it atm. DGD coming later so brain will be mushed again. grin

Perhaps Anglesey floats around .....

Elegran Wed 30-Dec-15 13:29:34

I never found Ancestry all that good. Once you have a bit of experience with your tree, you can do better in other places. There are Family History Societies for areas all over the country which have published stuff on the net, and there are sites for various occupations with information.

I found out things about my grandfather and greatgrandfather on a railway site, and very recently I found the same greatgrandfather on the 1939 Register on Findmypast, with the right name for his house. Searching for that on the general internet brought up a planning application for alterations to that house about ten years ago - so I now have a plan of it and photographs.

It all puts flesh on the bones of BMDs

Elegran Wed 30-Dec-15 13:32:22

RQ Before you dump ancestry, save that GEDCOM of the data onto your computer, then you can drop it into whatever app you choose for your tree.

Anniebach Wed 30-Dec-15 13:41:34

What really annoys me is I transcribed the BMD for Anglesey so know where all my lot were born, married, had children, died and where buried . My problem is Liverpool, know nothing of the place , driving me nuts

rosequartz Wed 30-Dec-15 15:08:32

Thanks Elegran. I will have to get to grips with it in the NY.
I decided I would start to separate out DH's paternal side of the family today and it is taking longer than expected! Once IO know what I'm doing I'm sure it will seem simple.

A friend urged me to buy Family Tree Maker as they are not going to issue updates after 2016 I believe. However, I haven't done it yet.

DH has a few links with Liverpool but Non-Conformists (very non-conforming).

durhamjen Thu 31-Dec-15 01:17:19

I think I read somewhere that Ancestry are no longer supporting Family Tree Maker, just in case anyone is starting and wants to use FTM. So why buy Family Tree Maker, roseq? Why not use something else?

Anniebach Thu 31-Dec-15 10:19:13

Think they will for this year Jen

Elegran Thu 31-Dec-15 10:54:58

There are free programmes out there. There is also to buy the one I use, Rootsmagic, which does all sorts of things and has links to a lot of online genealogy sites .You still have to pay subscriptions to use the pay ones, unfortunately, but you can do a web search on the ancestor you are editing and it finds stuff, if there is anything about them. Also finds stuff on people who are similar, of course, to confuse you, but they all do that.

It frees you from Ancestry's clutches.

rosequartz Thu 31-Dec-15 16:17:43

So why buy Family Tree Maker, roseq? Why not use something else?

Friend recommending it said that it is the best programme; if I am trying to put it all together to complete it then 'it would be worth getting' apparently hmm as they will be supporting it for over a year.
I haven't, though, so will investigate Rootsmagic and other programmes.

I used to like Ancestry and found it easier than other sites, but not any more.

durhamjen Fri 01-Jan-16 18:11:57

I have Ancestry, but I haven't used the FTM as most of the tree was put on Findmypast by my husband, and I have just been looking at finding additional information. However, I am now thinking of using the Genealogist. I bet when I buy it, they change their treemaker!

rosequartz Fri 01-Jan-16 19:02:11

I found things on the Genealogist that I couldn't find anywhere else, I must have been having a free trial years ago.

If I go into their site now I can find all the records I saved from that time. Perhaps I'll take another look at them.

Anniebach Fri 01-Jan-16 21:45:35

Oh, I was wondering about The Genealogist, can I transfer from Ancestry Tree to it, and can one find similar to ancestry such as marriages, census etc?