Sherry, I don't download GEDCOMs found on Ancestry or RootsWeb, but I do sometimes accept hints and add information from other trees into my Ancestry tree on a limited basis - one or two generations at a time, and then do my due diligence to confirm the data. It's not unusual to find multiple public trees that have the same, erroneous data, that was just recopied by others. I usually try to find ones that have some source information listed. If I find something that is incorrect, I will usually try to contact the owner of the information and offer to collaborate.
I enter everything manually into my Legacy database when I'm confident that what I have is real. Periodically - maybe twice a year, I might download a GEDCOM of my personal ancestry tree, and then compare it to my Legacy information looking for source information I may have forgotten to enter into Legacy, or where I may have mistyped something. Tom On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 1:22 PM, <daughterofmyfat...@comcast.net> wrote: > Tom, > > > > Thanks for your suggestions. I found a family tree on Ancestry the other > day with a few thousand names, but I have no way of knowing what is actually > right or sourced, etc. Some of it sounds right. So, do I download (not sure > how yet) everything into Legacy and then start trying to find sources? Since > I don't do well with "clutter" in my life, I'm not sure how to pick my way > through the stacks of names. But, I don't want to have to manually enter > 5000 names either. And how do I fix something, like a relationship, or > delete names that are completely wrong? And..... Sorry, I am in a little bit > of a panic. Deep breath. I know that I can benefit from someone else's > research as a starting point for my own, so I don't want to reinvent the > proverbial wheel. Would taking one name on the tree and finding sources that > verify their relationship to me and then entering that name into my Legacy > DB be too cumbersome? Or is there a better way? > > > > Sherry > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "TomK" <giz...@gmail.com> > To: LegacyUserGroup@legacyfamilytree.com > Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:08:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific > Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Just Starting Out > > Sherry, > > You asked: > "When I find online information on my family and perhaps family trees that > have been submitted how do I handle that? Do I download all the information > and then go about trying to verify it? " > > I would be careful with what information you enter into your database that > you pick up from online trees that do not list sources, but I personally do > include such information if it seems to help obtain clues. Two things I > would suggest when you add information to your database is that: > 1) You always source the fields you populate so that later you know where > and from whom you recorded the information. There is nothing worse than to > look at your database and wonder where you got a specific piece of > information, especially if you find other records whose data conflicts with > what you already have. > 2) As I enter the source information, I make use of Legacy's Surety Level, > and use either 1 (Marginal), or 0 (Have Not Decided Yet) to be able to later > identify those entries that I'm not sure of. You can include the Surety > Level when you print Source Citations in your reports. > > Once so entered, I then also look for supporting source documentation to > verify/validate the information. > > Tom > > On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 12:48 PM, <daughterofmyfat...@comcast.net> wrote: > >> Hi Everyone, >> >> >> >> My name is Sherry and I've just joined the group and have been watching it >> for about a week now. I haven't started on my family genealogy yet, so I >> have only purchased Legacy 7 with all the updates. Ron brought up a good >> point when he wrote: >> >> >> >> <Herein lies a problem which all of us have probably faced when first >> starting out on our ancestral trail - we do not <know where we are going! >> The earlier this decision is taken then the earlier the format of the >> database can be <set. It also follows that one may need more than one >> database, if there are to be multiple output formats. >> >> >> I've done some thinking about this and decided that the main reasons I >> want to use Legacy for are: >> >> >> >> 1) To upload my data to FamilySearch >> >> 2) Print some simple charts that show my direct line that includes their >> spouses and children >> >> 3) To create a simple web page with the information I find about my >> ancestors, including interesting stories, data, and sources for a very small >> family of a brother, sister, daughter, and nephew. >> >> >> >> I borrowed the first set of CDs on Legacy and watched them several times >> and they have helped me to learn how to get around the program and enter >> data. However, I am still left with trying to design my database as Ron >> pointed out. And, deciding on a way to enter sources, media, etc. When I >> find online information on my family and perhaps family trees that have been >> submitted how do I handle that? Do I download all the information and then >> go about trying to verify it? And probably many other things that I don't >> know enough about to even ask a question. Would you mind giving me some >> guidance about how to go about this? >> >> >> >> Sherry >> >> Legacy User Group guidelines: >> >> http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp<http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Etiquette.asp> >> Archived messages: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ >> Online technical support: >> http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp<http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Help.asp> >> To unsubscribe: >> http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp<http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp> >> > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages: > http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ > Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp >
