Migration to RootsMagic

Task

Observations

Down loading the trial edition

No problem - Using the GEDCOM below - Walked through all the options, and found that many of the ones I want to use are not available in the free edition - Clear this it will take training to use effectively, see training below

Pros: Surprised that the citations came over as clear as they are

Like starting with the RootsMagic news window

Starts FAST compared to the same file in FTM

has a cleaner feel about the screens, not intimating - event thouth it is alien at thsi stage, I still felt confortable with the human interface

REALLY like that fact that the reference numbers are listed with the names (option I exercised)

Cons: Does not appear to support a database merge feature

Does it contain a database compare feature

I would like the option for the program to accept my established refereeing numbers and then take over the responsibility to fill in the blanks using

Search help on reference number yields no responses

Need to attend training to use effectivly

Making a test GEDCOM

I had a test file from my FTM 2013 activities - use it because I would be comparing like apples - After exhaustive search FTM 2013 will not export a FTM 2006, which is the entry level for RootsMagic - only Option for export is GEDCOM 5.5 - I have identified a new requirement to have my German spelled place names intact, that requires UNIcode (apparently Legacy and Master Genealogist do not support UNICode, I assume since MyHearitage supports 50 langages, it supports UNICode, but it was hard to find details on features) - went through all the tabs and tried everything available - the HTML aspects are interesting, wish they had included a timeline of the facts + marriages + children birts and deaths + siblings birth's and deaths + parents births and deaths, I could use that time line in my HTML filing system - Like the search for files feature -

For those that are not aware that we Americanize German place names, need to read the FB page German Genealogy - It is essential when researching German places that the names be spelled in German.

Settings for Export for FTM 2013:

GEDCOM 5.5

Include Private Facts

Include Private Notes

Include Media files

Include Private media

Unfortunately will not allow me to include: task; items linked to specific individuals

Character set: UTF-8

(possible change Tamura Jones says I can use ANSEL, but the options are ANSI; ASCII; UTF-8)

FTM 2014 stopped working twice during the process and has to be restarted each tiem saying tha the data base may be damaged

Terms and conditions

Can my wife load the program on her system also or do we need another copy? With FTM we get two licenses

Extremely difficult to find the software terms and conditions after loading the software - I was NOT able to answer

Training

Started with: January 8, 2011 - Getting Started With RootsMagic 3 of 52 - Add to my Podcast videos I am tracking at http://www.pittsburgcogenealogical.org/Advanced/Podcast/YouTube%20list.htm

Pros: Sells me on the features of the program

Cons: He needs a blue tooth mike, the audio changing distracts from the lesson

I would appreciate a text description of the individual session, what features are covered so when later I need a refresher, I can find this session and bone-up

Purchasing process

Went well nothing exceptional, but no problems - took advantage of the holiday offer

- wish they would hissued me a license to immedately begin using the downloaded program rather than wait for the physical delivery of the disk and book

Training Oct 8, 2013

Creating a Shareable CD with RootsMagic

Is this an approporate device to send to a repository?

Training Dec 5, 2013

Sharing Notes Between RootsMagic and FamilySearch Family Tree

Too early to use this

Exporting from FTM or Ancestry

http://help.ancestry.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/473/kw/GEDCOM

"GEDCOM files are text only. Any pictures, images of records, charts, video, sound files, or similar items found in your tree will not be included in a GEDCOM file. Vital information, notes, and sources are usually retained by a file in GEDCOM format after conversion."

Did not prove useful

Dees System

Loaded the demo software on Dee's machine and Converted Dee's file from FTM 2012 to GEDCOM 5.5 UTF-8

File structure

Root

Contains:

Two RM files:

2013 ROP HTML Researched

2013 ROP Total Family Not Researched

Three file folders:

Gen Dead 2013 12 15

Gen living 2013 12 15

Genealogy HTML 2013 07 29

Gen Tree Data 2013 12 17

Each person has a folder based on their reference number, each person folder contains a folder named new folder that contains items that have not been linked yet (I use this when I am in a repository), If a media item has more than one person in it, I make copies for each individual, at the end of the reference numbered files are the Unknowns, these are people that I cannot identify an in my line at a repository, but they have the same surname, are buried in the same family plot, appear on the census as related, appear in a newspaper article as a family member etc., the files are labeled as "UN-Surname-Given name." I review these files during the winter, I have found new name spellings, nick names, in these files, amazing what you can do when not under the pressure of a repository.

Excel file of Reference numbers and names stored in 00000 AAA Index Notes

Individual Folders

Unknown Folders

Gen Dead 2013 12 15

Individual file folders for living individuals

Gen living 2013 12 15

These folders have been removed from the Dead folder and are the Researched family members - Associated with the Researched RM file - this is may main research file

Genealogy HTML 2013 07 29

Individual folders

Contains:

New Folder - items that have not been linked yet

Images Folder - Reference number images - pictures of the individual

Album Folders - one for each of the individuals Picture albums

Index - HTMl file - the time line for that individual

All source documents - named: Reference number-Year-Month-Day-Description - combination of JPG; PDF; and HTML files (for notes)

"5 digit Reference number-Year-Month-Day-Description

2013 12 19

Recieved full copy of the softwaqre and the Book: Getting the most out of RootsMagic

Beverly Harrison

See above thread....the one started by Robert O. Pulse...I am doing the Happy Dance now, took advice posted by Marla Larson, manually linked ONE photo media file in the Roots Magic 6 tree that I uploaded from an FTM Gedcom, that seems to have done the trick, by manually linking that one pic, the rest have now linked themselves. My pics all appear to be attached where they should be, to the right people, and are visible (based on quick visual maneuvering through a few branches, but looks good so far!). So, anyone else having that same problem, media files-photos that won't import from a Gedcom or have broken links, try manually linking one or two photos and see what happens. It was just my links that were broken, apparently and somehow manually fixing one link seems to make the rest fall into place. Mystical voodoo stuff, this techy thing will drive me nuts yet, but right now I am a happy genea!

Media Links

Moved the FTM media folder into the rood directory for RM and did a manual search for the the media - yielded all the media matched up

Training #4

4. Sources, Citations and Documentation with RootsMagic -

I like beeing able to down load the mp4 file and play on the ocmputer

GEDCOM conversion

Converted all the files in FTM to GEDCOM 5.5 with UTF-8

imported into RM - First file: Researched file: 62 people

and them merged all the rest of the files into

Non-Researched file: 22,593 people,

Link rebuilding

Apparently a GEDCOM 5.5.1 file contains some level of link management to media information, and RootsMagic can take advantage of this information in rebuilding links to the media. One of the requirements for this rebuild may be (I am not certain yet) that the file structure is the same as it was in FTM. As an example, I was able to rebuild links to 14,600 media yesterday in about an hour or so. Looks like I am stuck with the FTM filing system for a while, but RM can adjust if I move media around later.

Training #7

7. Cleaning-Your-Family-Tree-in-RootsMagic -

Tools - Count trees - nonresearched: 53 now 42 after traing 7 below - Researched: 1

Place list: Did some work on Researched, none on Non Researched

tools/merge: People, Automatic, Duplicate, Manual - worked on people, sources,

Need a lot more work on this

2014/2/25

I have kept separate files for each individual ordered by their reference number for a number of years. When I used FTM it does not support this structure, but places all the down loads in a separate file folder associated with their filling structure (originally they incorporated all downloads/imports into the data base and the data base got very large very fast, this system is an improvement, but riddled with its own set of problems). Unfortunately, Ancestry has changed their FTM file naming algorithm for these files at least 6 times in the last several years and in some cases I have 6 copies of the same download for the same person because of these name changes. In addition early FTM file naming algorithms were just increments on a master name; this caused all kinds of problems when merging files with the wrong person being associated with a specific down load (i.e. in the Data base A you have a down load named "1930 Federal Census - 2" associated with Person Pulse and in Database B you have a down load also named "1930 Federal Census - 2" associated with Person Kern - When you merge these two databases, FTM simply copies the files - now you have "1930 Federal Census - 2" that was originally associated with Person Pulse also associated with Person Kern, and the original file Associated with Person Kern has been overwritten - in my case this action has the Kern family in Oklahoma instead of Indiana). There latest FTM naming algorithm incorporated the person's name (but not the reference number) into the download file name (making it unique for that name, but not necessarily that individual) and is therefore better, but still flawed (I have 35 George Pulses in my records). I know all this because I am migrating to RootsMagic, which support my original filing structure for links and I am migrating all my FTM downloads into my original filing structure, and have discovered these issues. I estimate that 10% of the Downloads in my files are linked to the wrong person, and that key downloads have been lost because of the duplicate file naming and one file overwriting another in a merge. I would recommend that all users of FTM consider a separate filling system from the one automatically provided by Ancestry. Simply put it is a mess. I would like to thank the developers of RootsMagic for the automatic re-link tool, it has been a life saver, along with the fact I kept some of the files separate from the FTM filing system.

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