Family Historian, am I thick? Gedcom disaster

[smudwhisk]

Bee, as I'm assuming you now have a licenced copy of FH6 rather than using the trial, did you try using the "Change Any Fact" plugin that was suggested on FHUG to resolve the Census sentence issues?  It will change any non-standard facts to standard ones, so that you don't get "experienced" in the wording of sentences in Narrative Reports.

How many individuals do you have in your file?  I'm just thinking if its a large number, it seems a lot of work to just remove and then re-add them, although that is one path to follow.

In the case of the Census facts that were imported from FTM, if you look at the "Facts" tab on the right of an individuals record page, do they show a date in the date column or is the year showing in the Fact name column instead?

If you're not sure what I mean, if you take a look at my first post and the second attachment on it, you'll see a list of dates with Fact names against them.  That is the view I'm referring to just in case I'm causing any confusion.  Its the second tab on the right hand side of any Individuals record in Family Historian.  I see that my first attachment on that first post was too large to show completely on RC but if you click the file name and open the attachment, you should see what I mean if your view is different.

The "Change any Fact" plugin won't work if the date isn't showing in the date column but there is another plugin that will change the name of Census facts which are named, eg. 1841 Census, to just Census and add the full date to the date column for these facts.

Hope I've worded this OK.

On the subject of Census facts entered via Ancestral Sources, which I'm assuming was used for the John Pritchard example in your first post, you will see several Facts with the same date as the census, one being for occupation.  If you don't want these, you can just click on them and click the red "x" to delete them.  You could add the occupation details to the note section on the main Census fact (the one that shows where they were resident). If you look at the attachment on my second post on this thread, it shows a Census Fact highlighted with details in the note section at the bottom.  The note section would be a good place to add any details such as occupation if you don't want a separate Occupation Resident fact.

If you include the occupation details on a Census entry within Ancestral Sources, it will create a separate Occupation Residence fact for the date of the census.  I have queried why this happens but was told it was the only way it could be done. 

That is why I now do not include occupation details when using Ancestral Sources but when the details have been added by Ancestral Sources to Family Historian, I go back and add the details manually to the note section for the relevant Census fact.

I hope this makes sense, let me know if it doesn't and I'll try and word it differently.  I know what I mean even if nobody else can understand what I write.

[[Ray]]

Hi

?Is it too simplistic to say . . . . .

Export to a gedcom from your tree
Edit it using Notepad/Wordpad etc (examples not suggestions) ( change the file suffix to .txt if easier)
Work out the word(s)/phrase(s) you wish to change/remove
Carry out global edits if necessary.
Save/exit
Rename file/suffix to whatever you now need (eg NewTree_20150924.ged)
Import said ged into new tree.
Check the result.
Save tree
Back it up.

Ray

Post sections of "before and after" on here, some of us WILL be interested. :-)

[smudwhisk]

Yea that is another way it could be approached but it does really depend on how many individuals are in the file and how confident Bee is feeling to approach it. The reason why plugins have been written by volunteers on FHUG is to simplify such things and automate the process.

[Beeonthebay]

I REALLY do appreciate all your help.  I have less than 300 names on my tree when I think it should be nearer 500, (not counting those that are in census downloads I haven't even bothered to type up yet, probably quite a lot more).  I did have a more updated tree on Ancestry at one time, but (long story) I deleted it and now have only a basic few names online due to snatch and grabs of my data and personal photographs.

I *think* when I uploaded this gedcom file to FH it wasn't the latest one and I have no idea what happened to it, I've moved countries 3 times in the past 10 years, last week I even bought a floppy disc reader (!!!) to see what happened to all my "missing" names and if I could find out if they were on the floppy discs. Even though I'm not a "name and numbers gatherer"  I can see big gaps from what I remember having.

I have a lot of saved files ending in .sqz which must be some other family tree programme I had at one time??

In my case, I think as painful as it's going to be, I'm going to start afresh.  Smudwhisk, I'm going to print out the helpful posts you have given me and will take on board your information about the occupation and not putting it into AS when doing censuses.

I did find on one of the discs a really nice layout, maybe from the LDS programme I downloaded back in the year dot or perhaps the .sqz prog, but honestly this is so much nicer and clearer, I don't understand why I can't get something similar from a programme like FH.... or maybe you can and I'm just looking in the wrong place??


12.  John Ellson3 Povall (John2, John1) was born in Bunbury, CHS, England 24 January 1843.  John was born at 9 ?, Bunbury, his father John was a Tailor and his mother was the birth informant.

   He married Agnes Kelly in Liverpool, LAN, England, 27 May 1867.  John & Agnes were married in the Seamen's Church in Rathbone Street, Liverpool.

The witnesses to their marriage were:

William Quayle

Catherine Caine

At the time of their marriage Agnes lived at 3 Pine Grove, West Derby her father John worked for H.M. Customs and she was a Waitress.

John lived at 1 Knowles Street, Toxteth Park his father is John Povall a Tailor, John the son is also a Tailor.

They  both signed the register and were married by licence in this church which was Primitive Methodist.

   Agnes was born in Isle of Man about 1843.  She was the daughter of John Kelly.

     John Ellson Povall and Agnes Kelly had the following children:

    15    i.    John H4 Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1868.
    16    ii.    Ann J Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1870.
    17    iii.    Emily Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1872.
 +    18    iv.    Thomas Ellson Povall was born 4 May 1874.
    19    v.    Agnes M Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1876.
    20    vi.    George H Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1878.
    21    vii.    Robert D Povall was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1880. 
 

    18.  Thomas Ellson4 Povall (John Ellson3, John2, John1) was born in Liverpool, LAN, England 4 May 1874.  Thomas was born at 3 Pine Grove, Crown Street.  His father's occupation was Tailor and the birth informant was his mother. Thomas died about 1925 in Liverpool, LAN, England. 

   He married Martha Botworth in Liverpool, LAN, England, 30 May 1898.  Thomas & Martha were married at St Saviour's Church in the Parish of Liverpool. The witnesses to the marriage were:

James Herbert Kennedy Annie Povall John Ellson Povall Sarah Beatson

At the time of their marriage Martha lived at 20 Almond Street and her father William's occupation was Yardsman.  Thomas lived at 253 Crown Street and his father John was a Tailor.  Thomas was a Plasterer.

Both parties signed their names.  The marriage was by Banns.

   Martha was born in Liverpool, LAN, England about 1875.  She was the daughter of William Botworth and Martha Grimes.

     Thomas Ellson Povall and Martha Botworth had the following child:

 +    22    i.    Thomas Ellson5 Povall was born 5 April 1899.




 



 
 
 

    

[RJ_Paton]

One possibility is that your sqz files were back ups created by the Genealogy Program "The Master Genealogist" (TMG) - this program ceased production relatively recently although Family Historian has been adapting to replace it and to import its files.

[smudwhisk]

Bee, depending on how old the "report" is, it could be from perhaps the software Family Origins? The software was sold to a competitor, possibly as much as 10years ago and then discontinued. Although Roots Magic was then developed by some of the same people. The style of the report is very much like Family Origins and Roots Magic but I've not liked Roots Magic's main program so never used it for anything else other than the reports. As I recently managed to tweak Family Historians reports to look similar (but not quite the same), I've stopped using RM now. Having never used TMG, can't comment on it but Falkyrn is correct that Family Historian have been making a pitch for TMG users now its been discontinued.

[Beeonthebay]

TBH I have no idea which programme I was using that printed out these reports as it was so long ago.  I do think they are very clear and concise though with none of the repetiveness of FH.

Thank you for all of your help.  I hope Angela and Ruskie got something out of my posts of frustration too. 

[Ruskie]

Well I certainly know who to call on if I need any help. 

[smudwhisk]

TBH I have no idea which programme I was using that printed out these reports as it was so long ago.  I do think they are very clear and concise though with none of the repetiveness of FH.

Any repetiveness in FH Narrative Reports is going to be down to multiple Facts/Events for the same date.  Unfortunately it does seem to mostly happen when data has been entered via Ancestral Sources.

Below is an example of one generation from a Narrative Report in my tree, as you can see it doesn't include census info, but there is no repetition in it:

Second Generation
~~~~~~~~
2. Silva BRIGGS, daughter of George BRIGGS and Sylva WESTWOOD, was born on 21 February 1850. She was baptised on 10 March 1850 at Bethnal Green St Matthew, Middlesex. She died in 1852 in Whitechapel Registration District (probably).

   June qtr 1852 death registered as Sylvia Briggs.  There is also the birth of a Sylvia Briggs in June qtr 1852 in Whitechapel Reg District and a death in 1860 in Bethnal Green Registration District.

3. George Thomas BRIGGS, son of George BRIGGS and Sylva WESTWOOD, was born on 15 September 1853 in Mile End, Middlesex. He was baptised on 9 October 1853 at Bethnal Green St Matthew. He married Rebecca Elizabeth GRANT on 6 November 1875 at Stepney St Dunstan & All Saints, Middlesex. He died in 1918 in Poplar Registration District.

   Rebecca Elizabeth GRANT was born in 1854 in Marylebone, Middlesex. She died in 1913 in Poplar Registration District.

   Death registered as just Rebecca Briggs, confirmed by grandson's ancestry tree.

   Rebecca Elizabeth GRANT and George Thomas BRIGGS had the following children:

   +6      George BRIGGS (1876-1939)
   +7      Silvia Harriett BRIGGS (1878-1963)
   +8      Rebecca Elizabeth BRIGGS (1879-aft1911)
   +9      Alfred William BRIGGS (1881-aft1901)
   +10      Beatrice Annie BRIGGS (1883-1922)
   +11      Joseph Thomas BRIGGS (1884-aft1911)
   +12      Grace Miriam BRIGGS (1888-1917)
   +13      Andrew James BRIGGS (1890-1936)
   +14      Esther May BRIGGS (1892-1915)
   +15      Reuben BRIGGS (1894-1895)
   +16      Stanley Reuben BRIGGS (1895-1960)
   17      Arthur Horace BRIGGS (1897-1960).   Arthur was born on 30 August 1897 in Bromley St Leonard, London. He was baptised on 20 September 1897 at Mile End Old Town St Luke, London. He died in 1960 in London City Registration District (probably).

4. Alfred [Thomas] BRIGGS, son of George BRIGGS and Sylva WESTWOOD, was born in 1861 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex. He married Emma Mary Ann DUCE on 31 May 1886 at Stepney St Dunstan & All Saints. He died after 1911.

   Birth registered as just Alfred Briggs, but married as Alfred Thomas Briggs.

   Emma Mary Ann DUCE was born on 31 January 1867. She was baptised on 3 February 1867 at Bethnal Green St Matthias, Middlesex. She died after 1891.  She and Alfred [Thomas] BRIGGS had the following children:

   +18      Ethel BRIGGS (1887-aft1911)
   19      Cunningham Alfred G BRIGGS (1889-1891).   Cunningham was born in 1889 in Bethnal Green. He died in 1891 in Hackney Registration District.

The formating is out because I had to save it as a text file to copy into RC.

As you can see, no repetition.  There is an option in all the Reports so that where little information is available on someone, say they died young, it doesn't create a separate entry for them but they appear under their parent's section only.  This is how they show in other programs.

Yes the sentence templates have been heavily customised on their wording but the Report format hasn't been.  As long as a Fact/Event is recognised by FH, most of the standard sentence wording is OK, I just decided to amend them so they read how I wanted.  Its not difficult to do and if you amend the templates, it defaults to these for all individuals in every file.

I only have a single Fact/Event for each date.  Unfortunately where more than one Fact/Event has been created for each date, you will get repetition but you can usually get around this even using Ancestral Sources by only entering the bare minimum.  For most Facts/Events I just enter the data directly into FH, I only use Ancestral Sources for census as it reduces the amount of data I have to enter manually.  That is down to personal choice.