Need help merging subsets of tree files

[Rich Laniewski]

I need some advice from you kind folks.

First, I’ve learned that if I have two separate tree files open, I can just drag an individual to the other tree and all pertinent records are put into an album in the target tree. (Perfect! THANK YOU, John!!)

Now to my problem:

I have two separate GEDitCOM files: “Mine” has a modest 1,500 individuals, and “Theirs” that I obtained from a distant relative, has a hefty 30,000 individuals.

One common point is a specific couple HW (Husband, Wife).

Theirs has a stub at couple HW with no descendants, whereas Mine has a stub at HW with no ancestors.

Adding Mine to Theirs would be easy: transfer all descendants of HW, relink to HW. Done.

Problem is, I want to merge Theirs into Mine, but only the pertinent individuals, not all 30,000 people. How do I identify ALL the relatives of couple HW in Theirs? (No, I am not savvy in scripting.)

My thoughts:
1. In Theirs, create album XFR (transfer).
2. Start with H.
   3. Show ancestors.
   4. Identify the oldest person/couple in each branch.
   5. Show descendants of each oldest person/couple, save in XFR.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for W.

When done, I *think* album XFR should have all relatives of H & W, so I can select all and drag to Mine. Unfortunately, I have a feeling I’m missing something, that this really isn’t enough, but I can’t wrap my head around it.

The question is: In Theirs, do I also need to identify all relatives of every incoming spouse using that same process, or have I already done that? Or would that be overkill by bringing in a ton of unrelated individuals?

The bigger question: Is there an easier way to do all this? I’ve looked at the "All Relatives" report. It’s quite informative, but it doesn’t have an option to put the resulting individuals into an Album for further manipulation. Also, it doesn’t appear to report spouses at all, which I’d think in my case would be important.

The even bigger question: Is there already a mechanism in GEDitCOM to do exactly what I need?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Rich Laniewski

[John Nairn]

Hi Rich, Here a some ideas. The ideas are mostly in the help, but it took me a while to find them (and some could be more clear)

First, the key task is to get an album in the large file with the records you want to merge into your file. Once they are they can can select all and drag (which I guess you found at bottom of “Opening, Saving, Merging->Merging data from different files” in the help window). A preferred approach is to export that album to a GEDCOM file first. This approach has two advantages:

1. It gives you a stand-alone GEDCOM file before merging into your file. You can open that file in GEDItCOM II to verify it has all the records you need. If not you can drag some more. When ready, open your main file and use the “Merge…” command to include the new records.

2. When you do merge, you have a option to attach a note to each merged record. This note record can be used to help identify which records in your main file came from the merge (the single note record can be deleted at future date was you accept all the new records).

Second, is to be familiar with what records will be included when you drag to another file. Dragging all records in an album to another files gets the same records as exporting that album to a GEDCOM file (therefore using the export process will clarify which records you get by opening that file to see them). The records that are included are explained in “Exporting Options->Export a GEDCOM File->export options” (the last is link near top of the window). The rmain records included are:

1. All records in the album

2. For each family record in the album, all individuals linked to that family.

3. For each individual in the album or from a family record (see 2), any additional family records that link two or more of those individuals will also be included.

Besides these records, the file will include linked places, source, notes, multimedia, etc. (when exporting it will include other records, like a header, to make it a complete GEDCOM file). Be sure to use export option “GEDCOM for GEDitCOM II” to get all information, although your llarge file probably does not have any extra GEDitCOM II data such as place details.

Third, you want to create the album (to be dragged or exported) and fill with relevant individuals and/or families. You mentioned an “All Relatives…” report and you can send all individual in that report to an album using the menu command “Tree->Send Selected to Album->(album name.)” It will send any records linked in that report to the album you choose. The concept “Selected” depends on the window that is currently in front. For family trees the command helpfully changes “Selected” to “Tree Members”. For other window types it is generic. For reports it sends all records linked in that report. Another option to find your records using the “Search” command. For a window with search results, the “Selected” records means all current search hits.

You can enhance the “All Relatives…” report by including spouse and child names. They will appear as links in the report and therefore also get sent to an album using the “Send Selected to Album” menu command.

Combining family trees, “All Relatives…” reports (or other built-in reports including reports created with extensions), and search results, you should be able to get records you want to an album. Some of these steps get only individuals. The export process will find the family records. It should get nearly all. I did think of one example where a family record would not be exported. If a individual included only as a spouse is in a family record with a different spouse that is not an individual in your album, that family record would not be exported. Export option #3 above would find that family record linked to only one exported individual and therefore not include it. If you want such families, you might have to find them manually and either drag the second spouse to the album or drag the family record (which would include any children in that family too).

Forth (and last), both drag and drop or export and merge create all new records in your file. If some of the records being merged are already in your file, you will have two copies of that individual now in the file. The last step, therefore, is to merge records for identical individuals and families. The process can be challenging and tedious. Ideally your merging is find a lot of new records and you only need to merge a few common individuals. Record merging work grows if you now have a lot of common records. See “Merging Records” in the help window for detail. When more then a few records need merging, the “Extensions->Editng Tools->Merge Records” extension provides domr computer assisted merging options (and you can see documentation of that extension for details).

When merge file with mostly-common individuals, manual merging get too cumbersome. The best approaches for that task are to use GEDItCOM II with UUIDs or to work with software-versioning tools. In the recent new positing, I did some edits on working in groups on the same file. The latest version is here:

Hope that helps. The help window covers it all, but I find in challenging to keep help information both complete and brief (they can be contradictory goals). I think your tasks is not uncommon and help should cover it better.

John Nairn

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[William G. Bates]

One major thing I found out very early working with GEDitCOM one and II, is that all the data should be formatted EXACTLY the same or it will not merge but will add a new record onto the individual that has non identical records. for me, I first go through the fill to be merged and perform any corrective actions using the merged to file to be sure they are identical. The only exception is one with blank records that have data in the other. If you do not do this, you can do a, do not remember menu name, but it will check the entire file and tell you if there are problem with any individual and then you have to MANUALLY do all those non merged data records so they are the same.

This then is what is wrong with Ancestry and probably all the other genealogica sites as, especially on my only one-Ancestry, has many thousands of merge duplication within individuals records. It sure compounds the work in trying to figure out if some of tem are complete or not.

WGB

On 14 Nov 2025, at 17:14, John Nairn <johna...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Rich, Here a some ideas. The ideas are mostly in the help, but it took me a while to find them (and some could be more clear)

First, the key task is to get an album in the large file with the records you want to merge into your file. Once they are they can can select all and drag (which I guess you found at bottom of “Opening, Saving, Merging->Merging data from different files” in the help window). A preferred approach is to export that album to a GEDCOM file first. This approach has two advantages:

1. It gives you a stand-alone GEDCOM file before merging into your file. You can open that file in GEDItCOM II to verify it has all the records you need. If not you can drag some more. When ready, open your main file and use the “Merge…” command to include the new records.

2. When you do merge, you have a option to attach a note to each merged record. This note record can be used to help identify which records in your main file came from the merge (the single note record can be deleted at future date was you accept all the new records).

Second, is to be familiar with what records will be included when you drag to another file. Dragging all records in an album to another files gets the same records as exporting that album to a GEDCOM file (therefore using the export process will clarify which records you get by opening that file to see them). The records that are included are explained in “Exporting Options->Export a GEDCOM File->export options” (the last is link near top of the window). The rmain records included are:

1. All records in the album

2. For each family record in the album, all individuals linked to that family.

3. For each individual in the album or from a family record (see 2), any additional family records that link two or more of those individuals will also be included.

Besides these records, the file will include linked places, source, notes, multimedia, etc. (when exporting it will include other records, like a header, to make it a complete GEDCOM file). Be sure to use export option “GEDCOM for GEDitCOM II” to get all information, although your llarge file probably does not have any extra GEDitCOM II data such as place details.

Third, you want to create the album (to be dragged or exported) and fill with relevant individuals and/or families. You mentioned an “All Relatives…” report and you can send all individual in that report to an album using the menu command “Tree->Send Selected to Album->(album name.)” It will send any records linked in that report to the album you choose. The concept “Selected” depends on the window that is currently in front. For family trees the command helpfully changes “Selected” to “Tree Members”. For other window types it is generic. For reports it sends all records linked in that report. Another option to find your records using the “Search” command. For a window with search results, the “Selected” records means all current search hits.

You can enhance the “All Relatives…” report by including spouse and child names. They will appear as links in the report and therefore also get sent to an album using the “Send Selected to Album” menu command.

Combining family trees, “All Relatives…” reports (or other built-in reports including reports created with extensions), and search results, you should be able to get records you want to an album. Some of these steps get only individuals. The export process will find the family records. It should get nearly all. I did think of one example where a family record would not be exported. If a individual included only as a spouse is in a family record with a different spouse that is not an individual in your album, that family record would not be exported. Export option #3 above would find that family record linked to only one exported individual and therefore not include it. If you want such families, you might have to find them manually and either drag the second spouse to the album or drag the family record (which would include any children in that family too).

Forth (and last), both drag and drop or export and merge create all new records in your file. If some of the records being merged are already in your file, you will have two copies of that individual now in the file. The last step, therefore, is to merge records for identical individuals and families. The process can be challenging and tedious. Ideally your merging is find a lot of new records and you only need to merge a few common individuals. Record merging work grows if you now have a lot of common records. See “Merging Records” in the help window for detail. When more then a few records need merging, the “Extensions->Editng Tools->Merge Records” extension provides domr computer assisted merging options (and you can see documentation of that extension for details).

When merge file with mostly-common individuals, manual merging get too cumbersome. The best approaches for that task are to use GEDItCOM II with UUIDs or to work with software-versioning tools. In the recent new positing, I did some edits on working in groups on the same file. The latest version is here:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geditcom-ii-discussions/07F31363-B75B-4308-B72E-A463AED49A25%40gmail.com.

[Rich]

John and William,

You’ve certainly provided a wealth of helpful information. It’s going to take me a bit to digest it all, and then to put the plan into action. Wow! Thank you!!!

Rich

On Nov 14, 2025, at 17:14, John Nairn <johna...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Rich, Here a some ideas. The ideas are mostly in the help, but it took me a while to find them (and some could be more clear)

First, the key task is to get an album in the large file with the records you want to merge into your file. Once they are they can can select all and drag (which I guess you found at bottom of “Opening, Saving, Merging->Merging data from different files” in the help window). A preferred approach is to export that album to a GEDCOM file first. This approach has two advantages:

1. It gives you a stand-alone GEDCOM file before merging into your file. You can open that file in GEDItCOM II to verify it has all the records you need. If not you can drag some more. When ready, open your main file and use the “Merge…” command to include the new records.

2. When you do merge, you have a option to attach a note to each merged record. This note record can be used to help identify which records in your main file came from the merge (the single note record can be deleted at future date was you accept all the new records).

Second, is to be familiar with what records will be included when you drag to another file. Dragging all records in an album to another files gets the same records as exporting that album to a GEDCOM file (therefore using the export process will clarify which records you get by opening that file to see them). The records that are included are explained in “Exporting Options->Export a GEDCOM File->export options” (the last is link near top of the window). The rmain records included are:

1. All records in the album

2. For each family record in the album, all individuals linked to that family.

3. For each individual in the album or from a family record (see 2), any additional family records that link two or more of those individuals will also be included.

Besides these records, the file will include linked places, source, notes, multimedia, etc. (when exporting it will include other records, like a header, to make it a complete GEDCOM file). Be sure to use export option “GEDCOM for GEDitCOM II” to get all information, although your llarge file probably does not have any extra GEDitCOM II data such as place details.

Third, you want to create the album (to be dragged or exported) and fill with relevant individuals and/or families. You mentioned an “All Relatives…” report and you can send all individual in that report to an album using the menu command “Tree->Send Selected to Album->(album name.)” It will send any records linked in that report to the album you choose. The concept “Selected” depends on the window that is currently in front. For family trees the command helpfully changes “Selected” to “Tree Members”. For other window types it is generic. For reports it sends all records linked in that report. Another option to find your records using the “Search” command. For a window with search results, the “Selected” records means all current search hits.

You can enhance the “All Relatives…” report by including spouse and child names. They will appear as links in the report and therefore also get sent to an album using the “Send Selected to Album” menu command.

Combining family trees, “All Relatives…” reports (or other built-in reports including reports created with extensions), and search results, you should be able to get records you want to an album. Some of these steps get only individuals. The export process will find the family records. It should get nearly all. I did think of one example where a family record would not be exported. If a individual included only as a spouse is in a family record with a different spouse that is not an individual in your album, that family record would not be exported. Export option #3 above would find that family record linked to only one exported individual and therefore not include it. If you want such families, you might have to find them manually and either drag the second spouse to the album or drag the family record (which would include any children in that family too).

Forth (and last), both drag and drop or export and merge create all new records in your file. If some of the records being merged are already in your file, you will have two copies of that individual now in the file. The last step, therefore, is to merge records for identical individuals and families. The process can be challenging and tedious. Ideally your merging is find a lot of new records and you only need to merge a few common individuals. Record merging work grows if you now have a lot of common records. See “Merging Records” in the help window for detail. When more then a few records need merging, the “Extensions->Editng Tools->Merge Records” extension provides domr computer assisted merging options (and you can see documentation of that extension for details).

When merge file with mostly-common individuals, manual merging get too cumbersome. The best approaches for that task are to use GEDItCOM II with UUIDs or to work with software-versioning tools. In the recent new positing, I did some edits on working in groups on the same file. The latest version is here:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geditcom-ii-discussions/07F31363-B75B-4308-B72E-A463AED49A25%40gmail.com.