Genealogy Chat

I copied this from an earlier post on the tips board. Sometimes you may want to split a file so that you have a gedcom file containing only certain people, not all the people in your file. You may want this type of file for a number of reasons, e-mailing to other people, or for creating a tree using another program with only certain people on it and Family Tree Maker cannot produce that sort of tree (see below for tree type) Using Family Tree Maker this file splitting is fairly easy to do. If you wanted to create a family tree or a separate gedcom file with only certain people on it from your main file, some programs may produce that tree or file fairly easily but others will not. Say for example you wanted to create a tree or a gedcom file containing only you, your partner, your children and grandchildren, all of your ancestors and all of your partners ancestors. There are only a couple of programs that will create this sort of tree using a few clicks of the mouse and the resulting tree that the program produces may not be all that pleasing a layout to look at. You can split your file so that only those people are contained in the resulting file. Family Tree Maker is the most widely used program around and if you use that program you can split your file so that you end up with a separate file containing only certain people. To produce a file containing only those people mentioned above here's what you do using Family Tree Maker. 1. Create an ancestor tree from yourself showing as many generations as you want, don't bother including any details like B,M,D etc. as this information will be exported automatically with the file. 2. When the tree is on screen click on File, then Export File, then Copy/Export individuals in Tree. A window will open and you will need to alter some things that are in that window. 3. In the 'Save in': field situated in the top white window click on the drop down menu and select Desktop. 4. In the 'Save as Type' window, Family Tree Maker (*FTW) will already be selected, do not alter this if you are going to make another file for use using Family Tree maker. If you are going to make a gedcom file containing only certain people for use with another program or for other purposes then you will have to select GEDCOM (*.GED) from the drop down menu under the, 'Save as File Type' window at the bottom. 5. In the 'File Name' window you will need to type in a name for your new file, call it something distinctive like My Ancestors, it does not matter what you call it as long as the name you give it is different to your main or any other file. DO NOT give it the same name as your main or any other file. 6. Once you have done the above click on Save. The people only on that tree you have created will be exported to a separate file and you can see this file on your Desktop. This file will only contain you and your ancestors (the people who were on the tree when you exported the file). This new gedcom file can be used for e-mailing to other people or for importing the data into another family history program. As we want to add other people to this file carry on following these instructions. 7. Next we need to create a file containing only your husbands ancestors so create an ancestor tree for your husband as you did in step 1. above, then repeat steps 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 above. Name this file something like Hubbies Ancestors. 8. You now have another file containing only your husbands ancestors saved on your desktop. 9. Now we need to create a 3rd file so that your children and grandchildren are in it, you can create a DESCENDANT TREE from either yourself or your husband and this will contain all your children and grandchildren, once the tree is on screen follow steps, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 again and name the file something like Descendants. 10. You now have 3 files containing all the people you want to be included in that file but we have now got to merge those 3 files and the people in them into one file. Close down Family Tree Maker and return to your desktop. 11. Open the largest of the 3 files that you have created. 12. Say for example that it's your ancestors that's the largest file and that's the one you open, once open click on, File, then Append/Merge, you will now get a message pop up asking you to back up your file, say NO to this. 13. A window will open which looks the same as the window that opened when you did your exports but this is a navigation window and you need to navigate to the file you want to merge with the file you have open. The file you want to merge with your ancestors is your husbands ancestors so select Desktop in the 'Look In' window and you will see the file on your Desktop that contains your husbands ancestors. Highlight this file by clicking on it and then click on OK.

I made a stupid mistake and put my and my husbands family in the same file on FTM now I have read Rons how to split and merge and so on but has anybody tried it is it easy for numpties like me thanks