* Merging Trees in Project Window

[Marguerite]

I am doing a One name Study.
About 6 months ago I began creating 5 separate Family Trees. I have now decided it would be easier to work with one single one & perhaps split them again at a later date.

Can anyone give a step by step guide on how to do this. I've no wish to loose months of research.

Thank You

[tatewise]

Marguerite, you are wise to ask for advice before launching into merging Projects unprepared.

However, to give you the best advice it would help if we knew a bit more about your current Projects.
So you have a little homework to do please.

Firstly, I assume you currently have 5 Projects listed in the Project Window.
Could you please list their Project Names so we can refer to them explicitly?
Also what Project Name do you want to give to the new merged Project?

Presumably, none of the Individuals in the 5 Projects are related to anyone in another Project?

What style of Source records do you use?
Do you have a single Source record for each and every Source Document such as a BMD Certificate, Census Household, etc (Method 1)?
OR do you have a collective Source record for all similar certificates or census years (Method 2)?

Do you have Media records and files?
If so, are they only linked to Individuals and Families, or are they also linked to Source or Place records?
Are there likely to be any conflicting/duplicate file-names if they are all merged together?

Are there likely to be Place names/records that may be the same in more than one Project?

In the meantime you may find glossary:merge_compare_files|> Merge/Compare File useful background, but don't start merging yet.

[RogerF]

Dear Marguerite,

I've been using the -- outstanding -- FH program to study One Name for the best part of ten years. I currently have over 1000 completely independent trees, held within a single project, and this structure has given me exactly zero problems; it really is the only way to go.

Mike is the man to guide you through merging your current five projects into one. All I can offer is an overview of techniques which have served me extremely well; take a -- critical -- look at http://www.firthworks.com/genealogy/RRR. If you feel you may need to change any of your ways of working, sooner is very much better than later.

And the very best of luck.

[tatewise]

That is a powerful chunk of advice Roger, so may I add a reference to it from our Knowledge Base?
Should verimilisitude very near the end be spelled verisimilitude?

BTW: Thanks for the vote of confidence!

[RogerF]

Sure! Advice is useless if it can't be heard.

[Mike Tate says: I have added fhugdownloads:contents:service_one-name_study_techniques|> Service ~ One-Name Study Techniques]

[Marguerite]

Thank you for your helpful replies.

To answer Mike's queries in order:

1. The 5 charts are labelled: Norfolk Chart 1, Norfolk Chart 2 etc through to 5; in the Project Window

2. The New Project will be called Norfolk Rope's

3. Yes, there are two individuals, the original progenitors.

4. I use Method 2 for my Sources.

5. There are no Media record's or files.

6. Yes, there are a huge number of Place names that are the same. (They didn't move very far!)

Thank you.

[tatewise]

OK Marguerite, so the 5 Project trees are in fact Descendant branches of the one family, with the duplicated Individual progenitor records, many duplicated Method 2 Source records, and a great many duplicated Place name records.

However, the lack of Media records and files does simplify the process somewhat.

The general technique we will follow is to create a new Project called Norfolk Rope's from Norfolk Chart 1 and then merge the Project/Gedcom files one by one from Norfolk Chart 2 to Norfolk Chart 5 into the new Project. No preliminary backups should be needed, because we will not be modifying any of the existing Projects.

1. In the File > Project Window select Norfolk Chart 1 and use More Tasks > Copy Project.
2. Set the Name of Copy to Norfolk Rope's, review the other settings, and click Copy.
3. When complete, open the new Norfolk Rope's Project and check all is OK.

Review glossary:merge_compare_files|> Merge/Compare File and refer back when necessary.
Also use the Help button within the Merge File dialogue.
Allow time to complete the whole process.

1. With Norfolk Rope's open use File > Backup/Restore > Small Backup just in case!
2. Now use File > Merge/Compare File and OK warning message to open Select FH Project/GEDCOM File dialogue.
3. Navigate to Family Historian Projects\Norfolk Chart 2 and Open the Norfolk Chart 2.fh_proj FH Project file.
4. In Record Matching Options choose Suggest candidate matches and click OK to open the Merge File dialogue.
5. There are several tabs across the top from Individuals to Headers and each tab must be merged.
   The Current Records and New Records panes are similar to the Records Window.
6. On the Individuals tab only the two progenitor records should have Action to * Merge* or Null Merge and all the rest to Keep or Add. This is where you will discover how consistent the progenitors are in each Project.
   If the Action is Null Merge then they are identical an no further action is needed on this tab.
   Otherwise, expand their records by clicking [+] and review the fields to decide what to Keep or * Add * or Discard.
7. Then move onto the Families tab where only the progenitors Family record should * Merge*, but will probably need to * Add * child links.
8. Repeat for Notes tab, if you have any shared Note records. Any duplicates should have Action Null Merge.
9. Now on the Sources tab hopefully all your Method 2 Source records should Null Merge.
   If not, then select the matching record in both panes by holding Ctrl key, and click the Match button bottom left, then review as above.
10. Repeat for Repositories if any.
11. On Media tab there should be no records.
12. Repeat the process on Places tab where many records should Null Merge.
13. On Headers tab accept the settings.
14. When satisfied click the Merge button bottom right, but if in any doubt click Cancel and start over from beginning.
15. Complete the subsequent dialogues, perhaps without a new Source for the Merge, and you're done.

Now the Norfolk Rope's Project should contain Norfolk Chart 1 and Norfolk Chart 2.
Review all the records to check the merging has been completed satisfactorily.
If not, then File > Restore the Small Backup created in step A and repeat the File > Merge/Compare File.

If OK, repeat the entire process A - O for Norfolk Chart 3 to Norfolk Chart 5 one at a time.

Note that files in any of the Project sub-folders such as Public are not merged across to the master project, but it is unlikely that you will need them. If necessary, you can copy them later using Windows/File Explorer.

If anything is unclear then please ask.

Eventually, you should archive and delete the 5 Norfolk Chart x Projects to avoid accidentally updating one of them instead of the Norfolk Rope's Project.

[Marguerite]

Thank you so much Mike!

I'll choose a moment when I have plenty of time & gradually go through it.

Will refer back to you if I need to.

Very Many Thanks for your help.