* Exporting to Ancestry tree

Importing from another genealogy program? This is the place to ask. Questions about Exporting should go in the Exporting sub-forum of the General Usage forum.
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Bradshaw John
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Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Sorry to return to this old chestnut!
I've created a new gedcom file by using a query to separate off the people I want in it, then used the export plugin on this gedcom file to create a version that Ancestry should like.
Unfortunately when I look at the imported file in Ancestry trees, several individuals are appearing as blank spaces in the tree with no information behind them.
Has anyone hit this problem before as I've checked in my original data that they are not marked with "living" or "private" flags and can't think of anything else to check?
Thanks in anticipation
John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

John, can you confirm whether you are running FH V6.2 or have updated to FH V7.0 as it can affect the GEDCOM?
If the latter then please Edit your Profile on the right of your posting by clicking on your username.

I suspect you are using the File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File... command to create the GEDCOM file.
That is formatted with all the characteristic features supported by FH and not necessarily best suited to Ancestry.
You should open that GEDCOM file in FH and run the Export Gedcom File plugin in (ANC) Ancestry Family Tree mode.
See the FHUG Knowledge Base Exporting a Family Tree with/without Media especially under Export to Website Without Sensitive Data that has examples for Ancestry including how to remove the sensitive data of living people which is important for any online trees
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Bradshaw John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Hi Mike
Sorry for the delay in responding, I was lured into the garden with this beautiful weather.
I'm using the latest version FH V.7.0.
I want to split my tree so that I can create Ancestry trees specific to individual family members as my main project has nearly 3,500 members.
I started by flagging the members of each family branch, then used the main FH Import/Export function with a query to populate it with a specific branch, and create a gedcom file.
Then, I closed my main project and opened the new gedcom in FH. At this point the problem records that are showing blank in Ancestry trees are ok in FH.
At the next stage I used the export plugin to create a gedcom file set up for use in Ancestry and imported this into Ancestry trees.
This is the point where I'm finding blank records in Ancestry trees.
I'm not aware that you can use a query with the export plugin, but if you can, I'd be grateful to find how to go about it.
Many thanks
John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

No, you cannot use a Query with the Export Gedcom File plugin.
That is why you need to use the File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File... command first.
Did you review the FHUG Knowledge Base advice that I suggested?

So the GEDCOM file you uploaded to Ancestry came from the ...\Family Historian Projects\Export\ folder identified by the plugin and its filename ended in UTF8 ANC as explained in the plugin Help & Advice.

If that is what you used then screenshots of the Facts tab in FH and the online Ancestry Profile might give me some clues.
You can redact the details if they are sensitive.
Save the screenshots as image files and attach them via the ATTACHMENTS tab below the reply box as explained in FHUG Knowledge Base Forum Usage Tips under Attachments and Taking Screenshots.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Bradshaw John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Thank you for taking the time to look at this, Mike, and for confirming that I was correct to use the FH Import/Export function initially.

I will attach the screenshots you requested.

Thanks again

John
Last edited by Bradshaw John on 19 Apr 2021 15:08, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

I hope these are what you are wanting.

Regards
John
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MT3.jpg
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MT2.jpg
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MT1.jpg
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

And the Ancestry screen shots
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MT6.jpg
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MT5.jpg
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MT4.jpg
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

I have to admit to being mystified as to where Jessie's facts have gone.
I can see that her husband Raymond's facts have transferred to Ancestry as his life dates (1915-1981) are shown.
Also, the close relatives BMD details are shown.

Please open the GEDCOM file that you uploaded to Ancestry using FH and check if Jessie's facts exist there.
i.e. I'm checking to see if Jessie's facts are in that uploaded GEDCOM.
That will determine whether the Export Gedcom File Plugin or the Ancestry upload process is discarding those facts.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Bradshaw John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Hi Mike

I've just loaded the Ancestry file into Family Historian and the information re Jessie is fine, so it does look as if the Ancestry upload process is discarding the data.

Regards

John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

The question is why?
With that GEDCOM open in FH can you check the All tab for Jessie.
Are the facts in a natural date order with Birth first and Death last?
If you fully expand the details by double-clicking her name twice, is there anything unusual such as UDF?
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

I've looked at Jessie's file and noticed that in the early days of Family Historian I'd created a fact called newspaper report relating to her marriage. I decided to tidy this up by copying the newspaper report into her marriage fact and deleting the newspaper fact. It may be totally irrelevant, but I then re-ran the two gedcom creation routines and replaced the file in Ancestry - low and behold Jessie's entry is now showing up fine, but her sister Edith and brother Arthur's (and their spouses) Ancestry entries are still blank.
I've checked the file that I exported to Ancestry (in Family Historian) and attach the first three sections of the ALL tab for Edith as you mentioned last night for jessie. Please could you cast your eye over them and see if you can spot any obvious errors.
I'm ashamed to admit it but I don't know what a UDF is. (Universal Disc format?)
Thank you for your continued help.
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Edith Gledhill 3.jpg
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Edith Gledhill 2.jpg
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Edith Gledhill 1.jpg
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Please could you also cast your eye over my settings in my Gedcom creation routines and let me know if they are optimised. I've tried to follow the help routines you mentioned previously, but am conscious that I may have missed something still.
Thank you
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

Your GEDCOM Export settings look OK.

FYI: UDF means Uncategorised Data Fields and they are indicated on the All tab with starburst bullets.
See FHUG Knowledge Base Handling Uncategorised Data Fields.

For some inexplicable reason, it seems as if that Newspaper Report fact was disliked by Ancestry.
Do the other people whose details are missing have a similar fact or some other common fact they all share?

Did you delete that Newspaper Report fact from the standalone GEDCOM but it is still in your original master Project?
If it is still in the Master Project, please post a screenshot of its expanded details on the All tab.
I'm hoping to identify what Ancestry may be objecting to.
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Bradshaw John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Good morning, Mike
I spent a good amount of time yesterday analysing the members of my trees that are suffering the same problem in Ancestry and have come to the conclusion that some self created facts are probably the cause.
In the early days of Family Historian's successive updates, I think, made changes to the structure of facts. This meant that some of my earlier self created 'facts' such as 'Newspaper Articles' were then missing a couple of fields such as 'Time Frame', 'Fact Set' and 'Visible'.
I suspect that this is behind my problem as when I either delete or update the fact the problem seems to be resolved.
Many thanks for your patience and guidance for a keen 'old buffer' during the past days!
Regards
John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

John, I would really like to understand what mechanisms are at play here.

Can you post some screenshots of those Newspaper fact definitions from Tools > Facts Types and Edit so I can see the Normal Time Frame and Fact Set, etc, that apply to those facts.

When you say you "update the fact" and the problem is resolved, what updates do you apply?

Some screenshots of those updated facts before and after the update would be useful.
In particular a fully expanded All tab view of those Newspaper facts before and after.
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by Bradshaw John »

Hi Mike
Sorry for the delay but I wanted to look at one of my old backup files, but that didn't work as it seems that Fact Types are stored in the Family Historian program rather in the project files, which I'd presumed.
When I said that I'd updated the fact, I should have said that I edited the fact.
If you look at the attached jpegs you'll see that the one labelled "Newspaper Article" shows the edited fact that now seems to work ok with the gedcom exports to Ancestry.
If you look at "Newspaper Fact Types" you'll see some other experimental Newspaper facts that I created in the early days of FH that are shown as blank in Time Frame and the word "None" in Fact set. This is how "Newspaper Article" was displayed until last week and the reason, I presume, that Ancestry rejected the person it related to!
I presume that I now need to go through all my user defined facts and either delete them if they are no longer used,or edit the rest to contain "Life" in the Time Frame and "Custom" in the Fact Set.
I hope that this makes sense!
Regards John
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

John, each custom fact that has no Time Frame and Fact Set <none> is <undefined> as it says under Visible.
In other words, those facts have been 'imported' from somewhere but you did not define their Fact Types.
You say that you created them in the early days of FH but that would have definitely required Fact Types definitions.
So maybe you have migrated from one PC to another PC and copied the Projects but forgot the Fact Types definitions.

However, I still don't understand how the lack of Fact Types definitions has any impact whatsoever on Ancestry.
Let me perform some experiments to see if I can find a connection...
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Re: Exporting to Ancestry tree

Post by tatewise »

John, I have checked my Project used to test the Export Gedcom File plugin and it has several custom facts that are <undefined> with no Time Frame and Fact Set <none>. They all export to Ancestry perfectly OK.

I think your edits to Tools > Fact Types... and discovering complete Fact Profiles in Ancestry is a coincidence.
There is no way I can think of where such edits would affect the GEDCOM and Ancestry.

Reviewing your Mon 19th Apr 2021 screenshot of an Ancestry Fact Profile, it not only has no individual facts but no name either.
Also, it says DEATH Living even though Jessie clearly has a Death Event recorded.
Therefore, I am beginning to wonder if there are some 'empty' records in your Project that are confusing us.
So can you please perform the following checks step by step to prove or disprove my theory.

Sign in to your Ancestry online account and use the following features:
  1. Use the top left command Trees > Create & Manage Trees to open a list of My Trees.
    I would expect several trees all with the same Name ending in ANC UTF8 but different Date Modified because you have uploaded your exported GEDCOM several times (unless you changed Name each time). Is that what you see?
    Are you sure you are viewing the latest tree each time?
    You can remove an unwanted tree by clicking its Tree Settings, scrolling down and using Delete your tree.
  2. Display a tree and use the top right command Tree Search > List of all people to list All People in your tree.
    Are there any entries at the top with no Name, no Birth, and no Death?
  3. Display a tree and open the Profile of Facts for the husband Bernard Raymond Nichols.
    Who are listed under Spouse or Spouse & Children on the right?
    It should include Jessie Gledhill as a spouse but is there also a blank entry?
  4. Similarly, open the Profile of Facts for the father Thomas Gledhill.
    Who are listed under Spouse & Children on the right?
    That should include Jessie Gledhill as a daughter but are there also any blank entries?
  5. Repeat the above for the husband and father of other people who had missing facts.
Similarly, in FH open your master Project and use the following features:
  1. In the Records Window on the Individuals tab click the Individual Records column heading to sort them.
    Are there any [unnamed person] entries at the top of the list?
  2. Open the Focus Window with husband Bernard Raymond Nichols in Focus.
    How many wives does he have? Just Jessie Gledhill or is there also a blank spouse?
  3. Open the Focus Window with father Thomas Gledhill in Focus.
    How many children are listed below? Are there any blank entries?
You could repeat the above features after opening the exported ANC UTF8 GEDCOM file in FH.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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