* Importing from Legacy

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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Mai
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Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

I am a new Family Historian UserV7 and wanted to import my data from Legacy.

I exported my Legacy to a GEDcom file selecting the ANSI information. All seemed to go well and I now have the file in FH.

It opens well, photos are where they should be, information eg birth, death, census etc is all there so I was really pleased with how seamless it was. However, I have just trialled a Descendants By Generation Report but do not like the way some of the things are worded. For example ‘He experienced Birth’, or ‘He experienced 1911 Census.

I thought that I would be able to find somewhere where I could edit the text sentences but so far have been unable to do so. I do receive some very good help regarding this and followed various steps upon downloading it but it has made no difference. The sentences are still incorrect.

Would appreciate any help or suggestions. Thank you - Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

Welcome. I guess you are June who posted on the family-historian@groups.io?
I will be asking lots of questions. Please answer as many as possible in one reply.

Those symptoms should not happen if you have been using standard Legacy facts for Birth, Marriage, Death, etc.
Please confirm that you are using those standard Legacy facts.
Many migrants from Legacy have successfully imported GEDCOM into FH without those symptoms.
As a test, I've just done it with Legacy 9.0.0.368. What is your Legacy version?

You mention setting the Character Set: to ANSI but did you set Produce file for: to GEDCOM 5.5.1 Only?

Have you checked the Window > Log Files... Exception report?

When sentences say "He experienced ..." it can indicate that custom facts were imported instead of standard facts.
Does the problem affect all the Birth and Census facts or only a few?

In the Property Box for those Individuals do the Born:, Died:, Marr: rows have any dates or places as shown below?
Can you open the Facts tab and post a screenshot of some of the problem facts.
See Forum Usage Tips under Attachments and Taking Screenshots.

PropertyBox.png
PropertyBox.png (73.24 KiB) Viewed 4385 times

Instead of editing Sentence Templates the custom facts need correcting either in Legacy or in FH to convert them to the standard facts. There is a plugin tool in FH to do that, but let us investigate why you have those unusual symptoms.
That may involve looking at snippets of the GEDCOM file exported from Legacy.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

I have been running some experimental Legacy to FH GEDCOM transfers.
In Legacy do you have Shared Events for some Birth and Census facts?
When you export the GEDCOM, does Legacy ask about Export Shared Events as Events?
The option to Export Shared Events as regular Events should NOT be ticked.

Otherwise, those 'regular Events' are seen by FH as undefined custom events with default sentences like you posted.
e.g. He experienced Birth-Witness in ...

So try the GEDCOM export with that option unticked.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Thank you Mike for persevering with me and apologies that I did not respond.

After doing more careful reading, I went to the Facts on the individual page and clicked on the Fact for Birth and noticed the sentenced which said He Experienced ..... I followed the instructions I had read and was able to edit the sentence so it read 'He was born'. Then logged out and back in again and it still read He was born - so success. I looked at other people and they all said He/She was born - but I hadn't looked at others before (which I should have done).

I then went to Census and checked aprox 100 entries and they all said He/She experienced ...... I went into 1 of them and made a change (as above), logged out and went back in and only the one I had changed was correct, the others still said he experienced.

To your posting. I am using Legacy 9 Deluxe. 9.0.0.393. I do not have shared events in Birth or Deaths. I did not change the Event information (although did change the wording in the odd one or two, but Not through the event. I do have many shared events in the Census records. Also I did edit the Census Event

Yes, I set the Character Set to ANSI and yes I set Produce File for GEDCOM 5.5.1 only.

I checked the Window Log Files - Exception report. The only 3 errors it showed me was against people's name and although I cannot remember the exact working it did end with Sex M/F ? and I assumed that it was 3 cases where I had made an error with the sex of the listed people.

I think I have addressed everything as requested, thank you. I will go back in and make another GEDCOM and given I can't remember from before, I will ensure that 'Export Shared Events as regular Events' is NOT ticked.

I have attached a screen shot as requested. Thank you, June.
P Box.JPG
P Box.JPG (67.19 KiB) Viewed 4322 times
Attachments
Property Box Facts - Mark P.JPG
Property Box Facts - Mark P.JPG (143.03 KiB) Viewed 4322 times
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Mike, armed with all instructions I again exported a gedcom file taking care to follow all instructions and information you had given me step by step, however still have the same problem with Census records.

I added a new census event to one of the people and all is well. It reads as it should.

In the event that I am doing something that is beyond my knowledge and level of expertise to correct I have decided that the best step forward for me will be to slowly re enter the census events as I am working on that persons file.

I have attached a screen shot for you of the log. The JPG errors I totally understand. I had those missing links in Ancestry due to me renaming files and not linking them, so expected them to come up.

Thank you for your help and perseverance. - June
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Errors.JPG
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

OK, there are several threads to discuss and solutions to your issues.
It is not advisable to start correcting things by hand until we have exhausted the automatic tool solutions.
  1. I don't think the 3 FORM jpg reports are anything to do with Ancestry links/files, but can wait until later.
  2. From your screenshots it is clear that most Birth, Marriage & Death events are imported as expected.
    Now that you have unticked Export Shared Events as regular Events are the He experienced Birth... sentences no longer appearing?
  3. If you correct sentences in the Sentence box on the Facts tab then you are only affecting that one fact.
    You must use Tools > Fact Types... and Edit the fact there to change the global default Sentence Template.
    That is similar to the Legacy Master Event Definition List.
    Sentence Templates are explained in the KB advice referred to in Event Sentence Structure (19721) but should not need changing if you correct your Census facts as below.
  4. The explanation for the He experienced 1911 Census... and similar sentences is that you have a custom fact for each census year instead of the standard Census Event.
    My version of Legacy Master Event Definition List has only one standard Census fact.
    So presumably you have used its Add option to create those custom versions?
    In FH there is an easy way to convert all those custom facts such as Census 1851, Census 1861, etc, into Census.
    There is a plugin called Change Any Fact Tag in which you choose say Census 1851 and Census to make the change.
    See KB Family Historian Plugins for the background to using plugins.
    Then download Change Any Fact Tag from the Plugin Store and check its Help & Advice.
    Let me know when you are ready and I can explain the details of how to use it to correct your Census facts.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Thank you Mike.

You are correct, after I unticked Export Shared Events as regular Events the He experienced Birth... sentences are no longer appearing. So the only problems are where I made significant changes to the wording in Legacy Census events and they are now far from standard.

I will follow your guidelines carefully regarding Plugins and what is involved, will download and check Help and Advice. I will then make contact for the next step.

Many thanks for your continued offer of help. I am definitely finding FH to be an enjoyable programme to use and quite easy as long as instructions and information is read and followed. I am sometimes guilty of jumping ahead and I think this leads me into trouble. Step by Step is the way to go.

Many Thanks

June
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Hello Mike

I have downloaded the plugin, and have checked my 'Tools' to see that it is there and opens ok.

I've also read the help and advise and think I have some idea of what is supposed to happen.

Look forward to the next steps. Thank you for your continued help.

June
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

Hi June,
So with Export Shared Events as regular Events unticked the He experienced Birth... sentences no longer appear.
Contrary to what you thought, that implies some Birth Events must have Shared Events (aka Fact Witnesses in FH).
So what do those fact sentences say now?

The Change Any Fact Tag plugin lets you convert each Census 1841, Census 1851, Census 1861, etc, to the standard Census fact one by one as illustrated in the screenshot below.
Set the Source Tag Set to <Custom Events> and Source Tag Name to Census 1841 (or 1851, 1861, 1871, etc.)
Set the Target Tag Set to Standard and set the Target Tag Name to Census
Then click the Census 1841 to Census button to peform that change.
In the subsequent Confirm Edit window click Change all the Rest to convert them all.

Then repeat the whole process for Census 1851 and then Census 1861 and so on to Census 1911 such that after 8 runs of the plugin all your Census yyyy facts will have become standard Census facts. Click CLOSE Plugin and KEEP Edits.
It will produce a Result Set listing all the fact changes.
Check that the Sentence wording for those new Census facts is satisfactory.
If anything is unsatisfactory then use Edit > Undo Plugin Updates before closing FH.

Change Any Fact Tag.png
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Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Thank you for the information which was clear and easy to follow.

All went well. I followed your instructions from the 'Change Any Fact Plug', went through all the census' one after the other and all is well. Everything reads 'he or she appeared in the .... Census'.

I appreciate your help over this period. Many thanks.

June
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

I'm glad that went well. If you need any further advice then please do ask.

I am still interested to know what the He experienced Birth... sentences now say.
It may give useful feedback for other Legacy migrants to FH.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

I went back to the same person Mark Portlock and checked his information. It now reads:

He was born in June 1831 ..................., - I did not have his exact date so checked his wife's which now reads:

She was born on 10 May 1831.

I checked other events to check the wording and I have:

He married Ann Barrow .............., and He died in July 1904.

So I am happy to say all events are now working and read as they should.

Many thanks for your assistance - Mai (June)
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by tatewise »

However, there must be something that has changed depending on whether 'Export Shared Events as regular Events' is ticked or not ticked.

When it was not ticked you got He experienced Birth... sentences.

Now it is not ticked you don't get those sentences but you must have gained something else.
I suspect what you have gained is Fact Witnesses (Shared Events) for some of the Birth events.
They are indicated in FH on the Facts tab with a 3-blue-ball icon in the More column to the right of the Birth event.
i.e. Does Mark Portlock, his parents, or his wife have such icons on their Birth event?

Are there any such icons on Birth events for close relatives of others who had He experienced Birth... sentences?
It might be the person who had such a sentence or their parents or some other close relative.
I believe it is worth finding those Fact Witnesses because they will probably need some adjustment in FH.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Mai
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Re: Importing from Legacy

Post by Mai »

Apologies for the delay in responding. I have checked through the area you mention and cannot find anyone with 3 blue dots under the 'More' column.

The only thing under there are little yellow folders which appears whenever there is anything in the 'notes' section of the fact.

I've also scanned through many names and events, including Mark Portlock, his wife, family etc and cannot find any fact with the word 'Experienced' in it.

And I had definately ticked 'Export Shared Events as Regular Events'.

Thank you - Mai
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