Downloading GEDCOM files from the Ancestry World Tree

By: Michael John Neill
As seen in the Ancestry Daily News

One of the wonders of computers is the ease with which individuals can share and exchange information. It’s "easy" to say it’s easy. However, it’s not always as "easy" as people would like to make it sound.

General suggestions for downloading GEDCOM files:

To Users of Data

GEDCOM files should be used as clues and as leads to further information. Just because the file is in computerized format does not mean that it has been subjected to genealogical scrutiny. The maintainers of the data site, in this case, Ancestry, Inc. cannot make changes to the information, as the submitter still retains control of the information. Ancestry is providing a means by which individuals can share and exchange the information. Library users would not expect a library to "correct" every error found in a printed source.

Ancestry does not check or "proof" the information for genealogical accuracy. While this may seem frustrating, the user must remember that the information is the submitters and that the user is not paying anything to obtain the information. It would cost a significant amount of money to have someone "check" an entire file for genealogical accuracy. And after all, how many genealogical libraries "screen" every page of every book they have on their shelves? It is frustrating to realize that the files do contain errors, but it is a fact of genealogical life and many non-digital sources contain errors as well. These files should be treated as any secondary or tertiary source and be double-checked. Don’t believe it, even if your mother typed it!

While there are limitations to the data, that should not discourage users from using it. There are genealogists who take great pride in the accuracy and documentability of their information. There are others whose research is reasonably accurate, subject to only a few errors. And then there are those whose only concern is the size of their database. Remember, it’s not how far back you can trace your lineage, but the reliability of your information that is important. Some of my own lines have only been traced to 1850. It doesn’t make you a bad genealogist if your ahnentafel chart doesn’t contain 15,000 names. The way in which the information is used is what is important. Remember that genealogy is not a game of "she who dies with the most ancestors, WINS!"

Maintain the Integrity of your Data

It is imperative that you not incorporate an entire downloaded file into your own genealogical database. You should have "clean" databases that contain only information you have obtained from documentable sources through your own research. GEDCOM files and other digital information received via email, Internet, etc. should be kept in a separate set of data files. Once a downloaded GEDCOM file has been merged with your own file of information, it is impossible to un-merge the two files. If the downloaded file contains errors, then these errors have been incorporated into your own data and the integrity of your own files is gone.

When downloading data, I maintain a separate folder on my hard drive that contains data files that I have downloaded from various sites. Individuals who download significant numbers of files may wish to break down this folder into folders for specific surnames or localities. Ideally, each file downloaded would be kept in its own folder, as additional files will be created from that file, before the information can be easily viewed. The way the folder are broken down is not as important as the fact that you keep the downloaded files separate from your "true" database and that you track the original location of these files.

Here is the directory structure that I use:

A folder named download, which contains several folders, one titled genedata, which contains several folders, including one titled jones. This folder contains specific a folder for each GEDCOM file that I have downloaded on this surname.

There are other options, but remember, the more files you put in one folder, the more confused you eventually may be and the more difficult it will be to later track the individual files.

If the file is downloaded from Ancestry’s site in the PC format, it will appear on your computer as filename.exe and should be placed in the appropriate folder on your hard drive. This file can be executed directly from Windows, by double clicking on it. The file will be expanded into a GEDCOM file with the name filename.ged (and should be placed in the same folder where the downloaded file was originally placed). It is this file that you will use to convert to your genealogical software’s format. Let’s look at a specific example.

The file that I originally downloaded from the Ancestry site was named h12025.exe. After the file was executed (a separate dos application window will appear as this happens), the GEDCOM file was created, H12025.ged.

Then I opened my genealogical software package. I did not open my "true" genealogical data file containing my information. If that file automatically opens up when the program does, exit that file and open a new one. It is this new file where you will import the GEDCOM file you just created. Reference to your own genealogical software manual should indicate the steps necessary to convert a file from GEDCOM to your own software’s format.

When I used my genealogical software to convert the GEDCOM, a list of errors was created, H12025.lst (that’s a lower case "L" after the ".", not the number "1").

Packages differ, but at some point in the process you will be asked to name the new file and indicate where it should be placed on your hard drive. I would recommend placing this file in the same folder as the original file you downloaded.

Do not call this file JONES, or some filename solely based upon a surname. The reason for this is that you probably will download more than one file on the same surname. To keep everything together in a consistent format, I chose the same name as the file I downloaded from Ancestry. The data from the GEDCOM file is now stored in one more format on my hard drive, the data format for my genealogical software package. Several files have been created from the one originally downloaded:

H12025.exe-the original file downloaded from Ancestry

H12025.ged-the GEDCOM file

H12025.lst-the error file created when converting the GEDCOM file to my genealogical software

H12025.ftw- the actual file name for the file created by my genealogical software

Using this approach, the user really doesn’t have to keep each set of files in a separate folder, but it does make it easier. If nothing else, I would keep all the JONES files in one folder, the SMITH files in another, etc.

There’s one last file that I create myself. Using NotePad (any text editor or word processing software will work), I create a file that contains the submitter information. Retaining this information is ESSENTIAL. It can easily be obtained at Ancestry’s web site, on the same page where the files are actually downloaded. I save this file in the same folder as all the other H12025 files and name it H12025. It should be saved in a text format or in your word processor’s standard format. Giving it the same name (and not the same extension as one of the other files) will assist in keeping all the files together and in not losing the submitter information. The email address may not be contained in the data itself. This file should also include a brief explanation of why the file was downloaded in the first place. If numerous files are downloaded in one session or are not looked at for a significant period of time, you might not remember why you downloaded the file in the first place. Remember, genealogy hasn’t really changed in the computer age and we still should not commit things to memory that are likely to be forgotten.

To Submitters of Data

It’s great that you have taken part in this vast exchange of information. However, your participation should not be static. Hopefully your own research will progress and new information will be obtained. As you make corrections/additions, submit replacement files to Ancestry.com so that the most current information is available. (Submit your file with a notation that this is to replace file H12025, or whatever your file number is. By not submitting duplicate files, your newest information will be easier to locate. See http://upload.ancestry.com/default.asp for more information.) Make certain your own address is current, after all, don’t you want potential relatives to be able to contact you? Submitters of information to any such database, surname list, query page, etc. should make certain that their contact information is kept up-to-date. Keeping a list of sites to which you have submitted information is a good idea. The time spent will be well worth it if your email address or contact information should ever change. Even if you do not plan on moving this is still a good idea, as your email address could change if your service provider goes out of business, you change providers, etc.

Submitters should remember that submitting information to the World Tree does not mean that their information should not be published in paper or other formats. The World Tree is a means by which to share and exchange with other researchers via digital format. Submitters should still consider eventually publishing their information in print media, especially as concerns about the long-term archival use of digitized information have yet to be settled.

One last note:

Computers added a little mascara to the face of genealogy---the underlying bone structure has not changed.

Ancestry.com World Tree

http://www.ancestry.com/search
/rectype/usersub/worldtree/main.htm

Ancestry.com World Tree GEDCOM How-To

http://www.ancestry.com/oft/gedhelp.asp

Ancestry.com World Tree FAQ

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/learning/gedcoms.htm