* Creating an import file from scratch

[RichardMelbourne]

Hi All - I'm new to Family Historian and want to know is it possible to create a Gedcom or Gedzip file from scratch from the raw data ready for import, or must you first manually input all the data into a genealogy program (eg. Family Historian) and then the Gedcom or Gedzip file is created for the 1st time when you export the data

I have a detailed handwritten family tree of approx 300 people that goes back 9 generations that was first prepared (handwritten) in the 1970s and then updated (handwritten of course) several times and I want to know:

- do I have to manually key all the people into Family Historian, or

- can I set it all up in a Gecom or Gedzip file as the original source file ............. hopefully starting from excel as I have already input most of the data in the family tree into excel in a structured manner

I am a Chartered Accounting by training and am used to importing/exporting excel & csv and other files and setting up data in template files and converting etc etc and would have thought that as a family tree is all about structure and relationships there would be a way to create a Gedcom/Gedzip import file?

First thing I would need is a Family History template file setting out the main fields that Family History uses in creating a family tree.

Thanks in advance

Richard

[RichardMelbourne]

Further to my question the data I already have to input is the basic data to set up the family tree (not the extra information such as photos, links, additional commentary etc)

For each of the 200-300 people I have set them up in excel listing out (ie data is in columns with headings in row 1, and then each person is 1 row)

- first name
- surname
- date of birth
- place of birth
- date of death
- spouses name
- name of parent (as the link to the person in the previous generation)

As all this data is very structured is there a way to turn this into a Gedcom/Gedzip file and just import it and then "shazam" the 1st draft of my family tree is ready to start editing

[tatewise]

Welcome to the FHUG Richard.

A significant part of genealogy data you did not mention is Source Citations that support your family data.
i.e. the Birth/Marriage/Death Certificates and Census records that prove the family facts you have recorded.

Many users often find it useful to enter all their family data into FH from scratch and confirm the Source Citations, even when they have the family data in another genealogy program and could transfer the GEDCOM file.
A companion program called Ancestral Sources makes capturing those details relatively easy.

There is a plugin tool called Flexible CSV Importer that reads a CSV file and imports it into FH.
The CSV file must conform to structure rules based on the GEDCOM structure.
See https://pluginstore.family-historian.co ... v-importer for details and ask again if anything is not clear.
Each CSV row holds one person so you may simply need to adjust your column headings and add some relationship identities.

[RichardMelbourne]

Mike,

Thanks for this - I will download the add-in and see if I can work it out.

On a separate issue how do I copy in or attach an image to a post on FHUG in case I need to do this?

Thx

Richard

[jelv]

https://www.fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/f ... -heading-7

[tatewise]

John is referring to one of the many articles of advice in the FHUG Knowledge Base.

Based on the columns you posted yesterday the following CSV illustrates the columns needed by the plugin.
It needs REFN cells to identify each person and specify their relationships because names may not be unique.
e.g.
John Smith has REFN = 1 and his spouse Jane Jones has REFN = 2 so his S.REFN cell defines that partnership.
Similarly, the PF.REFN and PM.REFN cells define his parental relationship with his father and mother.
That pattern repeats for his wife and both his parents.

image.png (34.87 KiB) Viewed 383 times

It is advisable to add a P.SEX column although the plugin usually gets it correct if it is missing.