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Legacy - linking names

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  • Legacy - linking names

    I took advantage of the 3 day free access to Ancestry Canada recently. There were quite a few cousin marriages there and I've now realised that some of the parents of the happy couples were already on my legacy tree from when I had been working down from the Scottish end. So I have several duplicate names which I would like to link.

    I did look at the Legacy help section for linking existing tree entries but found the instructions very confusing. As the Canadian information covers several generations and the earlier Scottish stuff is also very detailed, I didn't want to risk scrambling it all.

    I wonder if someone could explain in simple terms how to do the link up.

    Apologies if I have missed the instructions elsewhere on here.
    Gillian
    User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

  • #2
    First, make a back up copy of the family.

    If you already have entered the individual/s into you tree in duplicate, I suspect that what you want to do is 'merge' rather than 'link'.

    Linking is quite easy. Any time you want to add a person to your data base, you can go to 'add' at the top of your Family view page and select the relevant relationship.

    Suppose it is a son you want to add: the drop down menu will ask you if it is a new person or an existing person. If you suspect/know you already have this new person in your tree, click on 'link to an existing person'. You will then be shown your Name List.

    Scroll through this until you find the person you need and double click on the name. A message will show, telling you that XX is already a child of another family. Add as a child to this family also? Click 'OK' and the person will appear in the family,along with all their details.

    If you discover you have linked the wrong person, DO NOT DELETE as this will destroy the connection with the other family as well. Instead, go to 'edit' at the top of the Family View screen, then 'children's settings' then 'Unlink'..the button to the right of the page.

    Use a similar process for other relationships.

    .................................................. .........

    If, as I suspect, you have dual entries for the same person, I believe you may need to use the 'merge' function. PLEASE BACK UP YOUR FILE FIRST...accidents can happen here which you will not like.

    1.Choose Merge/Find Duplicates from the Tools menu. You will get a message offering to make an automatic back up, but this will not be a permanent copy. Better to click on the 'cancel' button and use the File/Backup Family File option.
    Use 'continue' to progress to the next screen.

    2. From the Merge Options screen, select the criteria you want to use when searching for duplicates.

    3.Click the 'continue' button to set Legacy searching through your files for the duplicates. The first pair will be displayed on the screen in the Merge Two Individuals window

    4. Compare the two individuals, viewing their information by selecting the different tabs along the top of the window.

    5. If you decide the two individuals are the same person, click the 'Merge Right Individual Into Left Individual' button. The next two matches will then be displayed.

    6. Continue merging until no more pairs are displayed.

    Good luck...I never like performing this action as it can have catastrophic results, but provided you have made back ups before you commence, you should emerge unscathed.
    Last edited by Macbev; 26-08-07, 09:46.

    Beverley



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    • #3
      Sorry for the slow reply Bev - had to get to church.
      Thanks for the, as always, very clear instructions.
      I think you're right - it must be the merge function I would need to use. I had thought that only applied if one was merging two different files.
      I remember you saying before that merging had had drastic results for you in the past so I'm wondering now whether to just chicken out and do it all manually. The last time I had an "accident" and had to use a backup, it seemed to have some oddities in it.
      Gillian
      User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

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      • #4
        It should be OK Gilian, as you are not combining two trees...just searching through your own for duplicates. I had to do it with one of my families as they were forever having cousins marrying and things were getting messy with duplicates.

        Give it a try on a copied file.

        Beverley



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        • #5
          Okay - I'll bite the bullet and have a practice with a copied one!
          Surely I can't get that wrong?? - but if you don't see me for a few days, you'll know I'm sobbing quietly in a corner somewhere lol
          Gillian
          User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

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