Two more questions on what to delete from gedcom-created profiles. See recent comments below

Question

The Christopher West bio has now been redone according to the guidance given below. See also new questions below in the comments, on editing gedcom-created bios.

Comments

When I see source citations like this (which likely came through a long-ago GEDCOM upload), I usually try to convert them into better citations, preferably with links to non-subscription sites like familysearch.org, if possible.

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Is it okay to delete all the many lines of Ancestry stuff, etc. There is a lot of different stuff there.

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I converted S142 for you as an example.

You may read different opinions about this, but if I was managing this profile, I'd toss the family tree citations and especially the Edmund West citation (shudder...).

I'd use the Research function/link in the lower right area and search familysearch.org for much better sources, and copy/paste the citations familysearch.org makes available to you right into the profile.

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ok, thanks, who is edmund west ?

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https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/215437/who-edmund-west-associated-with-source-collections-ancestry

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Thanks, Jillaine!  How do SAR / DAR applications rate on the scale of source quality ?  On the one hand they are secondary sources, but is it also true that DAR and SAR are quite stringent about requiring original sources to verify each generation of descent ?

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Depends when the application was submitted to DAR or SAR. Both have varied histories of the extent to which they were stringent.

Ideally, you see the application, you see what they cited, then you go hunting down what they cited.

Answer 1

• Good advice from the other people.
• This is an gedcom import. You can tell by the Sources numbered S84 etc. S##. Because you don't know the quality of the sources listed. It's important to evaluate each source.
• S84 the first link takes you to just the Ancestry search page, the second link takes you to one of those awful indexes Family Data Collection - Births  Throw it out completely. but keep the data since it's probably right.
• Source #2 Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970.  If I was desperate I might use this, or as a hint. But Christopher wasn't even alive during the revolution, so it probably only mentions his name.
• S108 apparently comes from a gravestone for a Christopher West who died 21 Aug 1770 age 62.  The rather lengthy explanation at the beginning of the book, gives me some confidence in its validity as coming from a gravestone.  So leave it.  I did clean up the extra duplication that unfortunately came in with the gedcom report. I would remove S108 from the birth citation.
• Then there is the thing labeled FILE . The important part  is Francis West of Duxbury, Mass., and some of his descendants, which can be found on the internet. https://archive.org/details/franciswestofdux00corn  Christopher is on pages 5 and 8.  You can toss everything listed in FILE except the title. Add the author, publication data and page #s.
• The marriage section - delete completely it's about the marriage of his parents.

Comments

Using the information that's in the book Francis West of Duxbury, Mass., and some of his descendants, you can go to FamilySearch and look for records that fit the information.  Try not to use anything that says index. Look for "database with images" and look at the images. 

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Wikitree app AGC will cleanup a Gedcom profile that looks like profile, formatting the bio into a nicer biography and converting the existing Gedcom formatted citation into regular wikitree citations.  

S77 is used with the marriage, but it was not 'defined' when the profile was initially imported. 

There is a Space page for many Family Genealogy books, that is organized by Family name.  Each book has it's own space page, such as the Space page for Francis West book which includes a citation that can be used in profiles, as well as some online locations for the book.

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Is it ok to delete things like this, see below, since they are also shown in the Changes for the profile 

 from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/West-1687#_ref-DxVR_0 

Acknowledgements 

• West-1687 created through the import of EBENSTEIN-GRANGER.GED on Aug 19, 2011 by Merryann Palmer.

• West-2089 created through the import of Newmans.ged on Nov 14, 2011 by Kathryn Newman.

• West-1795 created through the import of JKD1.ged on Sep 15, 2011 by Richard Draper.

I assume ok to delete things like this (see below) if I don’t see a Family Search ID or a baptism in the life of the person - this might be given as an example in the guidelines for editing Gedcom profiles

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/West-1689

• Source: S26 Abbreviation: Ancestral File (R) Title: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998) Subsequent Source Citation Format: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) BIBL The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ancestral File (R). Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998. TMPLT TID 0 FIELD Name: Footnote VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998) FIELD Name: ShortFootnote VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) FIELD Name: Bibliography VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ancestral File (R). Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998. Repository: #R1Repository: #R1 TMPLT FIELD Name: Page

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If something is deleted from the Biography of a profile, it 'is' in the Changes Log, but the Changes Log cannot be searched to find profiles that were loaded with a gedcom or that might have had a source or text that has been deleted.

The S26 entry that you posted is a 'lot' of duplicated 'words'.  The 'biography' of that profile has an entry that refers to S26 which would be used in conjunction with that information, ie 3039-DP. In that instance I do not know of a way to find the Ancestral File, when the number is given, so it is probably not worthwhile, but you might be able to find a Family Search Profile that has the information. Of course, reviewing the sources, would be the important part of research if that profile was found.