Family Search complicated, multi-generation merges

Question

I recently adopted 100+ recently orphaned profiles for an ancestor branch, many were poorly sourced. 

Some have been quite simple to source, others not so, not because the sources were not available but because each person has 5+ profiles on FS. For their parents, their spouses and their children.

I don’t feel right leaving all the FS profiles messed up. Today I have done about 30 FS merges and am nowhere near finished. One family branch has 30+children due to duplicates. 

I have made a list of all the family members and all the duplicates for each person. 

Does anyone have a plan for how to manage this sort of mess? 

Do I start with duplicated parents of the central family Generation 1, and then do the multiple spouses of their children Generation 2, and then the 7+ profiles for each of the children who are Generation 3?

Which generation to start with? The profiles are all in the late 1600s and 1700s. There are enough sources but not a lot.

I have asked on FS but no response. 

Comments

I contribute to WikiTree, where I aim to improve the genalealogy of my family (and other families) by creating profiles that are supported by solid sources. I am not interested in spending my time to fix the messes that I see on other genealogy sites that do not support documentation of sources and/or genealogical reasoning. I hope that good work on WikiTree will eventually eliminate errors on the FamilySearch tree and similar sites.

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I don't usually fix problems on FS if there are sources that support the profiles I manage on WT.

In this particular case it is so messed up I felt it necessary to clarify the particular family history

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Today, June 1 I received several responses on FS, there is no process for contacting or mentoring errant members by FS 'leaders'.

Another thumbs up for WikiTree.

Answer 1

That's a very good question. Since FS is a good place to find documentation to use on WikiTree it behooves us to keep our own family trees there in shape. Your approach of starting at the oldest member and working down seems efficient and will result in duplicates that are easily spotted by a cursory glance at the members of the branch being edited.

Note that every time someone upoads a new GEDCOM on that site you will have more junk to content with, but the problem diminishes over time as external trees are updated in line with more reliable information.

You will also find that as the profiles get older and less documented there will be outrageous errors made manually by inexperienced genealogists on that site. They don't have the benefit of training that we insist on at WT for pre-1700 and pre-1500 work. Simply detach the erroneous or undocumented profile with a curt note in the Reason box, that has worked well for me so far.

Comments

The whole FS method confuses me, most but not all of the duplicates come from FS.

FS creates profiles for each record of a child of parent A and B, this means that in this particular case, each subsequent child of A and B has a separate profile with parents being C and D etc even though the parents names, locations etc are all the same.

I thought I had all the duplicates, but No, as some parents are only identified by 1st names.

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@Robert, Re: FS GEDCOM uploads,  many of the more recent problems with this family were created March 2022 because of a GEDCOM upload, I looked at the FS guidelines for GEDCOM usage.

The guidelines say upload GEDCOM files to the Pedigree Resource File and compare that information to existing profiles on FS in a process that seems to be quite similar to the WT GEDCOMpare. Of course whether all the instructions are followed is unknown.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-copy-information-from-my-gedcom-file-into-family-tree

Answer 2

I usually "fix" FamilySearch so that I can use their sources on WikiTree. I normally only put a lot of effort into my direct line though. I usually start at the bottom and work my way up. I'll select a couple, try to gather all their children and merge as necessary. Then I go to their parents and then the siblings. It is a lot of work and the more merges I do, the slower I go so that I don't get overzealous and start conflating profiles.

I think Family Search is important.

Answer 3

While my main focus is Wikitree, I find it beneficial to tidy up errors and duplicates on FamilySearch to avoid the errors being uploaded to Wikitree, and often find additional sources or evidence of two people of the same name.

 This week I rebuilt a Cornish family that someone else had cannibalised to a Devon family but keeping the Cornish son with his Cornish sources, but editing his parents details by changing names and sources, the Devon wife had a husband of the same name who this person conflated with the Cornish guy.

 Leaving that situation as is could have caused problems as the FS and WT profiles are linked.

FS old practice of creating a profile for each child duplicating the parents creates a lot of work particularly when there are then duplicate profiles for the child, their marraige, and their children.

 I think you're doing the right thing, and appreciate that it is a time consuming pain.

Comments

Good point Gary, leaving the FS profiles in a mess could create problems on WT if a WT member does not check carefully enough for sources, errors and duplicates on FS.