Control de la calidad de los datos genealógicos

Estándar GEDCOM, estructura de datos genealógicos. Gestión y control de datos..

Gedcom

La palabra Gedcom designa un formato de intercambio de datos genealógicos.

Fue desarrollado originalmente por la Iglesia Mormona por razones religiosas, luego recuperado por genealogistas para intercambiar datos genealógicos entre personas que ejecutaban sus aplicaciones de genealogía en sistemas informáticos incompatibles.

Así que Gedcom es una especie de lenguaje genealógico. Es el más famoso y utilizado en todo el mundo.

La palabra Gedcom, que es un acrónimo de comunicación de datos genealógicos, (en inglés Genealogical data communication) se escribe como: GEDCOM. Por derivación metonímica, un Gedcom también designa un archivo de genealogía en formato Gedcom. El archivo en que se trabaja dentro de Ancestris es un Gedcom.

Desde mediados de la década de 1990, con el advenimiento de Internet y la proliferación de intercambios digitales, la especificación Gedcom se ha convertido gradualmente en un estándar esencial para la mayoría de los programas y sitios de genealogía en todo el mundo.

Sin embargo, mientras que la mayoría de ellos pueden exportar en formato Gedcom, algunos de ellos no respetan estrictamente el formato Gedcom y hacen algunas adaptaciones agregando estructuras propietarias o utilizando las existentes para diferentes significados. En algunos casos, las estructuras de datos propietarias no se pueden convertir correctamente al formato Gedcom y es posible que algunos datos simplemente no se exporten.

Ancestris es totalmente compatible con las versiones Gedcom 5.5 y 5.5.1. Como usuario, se puede confiar de forma segura en Ancestris para mantener archivos genealógicos completos, sin riesgo de pérdida de datos, y compartirlos o transmitirlos con cualquier persona.

La versión 12 de Ancestris convierte el archivo Gedcom al estándar 7.0 y permite administrar la genealogía en el formato 7.0

Características de un fichero Gedcom

Un archivo Gedcom es un archivo de texto, es decir, un archivo que contiene líneas de texto legibles por humanos, que se puede abrir y editar con cualquier editor de texto, como el Bloc de notas, Kate, Kwrite, Gedit, etc. Su nombre de extensión es "*.ged".

Como resultado, dicho archivo puede ser utilizado *tal cual* por cualquier software de genealogía, instalado en cualquier sistema operativo, sin necesidad de conversión.

Cada línea de texto comienza con un número y una etiqueta. La etiqueta se denomina "tag". Esta etiqueta se compone de tres o cuatro letras mayúsculas. Define el tipo de información que sigue en la línea.

Registros de un archivo Gedcom

Un archivo Gedcom contiene un conjunto de registros. Un registro es un grupo de líneas de texto, la primera de las cuales comienza con un cero "0". Un registro define algo en particular, que depende del tipo de registro.

El primer y el último registro de un archivo Gedcom son de tipos particulares:

Cada uno de los otros registros define una entidad genealógica, con su propio conjunto de etiquetas.

Un archivo Gedcom utiliza 7 categorías de entidades. Por lo tanto, los registros que se pueden encontrar en un archivo Gedcom son los siguientes:

La elección de considerar estas 7 categorías de datos como registros es arbitraria, por supuesto, pero siempre es el caso cuando se crea un estándar.

Se podría imaginar fácilmente otros tipos de registros, como lugares, por ejemplo. El hecho de que un lugar no sea una entidad separada no impide que Ancestris pueda gestionarlos y respetar el formato Gedcom al mismo tiempo.

Estructura de árbol de un registro

Cada registro se presenta en una estructura de árbol: cada etiqueta puede incluir cualquier número de subetiquetas.

Las subetiquetas dependen jerárquicamente de la etiqueta de nivel superior anterior y, a su vez, pueden incluir una o más subetiquetas, etc.

Niveles jerárquicos

Los niveles jerárquicos están numerados.

Como cada línea debe permanecer imperativamente en su lugar desde el punto de vista de la jerarquía, a cada una de ellas se le asigna un número correspondiente al nivel ocupado en la estructura de árbol del registro.

Esta es la razón por la que la línea de nivel principal de cada registro es el nivel cero, numerado 0. Una línea situada en el nivel inmediatamente inferior lleva el número 1. Una línea situada en el nivel inmediatamente inferior al nivel 1 lleva el número 2. Y así sucesivamente.

Registros de identificadores y entidades

Como se mencionó anteriormente, aparte de los registros HEAD y TRLR, todos los demás registros son registros de entidad.

Cada registro de entidad comienza con una línea de nivel 0 seguida de lo siguiente:

Sangría

Para mayor claridad, las líneas de un registro se pueden sangrar para mostrar con mayor claridad la relación entre las líneas del registro. Las líneas de información debajo de una etiqueta califican la etiqueta.

0 @I5@ INDI 					=> this defines indidual number 'I5'
1 NAME John Doe 				=> The indivudual's name is John Doe
1 SEX M							=> This individual is a male
1 BIRT							=> What follows defines his birth event
2 DATE April 16, 1951			=> John Doe was therefore born on April 16, 1951
1 FAMC @F1328@					=> Family F1328 is the record that defines John Doe's family (FAM) where he is a child (C)
0 @I5@ INDI 					=> this defines indidual number 'I5'
	1 NAME John Doe 			=> The indivudual's name is John Doe
	1 SEX M						=> This individual is a male
	1 BIRT						=> What follows defines his birth event
		2 DATE April 16, 1951	=> John Doe was therefore born on April 16, 1951
	1 FAMC @F1328@				=> Family F1328 is the record that defines John Doe's family (FAM) where he is a child (C)

El editor Gedcom es un editor dentro de Ancestris que muestra la información exacta que se encuentra en el archivo Gedcom y todo lo relacionado con él. También mejora la visualización de esta información para que sea aún más fácil de leer.

Este editor utiliza una pantalla con sangría y no muestra los números de nivel. También agrega controladores para mostrar u ocultar los niveles de subetiquetas, lo que facilita la expansión o el colapso de cualquier rama.

en-gedcom-data.png

Como se puede ver, el editor Gedcom mejora la visualización agregando íconos y obteniendo sugerencias relevantes.

En particular, el dato "@F1328@" se sustituye, sólo en la pantalla, no en el archivo Gedcom real, por la información relevante sobre la familia. Por tanto, aquí sabemos inmediatamente que los padres de John se llaman Martin y Kelly.

Además el nombre se divide en sus partes de apellido y nombre.

Formato de línea dentro de un registro

Formato

Cada línea de un registro se compone de 3 elementos:

Ejemplo: la línea 2 DATE April 16, 1951 significa nivel 2,  información de tipo FECHA cuyo valor es 16 abril 1951.

Para saber a qué se refiere esta fecha, habría que leer las líneas anteriores. Sabiendo que se trata de una línea de nivel 2, debe haber una de nivel 1 (el evento en este caso) y una de nivel 0 (la entidad del registro) arriba.

Hacer referencia a otra entidad

En ocasiones, en una línea, puede ser necesario hacer referencia a otra entidad de registro. Esto se hace indicando el número de identificación de la entidad, rodeado de dos arrobas (@).

La diferencia entre la referencia "@id@" que define un registro y la referencia "@id@" que apunta a un registro es la siguiente:

Estándar Gedcom

El estándar Gedcom hace referencia al conjunto de reglas que rigen lo que se puede y no se puede hacer al escribir un archivo Gedcom, de forma que todos organicen la información genealógica en el mismo, de forma que los demás puedan entenderla. Se trata, por tanto, de la gramática del lenguaje Gedcom.

Existen dos normas principales, la 5.5 y la 5.5.1, siendo la segunda una ligera evolución de la primera. Lo que estaba permitido en la primera ya no está permitido en la segunda, y viceversa. No obstante, estas diferencias son limitadas.

Ancestris maneja los estándares 5.5 y 5.5.1 y puede convertir su archivo Gedcom de un estándar a otro y viceversa.

Gedcom 5.5

Esta norma fue publicada el 2 de enero de 1996.

Encontrará detalles de la versión completa de Gedcom standard release 5.5 aquí en forma de sitio html.

Gedcom 5.5.1

Esta norma fue publicada por primera vez en 1999 como borrador y se mantuvo estable hasta el 15 de noviembre de 2019, cuando se hizo oficial.

También puede consultar la versión 5.5.1 del estándar Gedcom como archivo pdf: Norme Gedcom 5.5.1.

Estos 20 años de estabilidad hacen de este estándar una forma muy bien documentada y ampliamente utilizada para intercambiar información genealógica.

Encontrará en el documento 5.5.1 una comparación entre los dos estándares Gedcom.

Gedcom 7.0.x

Esta norma se publicó por primera vez en 2021.

Las especificaciones de esta norma se pueden encontrar en el sitio The FamilySearch GEDCOM Specification.



Entidades

Una entidad en el estándar Gedcom es un componente genealógico principal, como un individuo, una familia, una fuente de información o una nota. También puede ser un objeto multimedia, como un vídeo o un registro de audio.

En un archivo Gedcom, una entidad es un registro identificado por un número de identificación y un grupo de etiquetas que especifican sus características.

Las diversas características genealógicas asociadas a una entidad se denominan propiedades: nacimiento, matrimonio, fecha, lugar, acontecimiento, texto, dirección, etc.

Ancestris sigue el estándar Gedcom lo más fielmente posible y utiliza los mismos conceptos de entidad y propiedad.

La organización de la información de cada entidad sigue la gramática precisa del estándar. Esta gramática ofrece varias posibilidades para almacenar la información. Para ver estas distintas posibilidades en Ancestris, utilice el editor Gedcom.


Las 7 categorías de entidades

Existen siete categorías de entidades en el estándar Gedcom. Una entidad siempre pertenece a una, y sólo a una, de estas siete categorías.

Cada categoría tiene sus propias propiedades. Sin embargo, independientemente de la categoría a la que pertenezcan, todas las entidades operan según los mismos principios. Estos se describen a continuación.

En Ancestris, todas las entidades son fácilmente accesibles desde la Tabla de Entidades.


Individuos

Un individuo, o persona, es un ser humano, vivo o fallecido. Es el componente principal de cualquier genealogía.

En el estándar Gedcom, una persona se define mediante la etiqueta INDI y tiene un número de identificación que puede ser prácticamente cualquier cosa. En Ancestris, este ID comienza con la letra I.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_sexm.png Ancestris_gedcom_tag_sexf.png Ancestris gedcom tag sexin.png INDI Individuo

Las principales propiedades de un individuo son:

Los eventos y las relaciones son probablemente las partes más interesantes de tu genealogía porque son las piezas de información que te permitirán comprender la vida de tus antepasados ​​y las historias que podrían contarte.

Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png NOMBRE: nombre de una persona. Esta etiqueta puede repetirse si la persona es conocida con varios nombres.

Sintaxis Gedcom:

NAME Lt. Cmndr. Joseph /Allen/ jr.

En este ejemplo, se considera jr. como sufijo del nombre. Toda la información se introdujo únicamente en la etiqueta NAME sin utilizar ninguna subetiqueta.

El estándar Gedcom proporciona una estructura detallada para almacenar el nombre de un individuo y especificar todos los elementos posibles de un nombre, en particular NICK y NSFX, que se colocan al final de NOMBRE.

Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png GIVN : (nombre de pila) Nombre de pila. Su valor debe ser idéntico al de la etiqueta NAME. Es una etiqueta opcional. Los distintos nombres de pila se separan con una coma.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png NICK: (apodo) Un nombre familiar o apodo, que se utiliza además del apellido o en lugar de este.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png NPFX : (prefijo del nombre) Prefijo del nombre. Un elemento del nombre que precede al apellido (por ejemplo, Maestro, General, Doctor, etc.)
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png SPFX: (prefijo de apellido) Partícula que precede al apellido. Complemento del nombre que precede al apellido y que no se debe tener en cuenta al ordenar los apellidos. Los distintos artículos o prefijos de apellido se separan con una coma, por ejemplo, en el nombre “de la Cruz”, este valor debe ser “de, la”.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png SURN : (apellido) Apellido de nacimiento, apellido. Los distintos apellidos se separan con una coma.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_name.png NSFX : (sufijo de nombre) Sufijo de apellido. Complemento del nombre, artículo, que sigue al apellido y que no se debe tener en cuenta al ordenar los apellidos. Los diferentes sufijos de nombre se separan con una coma. Ejemplo: mayor, hijo.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_note.png NOTA: Nota sobre el individuo
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_sour.png SOUR: Fuente de información que acredita la existencia y las características del individuo.
Ancestris_gedcom_tag_sexin.png ALIA: (alias) Enlace con otra entidad individual, que indica que esta persona actual podría ser un duplicado de la otra y que una de las dos debería eliminarse eventualmente. Significa que las dos personas son la misma persona con un nombre diferente. Se deben usar dos etiquetas NAME para eso, dentro de una sola entidad individual.


Familia

Una familia es una pareja de seres humanos, vivos o muertos, unidos ya sea por una unión legal (p. ej. matrimonio) o por una unión de hecho (p. ej. convivencia). En la mayoría de los casos, están asociados a ella uno o más hijos.

Una familia es por tanto una estructura que reúne a dos o más individuos (cónyuge, hijos) así como un conjunto de propiedades específicas como los diversos acontecimientos asociados a ella (matrimonio, divorcio, etc.)

En el estándar Gedcom, una familia se designa mediante la etiqueta FAM y recibe un número de identificación que comienza con la letra F en Ancestris.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_fam.png FAM Familia


Multimedia

Un Medio o Elemento Multimedia es una fotografía, un documento de audio o vídeo (una fotografía, una grabación de audio, una película, una copia de un documento, etc.) generalmente destinado a asociarse con una o más personas o familias o a asociarse con una fuente.

En el estándar Gedcom, un elemento multimedia se define mediante la etiqueta OBJE. Tiene un número de identificación que comienza con la letra M en Ancestris.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_obje.png OBJE elemento multimedia

¡Atención! Existen dos tipos de elementos multimedia: la entidad y la propiedad. Estos dos tipos de elementos multimedia, aunque tienen la misma etiqueta (OBJE), no deben confundirse.

En resumen, si un mismo objeto multimedia debe asignarse a varios individuos, varias familias, etc., es más eficiente almacenarlo en forma de entidad de objeto. Una vez introducido, será posible utilizarlo un número infinito de veces. Como propiedad de objeto, habría que volver a introducir el enlace al archivo multimedia tantas veces como fuera necesario.

¡Atención! Ancestris no realiza ninguna copia de sus archivos multimedia. Simplemente "hace referencia" a los archivos reales. Ancestris los leerá donde los necesite en Ancestris. Por lo tanto, no los borre pensando que Ancestris hizo una copia de ellos.


Nota

Una nota es una información de texto que puede asociarse con otras categorías de entidades (individuos, familias, elementos multimedia, etc.) o con una propiedad en cualquier parte de la genealogía.

En el estándar Gedcom, una nota se define mediante la etiqueta NOTE y tiene un número de identificación que comienza con la letra N en Ancestris.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_note.png NOTA Nota

¡Atención! Existen dos tipos de notas: la de entidad y la de propiedad. Estos dos tipos de notas, aunque tienen la misma etiqueta (NOTA), no deben confundirse.

En resumen, si una misma nota debe asignarse a varios individuos, varias familias, etc., es más eficiente almacenarla en forma de entidad de nota. Una vez introducida, será posible utilizarla un número infinito de veces. Como propiedad de nota, habría que volver a introducir el texto de la nota tantas veces como fuera necesario.


Fuente

Una fuente es todo aquello que define el origen de una pieza de información. Puede ser un documento, un libro, un monumento, etc.

También puede ser una persona física: su bisabuela puede, por ejemplo, ser calificada como fuente si le ha transmitido una historia familiar de forma oral, por ejemplo.

Esta entidad tiene como objetivo recopilar de forma muy precisa las diferentes referencias (título del documento, símbolo, número de acto, página, etc.) con el fin de permitir cualquier verificación posterior de las características de otras entidades (en particular, individuos y familias).

En el estándar Gedcom, una fuente se define mediante la etiqueta SOUR y tiene un número de identificación que comienza en Ancestris con la letra S .

Las fuentes mantienen una relación estrecha con otras entidades, los repositorios. Un repositorio contiene fuentes y las fuentes se encuentran en repositorios. Consulte la siguiente sección para obtener información detallada sobre cómo organizar las fuentes y los repositorios.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_sour.png SOUR Fuente

¡Atención! Existen dos tipos de fuentes: la entidad y la propiedad. Estos dos tipos de fuentes, aunque tienen la misma etiqueta (SOUR), no deben confundirse.

En resumen, si una misma fuente debe calificar varios eventos de individuos, familias, etc., es más eficiente almacenarla en forma de entidad fuente. Una vez ingresada, será posible utilizarla un número infinito de veces. Como propiedad de la fuente, habría que volver a ingresar las características de la fuente tantas veces como fuera necesario.

Remitente

Un remitente es una persona que recopila información para contribuir a la construcción de un archivo de genealogía.

Es probable que esta persona sea uno de los autores de la genealogía, o cualquier genealogista que pueda proporcionar al usuario de Ancestris su información genealógica.

En el estándar Gedcom, un remitente se define mediante la etiqueta SUBM y tiene un número de identificación que comienza en Ancestris con la letra B.

Apariencia en Ancestris : Ancestris_gedcom_tag_subm.png SUBM Remitente


Repositorio

Un repositorio es un lugar donde se pueden encontrar fuentes genealógicas (documentos, libros, grabaciones de audio, películas, etc.). Puede ser un edificio físico (por ejemplo, un archivo, un cementerio) o un sitio web (por ejemplo, el sitio web del servicio de archivo).

Las entidades de repositorio mantienen una relación estrecha con las entidades de origen. Es probable que un repositorio contenga varias fuentes, y una fuente pertenece a un repositorio.

En el estándar Gedcom, un repositorio se define mediante la etiqueta REPO y tiene un número de identificación que comienza en Ancestris con la letra R.

Apariencia en Ancestris: Ancestris_gedcom_tag_repo.png REPO Ubicación de almacenamiento


Entidad de encabezado

La entidad de encabezado es el primer registro del archivo Gedcom. El encabezado contiene información sobre el archivo: versión del estándar (5.5 o 5.5.1), autor del archivo, estructura de jurisdicciones en lugares, etc.

Ancestris se encarga de su creación al crear un nuevo archivo. Lo más probable es que no necesites modificarlo después de la creación.

En Ancestris, se puede editar mediante Menú > Archivo > Propiedades. Consultar la página Propiedades de archivo para obtener más detalles


Número de identificación de una entidad

El ID es un número de identificación asignado a cada entidad, dentro de una misma categoría. Para evitar la creación de posibles duplicados, este número es obviamente único.

Además, este número particular siempre tiene la misma forma, es decir, una letra seguida de un número determinado de dígitos. Cada categoría de entidad está asociada a una letra determinada, por lo que la primera letra del número de identificación indica la categoría a la que pertenece.

El usuario no tiene que preocuparse de asignar un nuevo número de identificación al crear una nueva entidad: esta numeración la realiza automáticamente Ancestris.

Tener en cuenta que en el menu Herramientass / Preferencias / Ediciones / Número de Identificación, se puede activar una casilla de verificación para reutilizar los números de identificación que quedaron disponibles por las entidades que han sido eliminadas.

Además, siempre puedes cambiar los números de identificación más tarde, una vez que se hayan creado las entidades. Para ello, utiliza la herramienta Generar ID Números.




Properties

A property if a piece of information describing a characteristic of an entity.

A property consists essentially of two elements: its name, identified by a TAG, and its VALUE.

 

Description

Let's consider the following three properties.

These three properties share the same name (City), but have different values: London, Paris and Rome.

The City is coded in the Gedcom file by the tag CITY, in capital letters.

 

Tags

The Gedcom standard defines a large number of genealogical properties.

Each of these properties is identified by a Tag, which make each of them unique and unambiguous.

Here are some examples of properties and their tags between parenthesis.

For more details:

 

Usage

In the Gedcom file, properties always keep the same structure and follow strictly the same syntax rules.

In Ancestris, properties exactly correspond to the Gedcom properties, but they may look different depending on the view that displays them.

Properties in the Gedcom file

Each line of the Gedcom file is a property.

Each property line has the following format:

Number is the hierarchical level of the property as described in the Gedcom page.

Example:

2 DATE 27 SEP 1601

The first item is the number 2, indicating the level of the row in the record entity.

The second element is the DATE tag, indicating that the property is a date.

The third element is the value of the date (27 SEP 1601).

Therefore, the whole line means that the date of the genealogical element above this line, is September 27, 1601.

Properties in the Gedcom editor

The Gedcom editor displays property lines in a manner quite similar to that of the Gedcom file: one line per property, containing the tag followed by its value.

However, the following differences exist.

Properties in the other editors

In editors, properties are displayed in the user's language.

In the Aries and Cygnus editors, neither the labels, nor the lines, nor their tree structure appear: the name of each field, more explicit than a simple tag, simply invites the user to fill it in, as we fill in a form.

Properties in the Entities Table

In the Entity Table, each row represents an entity, and each column represents a property.

It is possible to configure the Table in order to choose the properties to display.

Properties displayed in windows

Other windows display properties, and allow them to be viewed, printed or edited (Navigator, Dynamic tree, etc.).

 

 

 

 

Tags

A tag is a property type identifyer.

The Gedcom standard defines a number of tags on three or four capital letters, taken from the English name of the property type.

For example, knowing that the SURN label means surname, the SURN Martin property line can be translated as: the surname is "Martin".

Ancestris assigns an icon to each property, just like with entities. For example, Ancestris adds TAG_Name.png to the NAME tag.

You will find in this page the list of most common tags.

The Gedcom editor is the Ancestris window that shows best all the properties in your genealogy.


Icons

The icon next to a tag helps you know whether the tag complies to the Gedcom standard or not.

Main predefined tags

All the Gedcom standards tags are managed by Ancestris: all the pre-defined Gedcom tags, all the user-defined tags(TAG_Attribute.png) that Ancestris has defined (e.g._SOSA), and all the user-defined tags you may have defined.

This first table is a description of the main tags.


Tag name
Tag 5.5. 5.5.1. Description and usage
TAG_Note.png Abbreviation ABBR X X A short name of a title, description, or name.
TAG_Adoption.png Adoption ADOP X X Pertaining to creation of a legally approved child-parent relationship that does not exist biologically.
TAG_Addr.png Address ADDR X X The contemporary place, usually required for postal purposes, of an individual, a submitter of information, a repository, a business, a school, or a company.
TAG_Time.png Age AGE X X The age of the individual at the time an event occurred, or the age listed in the document.
TAG_Phone.png Agency AGNC X X The institution or individual having authority and/or responsibility to manage or govern.
TAG_Indi.png Alias ALIA X X An indicator to link different record descriptions of a person who may be the same person.
TAG_Annulment.png Annulment ANUL X X Declaring a marriage void from the beginning (never existed).
TAG_Association.png Associates ASSO X X An indicator to link friends, neighbours, relatives, or associates of an individual.
TAG_Note.png Attribute FACT

X Attribute assigned to an individual
TAG_Note.png Author AUTH X X The name of the individual who created or compiled information.
TAG_MarriageBann.png Marriage Bann MARB X X An event of an official public notice given that two people intend to marry.
TAG_Baptism.png Christening CHR X X The religious event (not LDS) of baptising and/or naming a child.
TAG_Baptism.png Baptism BAPM X X The event of baptism (not LDS), performed in infancy or later.
TAG_Bar.png Bar Mitzvah BARM X X The ceremonial event held when a Jewish boy reaches age 13.
TAG_Bas.png Bas Mitzvah BASM X X The ceremonial event held when a Jewish girl reaches age 13, also known as "Bat Mitzvah."
TAG_Blessing.png Blessing BLES X X A religious event of bestowing divine care or intercession. Sometimes given in connection with a naming ceremony.
TAG_Place.png Map MAP
X Pertains to a representation of measurements usually presented in a graphical form.
TAG_MarriageLicence.png Marriage license MARL X X An event of obtaining a legal license to marry.
TAG_Time.png Change CHAN X X Indicates a change, correction, or modification. Typically used in connection with a DATE to specify when a change in information occurred (it is automatically handled by Ancestris)
TAG_Code.png Postal code POST X X A code used by a postal service to identify an area to facilitate mail handling.
TAG_Type.png Status STAT X X An assessment of the state or condition of something.
TAG_Birth.png Confirmation CONF X X The religious event (not LDS) of conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost and, among protestants, full church membership.
TAG_MarriageContract.png Marriage contract MARC X X An event of recording a formal agreement of marriage, including the prenuptial agreement in which marriage partners reach agreement about the property rights of one or both, securing property to their
children.
TAG_MarriageSettlement.png Marriage settlement MARS X X An event of creating an agreement between two people contemplating marriage, at which time they agree to release or modify property rights that would otherwise arise from the marriage.
TAG_Cremation.png Cremation CREM X X Disposal of the remains of a person's body by fire.
TAG_Date.png Date DATE X X The time of an event in a calendar format.
hwFTAG_Death.png Death DEAT X X The event when mortal life terminates.
TAG_Graduation.png Graduation GRAD X X An event of awarding educational diplomas or degrees to individuals.
TAG_Divorce.png Divorce DIV X X An event of dissolving a marriage through civil action.
TAG_Attribute.png Data DATA X X Pertaining to stored automated information.
TAG_Web.png E-mail EMAI
X Gedcom 5.5.1 only. An electronic mail address.
gGzTAG_Phone.png Fax FAX

X Electronic facsimile transmission
TAG_Child.png Child CHIL X X The natural, adopted, or sealed (LDS) child of a father and a mother.
TAG_Media.png Multimedia element OBJE X X Pertaining to a grouping of attributes used in describing something. Usually referring to the data required to represent a multimedia object, such an audio recording, a photograph of a person, or an image of a document.
TAG_Emmigration.png Emigration EMIG X X An event of leaving one's homeland with the intent of residing elsewhere.
TAG_IndiFemale.png Wife WIFE X X An individual in the role as a mother and/or married woman.
TAG_Place.png State STAE X X A geographical division of a larger jurisdictional area, such as a State within the United States of
America.

TAG_Event.png

TAG_Blob.png

Event EVEN X X Pertaining to a noteworthy happening related to an individual, a group, or an organization. An EVENt structure is usually qualified or classified by a subordinate use of the TYPE tag.
TAG_Fam.png  Family FAM X X Identifies a legal, common law, or other customary relationship of man and woman and their children, if any, or a family created by virtue of the birth of a child to its biological father and mother.
TAG_Fam_link.png Family where person is a child FAMC X X Identifies the family in which an individual appears as a child.
TAG_Fam_link.png Family where person is a spouse FAMS X X Identifies the family in which an individual appears as a spouse.
TAG_Engagement.png Engagement ENGA X X An event of recording or announcing an agreement between two people to become married.
TAG_Disk.png File FILE X X An information storage place that is ordered and arranged for preservation and reference.
TAG_Format.png Format FORM X X An assigned name given to a consistent format in which information can be conveyed.
TAG_Submitter.png Submitter SUBM X X An individual or organization who contributes genealogical data to a file or transfers it to someone else.
TAG_Indi.png  Individual INDI X X A person.
TAG_Immigration.png Immigration IMMI X X An event of entering into a new locality with the intent of residing there.
TAG_Burial.png Burial BURI X X The event of the proper disposing of the mortal remains of a deceased person.
TAG_Submitter.png Ancestor interest ANCI X X Indicates an interest in additional research for ancestors of this individual.
TAG_Submitter.png Descendants interest DESI X X Indicates an interest in research to identify additional descendants of this individual.
TAG_Place.png Language LANG X X The name of the language used in a communication or transmission of information.
TAG_Place.png Latitude LATI
X A value indicating a coordinate position on a line, plane, or space.
TAG_Place.png Place PLAC X X A jurisdictional name to identify the place or location of an event.
TAG_Repository.png Repository REPO X X An institution or person that has the specified item as part of their collection(s).
TAG_Attribute.png Longitude _LONG X
Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. A value indicating a coordinate position on a line, plane, or space.
TAG_Place.png Longitude LONG
X A value indicating a coordinate position on a line, plane, or space.
TAG_IndiMale.png Husband HUSB X X An individual in the family role of a married man or father.
TAG_Marriage.png Marriage MARR X X A legal, common-law, or customary event of creating a family unit of a man and a woman as husband and wife.
TAG_Birth.png Birth BIRT X X The event of entering into life.
TAG_Nationality.png Nationality NATI X X The national heritage of an individual.
TAG_Naturalisation.png Naturalisation NATU X X The event of obtaining citizenship.
TAG_Education.png Education EDUC X X Indicator of a level of education attained.
TAG_Name.png Name NAME X X A word or combination of words used to help identify an individual, title, or other item. More than one NAME line should be used for people who were known by multiple names.
TAG_Name.png Surname SURN X X A family name passed on or used by members of a family.
TAG_NumChildren.png Number of children NCHI X X The number of children that this person is known to be the parent of (all marriages) when subordinate to an individual, or that belong to this family when subordinate to a FAM_RECORD.
TAG_Marriage.png Number of marriages NMR X X The number of times this person has participated in a family as a spouse or parent.
TAG_Note.png Note NOTE X X Additional information provided by the submitter for understanding the enclosing data.
TAG_IDNumber.png Identification number IDNO X X A number assigned to identify a person within some significant external system.
TAG_SSN.png Social security number SSN X X A number assigned by the United States Social Security Administration. Used for tax identification purposes.
TAG_Blob.png Binary object BLOB X
Set of data entered into a multimedia system that processes binary data to represent images, sound, video.
TAG_Ordination.png Ordination ORDN X X A religious event of receiving authority to act in religious matters.
TAG_Attribute.png Page PAGE X X A number or description to identify where information can be found in a referenced work.
TAG_Place.png Country CTRY X X The name or code of the country.
TAG_Format.png Pedigree PEDI X X Information pertaining to an individual to parent lineage chart.
TAG_Name.png Name prefix NPFX X X Text which appears on a name line before the given and surname parts of a name. i.e. (Lt. Cmndr.) Joseph /Allen/ jr.
In this example Lt. Cmndr. is considered as the name prefix portion.
TAG_Name.png Surname prefix SPFX X X A name piece used as a non-indexing pre-part of a surname.
TAG_Name.png Given name GIVN X X A given or earned name used for official identification of a person.
TAG_FirstCommunion.png First communion FCOM X X A religious rite, the first act of sharing in the Lord's supper as part of church worship..
TAG_Occupation.png Occupation OCCU X X The type of work or profession of an individual.
TAG_Note.png Publication PUBL X X Refers to when and/or where a work was published or created.
TAG_Blob.png Quality QUAY X X An assessment of the certainty of the evidence to support the conclusion drawn from evidence.
TAG_Cause.png Cause CAUS X X A description of the cause of the associated event or fact, such as the cause of death.
TAG_Census.png Census CENS X X The event of the periodic count of the population for a designated locality, such as a national or state Census.
TAG_Religion.png Religion RELI X X A religious denomination to which a person is affiliated or for which a record applies.
TAG_DivorceFiled.png Divorced filed DIVF X X An event of filing for a divorce by a spouse.
TAG_Retirement.png Retirement RETI X X An event of exiting an occupational relationship with an employer after a qualifying time period.
TAG_Code.png Reference REFN X X A description or number used to identify an item for filing, storage, or other reference purposes.
TAG_Type.png Relation RELA X X A relationship value between the indicated contexts.
TAG_Residency.png Residence RESI X X An address or place of residence that a family or individual resided.
TAG_Blob.png Role ROLE X X A name given to a role played by an individual in connection with an event.
TAG_Sex.png Sex SEX X X Indicates the sex of an individual--male or female or unknown.
TAG_Source.png Source SOUR X X The initial or original material from which information was obtained.
TAG_Name.png Name suffix NSFX X X Text which appears on a name line after or behind the given and surname parts of a name. i.e. Lt. Cmndr. Joseph /Allen/ (jr.)
In this example jr. is considered as the name suffix portion.
TAG_Name.png Nickname NICK X X A descriptive or familiar that is used instead of, or in addition to, one's proper name.
gGzTAG_Phone.png Phone PHON X X A unique number assigned to access a specific telephone.
TAG_Baptism.png Temple TEMP X X The name or code that represents the name of an LDS Church Temple.
TAG_Will.png Will WILL X X A legal document treated as an event, by which a person disposes of his or her estate, to take effect after death. The event date is the date the will was signed while the person was alive.
TAG_Note.png Text TEXT X X The exact wording found in an original source document.
TAG_Attribute.png Title TITL X X A description of a specific writing or other work, such as the title of a book when used in a source context, or a formal designation used by an individual in connection with positions of royalty or other social status, such as Grand Duke.
TAG_Type.png Type TYPE X X A further qualification to the meaning of the associated superior tag. The value does not have any computer processing reliability. It is more in the form of a short one or two word note that should be displayed any time the associated data is displayed.
TAG_Probate.png Probation PROB X X An event of judicial determination of the validity of a will. May indicate several related court activities over several dates.
TAG_Place.png City CITY X X A lower level jurisdictional unit. Normally an incorporated municipal unit.
TAG_Web.png Internet web site WWW
X World Wide Web home page.

Other predefined tags

Many other tags can also be managed with Ancestris by adding them via the Gedcom Editor.


Tag name
Tag 5.5. 5.5.1. Description and Usage
TAG_Addr.png Address1 ADR1 X X The first line of an address.
TAG_Addr.png Address2 ADR2 X X The second line of an address.
TAG_Addr.png Address3 ADR3
X The third line of an address.
TAG_Code.png Ancestral File Number AFN X X A unique permanent record file number of an individual record stored in Ancestral File.
TAG_Baptism.png Baptême LSD BAPL X X The event of baptism performed at age eight or later by priesthood authority of the LDS Church.
TAG_Attribute.png Call number CALN X X The number used by a repository to identify the specific items in its collections.
TAG_Confirmation.png Confirmation LDS CONL X X The religious event by which a person receives membership in the LDS Church.
TAG_Caste.png Caste CAST X X The name of an individual's rank or status in society which is sometimes based on racial or religious differences, or differences in wealth, inherited rank, profession, occupation, etc.
TAG_Baptism.png Adult christining CHRA X X The religious event (not LDS) of baptising and/or naming an adult person.
TAG_Description.png Physical description DSCR X X The physical characteristics of a person, place, or thing.
TAG_Baptism.png Endowment LDS ENDL X X A religious event where an endowment ordinance for an individual was performed by priesthood authority in an LDS temple.
TAG_Attribute.png Media MEDI X X Identifies information about the media or having to do with the medium in which information is stored.
TAG_Name.png Phonetic name FONE

X Phonetic variation of the name
TAG_Name.png Romanized name ROMN

X Romanized variation of the name
TAG_Property.png Property PROP X X Pertaining to possessions such as real estate or other property of interest.
TAG_Description.png Restriction RESN X X A processing indicator signifying access to information has been denied or otherwise restricted.
TAG_Code.png Record File Number RFN X X A permanent number assigned to a record that uniquely identifies it within a known file.
TAG_Blob.png Record Identification Number RIN X X A number assigned to a record by an originating automated system that can be used by a receiving system to report results pertaining to that record.
TAG_Baptism.png Sealing Child SLGC X X A religious event pertaining to the sealing of a child to his or her parents in an LDS temple ceremony.
TAG_Marriage.png Sealing Spouse SLGS X X A religious event pertaining to the sealing of a husband and wife in an LDS temple ceremony.

Accepted Tags

Gedcom tags not offered by the Gedcom editor but accepted by Ancestris are internal tags in the Gedcom file.

They are in the header of the file, except for HEAD and TRLR. They can be visible when opening your Gedcom file in a simple text editor.


Tag name
Tag 5.5. 5.5.1. Description and Usage
TAG_Question.png Ancestors ANCE X X Pertaining to forbearers of an individual.
TAG_Question.png Character CHAR X X An indicator of the character set used in writing this automated information.
TAG_Question.png Concatenation CONC X X An indicator that additional data belongs to the superior value. The information from the CONC value is to be connected to the value of the superior preceding line without a space and without a carriage return and/or new line character. Values that are split for a CONC tag must always be split at a non-space. If the value is split on a space the space will be lost when concatenation takes place. This is because of the treatment that spaces get as a GEDCOM delimiter, many GEDCOM values are trimmed 85 of trailing spaces and some systems look for the first non-space starting after the tag to determine the beginning of the value (it is handle automatically by Ancestris)
TAG_Question.png Continuation CONT X X An indicator that additional data belongs to the superior value. The information from the CONT value is to be connected to the value of the superior preceding line with a carriage return and/or new line character. Leading spaces could be important to the formatting of the resultant text. When importing values from CONT lines the reader should assume only one delimiter character following the CONT tag. Assume that the rest of the leading spaces are to be a part of the value (it is handle automatically by Ancestris)
TAG_Question.png Copyright COPR X X A statement that accompanies data to protect it from unlawful duplication and distribution.
TAG_Question.png Corporate CORP X X A name of an institution, agency, corporation, or company.
TAG_Question.png Descent DESC X X Pertaining to offspring of an individual.
TAG_Question.png Destination DEST X X A system receiving data.
TAG_Question.png Family File FAMF X X Pertaining to, or the name of, a family file. Names stored in a file that are assigned to a family for doing temple ordinance work.
TAG_Question.png Information GEDC X X Information about the use of GEDCOM in a transmission.
TAG_Question.png Identification HEAD X X Identifies information pertaining to an entire GEDCOM transmission.
TAG_Question.png Legatee LEGA X
Person receiving a legacy or beneficiary of a testamentary clause.
TAG_Question.png Ordinance ORDI X X Pertaining to a religious ordinance in general.
TAG_Question.png Submission SUBN X X Pertains to a collection of data issued for processing.
TAG_Question.png Time TIME X X A time value in a 24-hour clock format, including hours, minutes, and optional seconds, separated by a colon (:). Fractions of seconds are shown in decimal notation.
TAG_Question.png Trailer TRLR X X At level 0, specifies the end of a GEDCOM transmission.
TAG_Question.png Version VERS X X Indicates which version of a product, item, or publication is being used or referenced.

Ancestris Tags

Theses tags are special tags defined for the use in Ancestris.

They are already defined in the previous tables but added here for convenience reading.


Tag name
Tag 5.5 5.5.1 7
Description and Usage
TAG_Attribute.png Daboville _DABOVILLE X X X
Special. It is not defined in the Gedcom format. It is used in Ancestris to generate the Daboville numbering for a descending genealogy.
TAG_Attribute.png E-mail _EMAI X

Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. An electronic mail address.
TAG_Attribute.png Latitude _LATI X

Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. A value indicating a coordinate position on a line, plane, or space.

TAG_Attribute.png Longitude _LONG X

Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. A value indicating a coordinate position on a line, plane, or space.
TAG_Attribute.png Map _MAP X

Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. Pertains to a representation of measurements usually presented in a graphical form.
TAG_Attribute.png Phrase _PHRASE

X
For Gedcom 7 enumerated fields where PHRASE is not allowed, Ancestris will keep invalid values originating from file conversion or imports into this tag.
TAG_Attribute.png Private _PRIV X X X
Special. RESN is the Gedcom standard tag but cannot apply everywhere. Where RESN is not possible for a property, _PRIV is used in Ancestris to mark the property as private (private data in preferences tools).
TAG_Attribute.png Sosa _SOSA
X X X
Special. It is not defined in the Gedcom format. It is used in Ancestris to generate the Sosa numbering for a person's ancestors and descendants.
TAG_Attribute.png Sosa _SOSADABOVILLE
X X X
Special. It is not defined in the Gedcom format. It is used in Ancestris to generate the Sosa d'Aboville numbering for a person's ancestors and descendants.
TAG_Attribute.png Time
_TIME
X
X

Special. It is not defined in the Gedcom format. It is used in Ancestris to store the time of a date where the Gedcom format doesn't allow it.

TAG_Attribute.png Ignore _VALID X X
X

Special. Used to ignore the anomaly related to the parent tag in the GEDCOM verification of anomalies and confirms it is valid.

TAG_Attribute.png Internet web site _WWW X

Anticipation of the 5.5.1 standard. World Wide Web home page.



Events

An event is a notable fact in the life of an individual or a family, usually dated and localized.

While some events are necessarily unique (e.g. birth, death, burial), others may occur several times during a lifetime (e.g. marriage, occupation, residence, divorce).

The various types of events

Whether associated to an individual or a family, there are many different events.

A large number of events are predefined in the Gedcom standard and in Ancestris.

When a type of event has not been predefined, it is possible to choose the event "EVEN" which allows you to specify your own.

 

Predefined events for individuals

 

Predefined events for families

 

Event properties

An event is generally dated and localized. It can have other properties.

Here is a sample of them.

 

 

 

Dates

The date makes it possible to locate in time any genealogical event: birth, death, marriage, diploma, residence, etc.

In Ancestris, the date can be entered and displayed in different ways because it is set in a given calendar and can be more or less precise.

 

Enter dates

In Ancestris, date are entered using a specific widget, which is made up of two buttons, one for precision, the other one to specify the calendar, and the three components of a date (month, day and year). Examples :

Date_precise.png Date_period.png Date_Interpreted.png

Relative precision button

The Relative precision button unfolds a mini menu allowing you to indicate whether the date is precise or not, and in that second case, the range.

 

 

Calendar button

The Calendar type button opens a mini-menu allowing you to select one of the four calendars available to express the date. Here is an extract from Wikipedia.

When a date is currently entered, any change to the calendar type immediately converts that date to the newly selected calendar.

Please note the republican calendar only accepts conversion for dates between September 22, 1792 and December 31, 1805 as these are the main period during which this calendar was used.

In addition, following the name of the calendar, each line of the mini-menu displays the date currently entered, converted into this calendar, with the same exceptions as mentioned above concerning the line of the republican calendar.

Date_calendars.png

Components of a date

The three constituents of a date - month, day and year - line up horizontally, always in the same order.

Display

The different dates entered in Gedcom files are likely to be displayed in various reports, windows, and views.

The choice of how dates should be displayed is available in the panel Preferences / Data / General data.

Whatever format is adopted, the order of the three constituents of the date is always day month year in the Gedcom file.

In the Preferences, the Dates drop-down menu shows the following four display formats.

 

GEDCOM Format - 25 JAN 1970

The Gedcom format is the format used in the Gedcom file: the month is written in capitals, using the first three letters of the month in English. 

Short Format - 25 Jan 1970

The Short format displays the month in lowercase starting with a capital letter, written using the first three or four letters of the month in English.

Long Format - 25 January 1970

The Long format also displays the full month word in lowercase with a capital letter.

Number Format - 01/25/1970

The Numbers format displays month, day and year as numbers separated by a slashes (/).

 

 

 

Places

A place is a property indicating a physical location associated with an event, and generally provided with a postal address and capable of receiving geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude).

In the Gedcom standard, a place is defined by the PLAC tag.

Place jurisdictions

The value of a place is presented as address elements separated by commas, such as a postal address.

Example (tag and value):

These elements of the place are called jurisdictions. A jurisdiction, also called a place criteria, is therefore a constitutive element of a place: the city, the postal code, the region, the country, etc.

In the example above, the jurisdictions are: neighborhood, postal code, city, county, state, region, country.

In the Gedcom standard, the different jurisdictions of a place are organized from left to right, separated by commas, and in increasing order of administrative importance.

The following example, which indicates the jurisdictions in random order, would not be compliant with the Gedcom standard.

The Gedcom standard allows you to define your own jurisdictions. We can indeed define the parish or neighbourhood level for example, or have two codes within the city: the ZIP or Postal code and the Census units.

How to use the comma

In the Gedcom standard, the comma is the separating element making it possible to distinguish the different jurisdictions of a place.

If one of the jurisdictions of a place is unknown, an empty space will be left to materialize this jurisdiction.

For example, in the absence of neighbourhood and ZIP code, the place of Boston mentioned above would take the following form:

The initial two successive commas indicate the locations of the two unspecified jurisdictions (neighbourhood and ZIP code).

For a good understanding when reading a place, it is therefore essential to respect the location of the commas, and obviously not to use a comma within a jurisdiction.

Please note that the Gedcom file does not accept any blanks on either side of these commas.

Place formatting

All places of the same genealogy must be described according to the same jurisdictions and in the same order.

This is the place format of the Gedcom file.

This format is indicated inside the Gedcom file, for all places in the genealogy, in the header of the Gedcom file.

These are the following lines of the header (HEAD) of the Gedcom file that will indicate this correspondence

This format is optional in the header but in terms of consistency and data quality we strongly recommend using it.

For a genealogy covering several countries, you therefore need a generic format that is extensive enough to allow the places of all the countries considered to be referenced under the same format.

Changing place formatting

The Modification of place criteria window allows to add or remove a type of jurisdiction in the format of the location, and also to modify the order of the different types of jurisdictions, for all locations and all the entities of the genealogy file. This window is accessible from the File / Properties menu.

Changing the format of places is also possible from the Gedcom editor: right-click on a PLAC line, then Context menu, then Set places criteria menu item.

To enter a location, you must rank the different jurisdictions in ascending order of importance, separating each level with a comma.

If a jurisdiction is not entered, the comma must be kept.

Entering a place

Principle

If in the Preferences you have chosen the presentation Split jurisdictions to edit in Gedcom editor, you do not have to worry about the explanations which follow, you will enter the jurisdictions separately, that is to say, level by level .

Otherwise, you must enter your locations globally, that is, as a serie of jurisdictions separated by commas.

For example, if the format is neighbourhood, postal code, city, county, state, region, country, for an event located at Hyde Park in Boston, ZIP Code 02136, state of Massachusetts, in the USA, you should enter:

The principle is easy:

Auto-completion of place jurisdictions

While entering a place name, a drop-down menu will open offering you already known places with the same string of characters inside the name. Just click the suggested line and press OK to select.

If you have chosen to display separate jurisdictions in the Preferences, this feature also exists, but line by line.

Change all places in one single change

If you notice that from the beginning, you made a typing error on a place, or if the same place was registered in different ways, you may want to make a change of all the erroneous places in one single change without having to go back in each of them to correct them.

This can be done using the Gedcom editor, or using the List of places or the Table of places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shared Information

Some pieces of information collated in a genealogy can either be specific to an individual, or shared by several individuals or several families of that genealogy.

A genealogy contains a lot of information, you will necessarily want to be able to reuse most of it.

If you want to reuse information, we strongly recommend that you initially store it in an entity rather than in a property.

This is the case for all Notes, all Sources, all Repositories, and all Multimedia Elements.

These Entities are defined here in the dedicated Entities.

Other information in Ancestris can be reused in a transparent way for you: these are places, occupations, types of events, diplomas, etc., and more generally all the short labels which describe events.

Principle

The principle, before creating any information in Ancestris, is to ask yourself whether this information is likely to be used again or not for other individuals.

Creation of shared information

If the information is likely to be reused:

  1. first create it as a new entity as such
  2. then link it from the other entity that will use it

In certain cases, the choice of shared information is obvious, such as repositories for instance.

In other cases, this choice is more subtle, such as Sources and Notes.

Entities using shared information

Another benefit of using shared entities is when you want to know all the entities in your genealogy that use a given information. You can know so by selecting the shared entity. The list of entities that use it appears in a list attached to this shared entity.

Conversely, it is a way to know if a shared entity is still being used at all.

Examples

Case of repositories

During your genealogical research, you will probably collect several documents originating from the same location.

To store all this information, you will create this location as a single repository, indicating its description, address, contact details, etc.

Then all the extracted documents will be your sources. Each of these sources will indicate the same repository.

This repository can also be a regional archive, a town hall, a website, a cemetery for instance.

Example of three sources from the same repository:

en-shared-information-sources.png

Case of a family certificate

If you discover a family certificate in which are indicated 3 children, and that in addition you write a note explaining your research story, you will have a diagram which could look like this:

en-shared-information-multiple.png

The 3 individuals represent the siblings. Their births are sourced from the family certificate, which itself is sourced from a repository.

And your note comes in to support your research or observations about the 3 births.

You will notice in the diagram above that the source relates to the birth events of individuals, and not the individuals directly, which is more precise.

I assumed in the example that your note only spoke about the births of individuals. If it talked about their lives more broadly, you should probably link your note to the individuals rather than just to their birth.

Case of a note

A note is shared when it relates to several individuals at the same time. This was the case of the note in the previous example.

On the other hand, a note which comments on specific circumstances relating only to one single individual in particular should preferably be entered as an individual note and not generate the creation of a dedicated Note entity.

This is the case, for example, for details of a birth (the height and weight of the child, the fact that the person was born at his parents' home, etc.). These details will only ever relate to the birth of the individual considered and it is more efficient to enter this information directly at the birth level as an individual note.

Case of a place

The first time a place is created, it appears in the event where it is used first. Ancestris does not allow you to put it in a Place entity, even if you think you might need to reuse it later. This is because the Gedcom standard did not define places as entities.

This is not a problem, Ancestris manages the repository of places for you and considers that each place can be reused.

However, you must be careful when you create a place: it is up to you to check if it does not already exist, in order to avoid creating a duplicate. A duplicate on a place is not annoying as such, but it becomes so when, for example, you correct one of the two while thinking of correcting them all.

To avoid generating a duplicate when entering a place, Ancestris automatically suggests all the places found in your genealogy that include the text being entered.

Also, thanks to the List of places view, it is possible to merge places that have been entered twice by mistake.

Steps

Creation

The creation of Notes, Sources, Repositories, and Multimedia Elements is done either via the Context Menu of Ancestris, or via the menu bar, or automatically from the Cygnus editor or manually from the Aries editor.

The creation of places is done by entering a place directly in the editors, or in the Places editor.

Link

Usage

To find out the list of entities using a particular Note, Source, Repository or Multimedia Element, all you have to do is select it from the table of entities for example, and view it in the Gedcom Editor.

You will then see all the entities using this information as linked properties.

Here is an example of source S5 that we have selected in the table of entities. If we look at the Gedcom Editor, we see the following:

en-sources.png

This source S5 is used by four other entities of the genealogy: the note N2 on the assassination by Ravaillac, the name of the individual I29 Robert Capet, the death of Louis IX, and the name of Marguerite de Provence.

In the case of a Place, the easiest way to find out in which events it is used, is to go to the List of Places and select it. Events are listed by expanding the flap in the list. See the List of Places for more details.

 

 

 

B-A BA

There is an educational B-A-BA on shared information in PDF format. It is written in French.

It corresponds to version 9 of Ancestris but most of it is still relevant.

It tells you in detail how to create and use each of the shared entities presented above.

You can download it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quality control

In order to be able to navigate your genealogy or in order to transmit this lifelong effort amount of information, it is necessary to remain consistent in the way you write similar types of information.

The Gedcom standard is a strong reference for this and suggests an extensive way to structure and specify your information.

Even staying within the standard, there are sometimes various possibilities to enter locations, notes, sources, events, media, etc. You may therefore want to control the quality of your data to make sure is it consistent.

We have identified several types of controls you can make:

Ancestris provides a way to know if the information entered is consistent with the standard, consistent with each other, or aligned with a format.

To identify most of the anomalies listed above, you may go to Menu / Tools /  Validate Gedcom compliance and data consistency.

To rectify places and multimedia elements, you have File / Properties.