Merging family trees on Ancestry enables you to bring all your research at one place and provides you a better perspective of your family lineage. If you’re working with a family member or combining your own research, this guide will help you how to combine family trees on Ancestry efficiently. This feature enables you to bring together the efforts of multiple people or link your own trees, and it makes it simpler to chart your family history and discover more.
Steps for Merging Family Trees in Ancestry
Step 1: Get Your Trees Ready:- Take time to go through both trees thoroughly. Look for the duplication of entries, spell-check, and lack of any details. Ensuring that each tree is updated and confirmed will ease the merging process and ensure its accuracy.
Step 2: Open the Family Tree:- Sign into your Ancestry account. From the navigation bar at the top, go to the “Trees” tab. Choose the family tree on which you would like to do the merging—the one you’ll be merging into another.
Step 3: Find the Tree You Want to Merge Into:- Then, find the tree you’d like to merge with. This can be another tree that you own or one that someone else has given to you. If the tree isn’t in your list, you’ll have to ask the owner for access before you can merge.
Step 4: Merge Trees:-
- Click on “Tree Settings”: While looking at your tree, click the little gear icon (settings) in the top-right corner.
- Choose “Merge with Duplicate Tree”: Select the “Merge Trees” option within the settings.
- Check out the Suggestions: Ancestry will automatically look for similar people and relationships across both trees and suggest them.
- Accept or Reject Suggestions: Work through all the suggestions and decide whether or not to link the individuals.
- Complete the Merge: After verifying all the matches, finalize the merge. Ancestry will merge the details, and the trees will unite into a single family tree.
Step 5: Review the Merged Tree
After merging, take time to carefully go through your new tree. Check for inconsistencies, duplications, or missing details. This is also a good opportunity to update sources and add new information.
Best Practices for Merging Family Trees
- Communicate with Collaborators: If you’re working with relatives, share updates and information clearly to avoid confusion.
- Create a Backup: Export your tree in GEDCOM format prior to merging so you have a duplicate in case something does go awry.
- Keep Notes: Record the changes you’ve made and where the data originated for reference later.
Conclusion
Combining family trees on Ancestry is a worthwhile means of enhancing your genealogical research. By bringing together information from multiple sources, you can find more connections and have a better idea of your family’s history. Simply follow these easy steps, and you’ll have a neatly organized, combined family tree in no time. Happy researching!
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