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Question:I started my own family tree and the found someone else in my branches that had compiled quite a bit of information. I now have 2 family trees under my account and I am wondering if there is a way to merge them or if I am SOL.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I started my own family tree and the found someone else in my branches that had compiled quite a bit of information. I now have 2 family trees under my account and I am wondering if there is a way to merge them or if I am SOL.

I don't know the procedures for merging (or even if there are ways). But as many of the experienced people have found with their local trees maintained by programs like FTM, etc. merging is NOT for the faint of heart.

Honestly, unless you have a way to back up your premerged data, don't even attempt it - it can't be undone!

But what you will normally find is that there are a heck of alot more mismatches (in just dates, places of birth, etc.) than you would imagine. And for EVERY mismatch, no matter how trivial, you will have to decide which is the one you want to keep. Even with smaller size databases this can take hours upon hours.

Honestly, I've always manually entered any information I've found in other sources. Not only can I more easily make the right decisions, but it also gives me a chance to really examine the newer source for sanity, confidence, accuracy, etc.

But if you do find a way, and decide to go this route - BACK UP YOUR ORIGINAL!!! Really. Because once merged it can never be undone.

I don't think there is a way to merge them and I also would advise against it. Speaking from experience, it's too easy for people to become unattached from their family or for marriages to get disconnected when you try to use an automated merge on a large tree.

As tedious as it is, you're better off picking one of the trees and reviewing each new detail from the other tree and adding it to your own. You will be certain that the correct information is attached to the correct person (this John Smith - not that one) and you will be reviewing all the information you are adding for discrepancies and noting new pieces of information to verify and new places to look.