How Do You Relate?

The best advice to give you is to go to your genealogy software manual for exact instructions on creating a GEDCOM from your specific software. If for some reason you cannot do this or if you are using a shareware product that had no manual, here is a generic instruction that will work with most software programs. Because many of our members use Family Tree Maker, I have created a special step by step instructions to create a GEDCOM from FTM.

• a) Instructions for creating a GEDCOM file from almost any genealogy software:

• First thing is to decide whether you want to send all of your names or  just a partial listing. (I'll explain below).

1. Open your genealogy software (this will work for all types)

2. If you want to send your whole file, skip lines 3-6 below:

3. If you only want to send your direct line (or everyone with the same name and their families they must be marked. Many genealogy programs will give you the option of "marking" or selecting the files you wish to include in a gedcom.

4. To mark all of your personal ancestors, start from your home card (you). On the other hand, to mark all the descendants of a specific ancestor start on his card. Then go to the menu; To "find" or in some case to "edit". Scroll down the menu til you see a reference such as Mark Groups. In the box that appears, click on the appropriate type of people you want. For example you will see a Mark Ancestors of.... or a Mark Descendants of...

5. Click OK. Depending on your software, you will see a number showing the number of people marked in the top right for Reunion and in the bottom for FTM. I'm not sure where it appears in PAF.

6. When done, close the box.

7. Go to File, to import/export, to export GEDCOM. In Family Treemaker, go to File to "Copy/Export Family File"

8. A box should appear.

9. Select the buttons of the records you want to export: (ie. All or Marked People and their Families)

10. Select Destination as GEDCOM 5.5. (Unless someone has specifically asked you for an earlier version this is safe.) In Family TreeMaker you will see a popup menu at the bottom of the dialog box. You'll need to click on this and select the GEDCOM format.

11. Select Windows file type or if you are using FTM select "ANSI". (I say this because Macs have no problem with reading Windows files but Windows have a lot of trouble the other way around).

12. Line length should be set to 72.

13. Fill out the "submitter" button if given the option. This tells people that the information is yours. (close the submitter box when done).

14. Click on options or in FTM, fields to export.

15. Select the appropriate fields that you want to include in your GEDCOM. (Birth, death, burial, places, notes etc. )

16. Click OK or Export (depending on your software).

17. A dialog box appears asking you to name your file (It may already fill in the name used by your database). Always include the extension at the end of the document, ".ged" (without the quote marks).

18. Another box may appear...Asking if you want to include sources. Please say yes.

19. Go have dinner. When complete your file will return to its previous state (at the record that you started from).

Congratulations you now have a GEDCOM file. To email a copy follow the instructions in FAQ How do I attach a file to an Email?

• b.) Family Tree Maker

• If you own Family Tree Maker and have looked in the manual you will find that there are no directions for creating a GEDCOM file from Family Tree Maker. Don't give up! It is possible. Directions are provided, in fact, by FTM but you have to access the directions from within the program in the Help Menu. To get those directions, which are too confusing for my taste, you go to Help to Search. Type in the word GEDCOM and there you will find the topic "Importing and exporting GEDCOMs." Click on that and scroll down to "Exporting GEDCOMs." Click on that and the directions will appear.

The problem with the directions is that it's written by techies, of course, and has a lot of information you don't need to know. I don't know about you, but my mind's crammed with useless information and, in this case I want "just the facts, mam." So, I have written simple directions to follow when exporting a GEDCOM from your Family Tree Maker file.

• To export your Family File to GEDCOM from Family Tree Maker:

• 1. From the File menu, select Copy/Export Family File.

2. Click the Save As Type drop-down list and select "GEDCOM".

3. In the Save As field, type a name for the GEDCOM file, like "aprils.ged". If the extention ".ged" isn't automatically added by Family tree Maker at the end of the file, type it in there. This allows other programs to recognize it.

4. Select the drive and folder where you want to place your file.

5. Click Save.

6. Wait, you are not done. Now a box appears in which you have to tell FTM what type of GEDCOM to make. There are many variations but I've found that the following settings tend to be universal and can be opened by most programs. If you are sending this to the Heycuz group, these are the selections we would like:

Destination: "FTW";

GEDCOM "Version 5";

Character set: "ANSI";

Indent Records is NOT checked; and

Abrieviate Tags is checked.

If however, you are saving this for the LDS library you'll probably want to change the Destination from FTW to ANSTFILE.

Note: Ignore FTMs directions regarding destination, which says if you do not know the program you are sending to, save as PAF. The reason I say that is that saving the file as PAF limits the number of fields FTM exports. I don't know why, and I have nothing against PAF, FTM just does this. So far, none of our group members have complained that PAF cannot open it, so I think we are safe.

7. Now you must tell Family Tree Maker which information to export to your GEDCOM file. FTM automaticaly exports most of the information, depending on your choices in step 6. If you have sources they are also exported.

Stop for a moment: I don't know why you are given no option on exporting sources, but FTM says that it automatically exports all sources. Which means, from some of the GEDCOMs I have seen, that some of you are not recording your sources. Please, please, please document your sources. Just sending in your GEDCOM is not enough. Although we do appreciate it emensely, it really helps those of us who are following in your footsteps if we can send for the documents you already have. OK. I'm getting off my soapbox.

FTM will automatically export these fields: Name, birth date/location, death date/location and marriage date location. If you have kept other fields, including the "stories" we love so much or additional notes fields, you will need to select them because they are not automatically exported. To see and or change what is being exported click Fields to Export. Family Tree Maker displays the Fields to Export dialog box and you can review there what fields are included. If you are happy that FTM has included all of the fields you want to submit click OK and skip down to step 10.

There are two lists in this dialog box. The list on the left, Fields to Export, contains all of the Family Tree Maker fields that you can export to the GEDCOM file. The list on the right, Fields in GEDCOM file, contains the GEDCOM tags being exported.

8. If you want to remove a field from the "Fields in the GEDCOM File" list, click the tag name and then click "Don't Export." If you want a field to be included, select it and then click "Export Field."

9. When you are happy that you have included all of the fields you wanted, click OK to return to the Export dialog box.

10. Click OK again. Family Tree Maker creates the GEDCOM file.

Congratulations, you now have a GEDCOM file to submit to Heycuz and other researchers. If you need directions on how to send your new GEDCOM via email, see "Directions For Attaching A Document, Photograph, Or Gedcom To An Email." After you have submitted your GEDCOM, from time to time, you may want to make some corrections or additions. See "I Found An Error."