Due to other obligations and computer problems, I’d mostly set aside my family research around the time RM8 was released. When I could, I did sporadic work in my Ancestry.com account online until I could replace my computer. Just last week, I installed RM7 and RM8 on my new computer to work on figuring out where I’d left off with using these programs. It seems I’d gotten as far as importing and converting my RM7 tree into RM8. I quickly got reacquainted with RM8 and set about importing the changes I’d made in my Ancestry tree in the interim.
However, I then started to experience an issue with already existing fact sources getting duplicated. Instead of just importing the new source for a fact/event, all of the sources for the fact/event are added to RootsMagic.
Then RM9 was announced so I decided to skip RM8 and just go straight to RM9. I converted the same tree I’d been working with to RM9. The issue with sources from Ancestry being duplicated in RootsMagic 9 persists.
Any idea why this is happening and how to prevent it?
I believe that there are several scenarios that can create this issue you’re describing.
This is from a previous post on fb from Rene “The way to prevent so much duplication in TreeShare is to select all the items you want to include in RM before clicking on Accept Changes. Then it will create only one master source no matter how often used for that person.” See also here.
I am not active on ancestry right now but as I recall I get duplicate sources and associated media if I add a new source to an existing fact in Ancestry and then use treeshare to import that new source to rm. It could be user problem causing that. Others have cited the differences in the way that ancestry and RM treat marriage as a cause of some duplication.
For what it’s worth, I check the existing fact after each treeshare. I usually find that I want to add additional details to the source and/or citation anyway, so going to look at the fact is just a part of my workflow. I also edit the source name so that I know it’s been updated. That makes it very easy to identify and delete duplicate sources right away.
I have been a Family Tree Maker user since 2013. Due to the fact it got bought out in 2014 from a company in the Ukraine. Need I say more. Abought 2 weeks ago Family Tree Maker would not even link a file or download from ancestry.com. I have over 15 database files on Ancestry.com (All PUBLIC. Not done for me or immeadiate family but future generations.) Now I am learning Roots Magic 9 from scratch. I do not even know how to download and import anything. Whole new APPLE. So my question is this "where do start’?
There are a lot of videos on youtube. Maybe start with the RM9 intro and then look at the Rootsmagic youtube video channel for more specific stuff as you go. (You can probably play the videos back at 1.5 or 2x speed and slow it down when needed.)
To help get you started, if all your data is on ancestry, you’ll want to create new RM db files by downloading each of your ancestry trees into a separate RM db file. Rootsmagic accesses the Ancestry API with the Treeshare feature. The initial Treeshare download to rootsmagic is a full synch, including media. Subsequent downloads and uploads are, by design, one at a time. So, maintaining RM and Ancestry in perfect synch is time consuming. A popular approach is to maintain 1 master database, either on RM or on Ancestry, depending upon your needs, and periodically download or upload a file to the other. There is also a way to import from FTM to RM if you have access to a system running windows OS.
The only other advice is to backup your RM dbs often; there is no “undo”, so you cannot have too many backups. I suggest enabling the RM program setting to prompt for backups whenever you exit RM. No need to backup with media, just implement a separate media backup strategy that works for you.
Beyond that, there’s a lot of help here and on the facebook group. After you watch some videos and test things out, you can search the forums for similar questions or create a new post.
Thank you for getting back to me. I was an expert with Family Tree Maker because I used since 2012 and it was easier for me until about a month ago when I realized HINTS and Links TO Ancestry.com were realllllly broken. Long winded sentence. Any way I did do the YOU TUBE thing and still was lost. BTW DITTO for downloading any tree into FAMILY TREE MAKER.
Thanks. So it is an ancestry.com problem. I have not do away with family tree maker yet. Iwas to easy. Family Tree Maker 2019 and Roots Magic 9. Realized I am to complacent wit Family Tree and do not know enough[anything] with Roots Magic.
@macbob@Rooty
I’m in similar position, trying out different entry points with RM9 testing boundaries, but I master in FTM for now. Likelihood we’ll continue to need several tools until the one ring is made to rule them all …
No not pathetic-- you are just overwhelmed-- actually in a lot of ways the basics for FM and RM are the same as I also used FM for many years— you download or move your files from Ancestry or FM–once they are in there, you just pick which file you want to work on and open it…
all 3 of these are listed on the home page of RM 9 but on the 1st one when you go to the site, you have to click on Main page on left to get to the RM 8 info
Suggest once you have RM 9 set up, you move one file from FM and use it as a test file-- change the name from what it is say Smith family to Smith test file-- then play around with different things
I have the same issue … deleting RM DB and starting over is no solution. I’m using many RM features and re-entering the data for tens of thousands of data points is not for me. Here’s a screenshot that shows what I am encountering just to be sure it is the same issue at this topic.
TreeShare for Ancestry shows items in red that do not match (all data originated in Ancestry including the sources shown. For some reason there are some sources that appear in RM as duplicates … but in Ancestry I do not seem them as duplciates.
The source duplicates in question. RM says they originated from Ancestry.
The Ancestry side of the RM9 TreeShare screenshot shows the same info that I see in Ancestry … no duplciates.
This seems to be isolated to “sources” and so far I do not see this issue with other data types.
How do I clean these up so that RM does not show the red icons in TreeShare indicating a mis-match with ancestry.
FTM was dumped by ancestry in 2015 and revived by MacKiev who spent the next year turning it into a great program. However only the current version will sync with ancestry due to the latter making changes in the interface. you are probably using an obsolete version which is no longer functional.
If you still want to switch to RM9, simply watch the RM8 and 9 videos in order and buy the $20 dimly printed manual.
