Single Surname Studies in TMG

[aandreje 0]

Hello all,

 

If this is not the right forum for this topic, please redirect me.

 

This request is for ideas on managing data for a large number of people with a common surname ANDREWS living in the same place at the same time. Beginning with the 1920 US Federal census, I have ten to twelve families with the Andrews surname in Fulton County, Ohio totaling about 100 individuals. Most but not all of them are probably related. There are additional Andrews in adjoining counties who are also possibly related.

 

I'm getting a bit tangled up keeping track of them all when moving backwards through the records. So far I am using Excel to extract census data, listing

each family and their location in each census year. I then analyze the data to identify new families from children marrying, deaths, births, etc. so

that I can do further research.

 

My objective is to spend less time researching apparently unrelated families, BUT to keep track of them if subsequent information suggests a relationship. Because of the common surname, I have gone that path already.

 

I have been told that several single surname studies have been done in TMG, and I am looking for how to get started.

 

Thank you, Jean

[Jim Byram 0]

There are a number of people doing one-name studies using TMG. I have one user project with almost 10,000 individuals with the surname being studied and its variants.

 

If you don't get an adequate response here, you might try the mail list which is usually a better place for queries of this nature.

http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/o...ftware/TMG.html

[aandreje 0]

Thanks, Jim. I will try that list on Rootsweb.

 

Regards, Jean

 

There are a number of people doing one-name studies using TMG. I have one user project with almost 10,000 individuals with the surname being studied and its variants.

 

If you don't get an adequate response here, you might try the mail list which is usually a better place for queries of this nature.

http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/o...ftware/TMG.html

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

Jean,

 

There's not a lot of difference in a one name study and a multiple name study except that you are only interested in Andrews surnames. YOu just research the people, create links to people via the witness features, and family groups appear. You can use flags to distinguish one family from another, like a flag for state of origin.

[ladybonita 0]

I sort of disagree, there are lots of differences and obstacles to overcome with a single name study ... especially if it is DNA study.

 

I am working on merging over 600 gedcoms for the WELLS Surname DNA Study. The 600 individuals who participated in the DNA study submitted gedcoms .. some have several thousand people in them .. some have less than 50. Each of the individuals were assigned to a Wells DNA Family based on their Y-chromosome results. I have 50 separate DNA Families. I also have one family that I have assigned as 'non-tested or maternal' due to the high request for people descended from a maternal WELLS or a person who has WELLS descendants but has not been able to find a 'living WELLS male' in their family that will participate by doing a DNA test. I have completed about 25% so far and I already have 55,000 people.

 

The problems that I have run into is Merging the individual datasets into a single dataset. TMG7 does not remember that you just merged it, so I 'disable' all the datasets except the one I am merging into, then 'enable' the individual dataset long enough to merge it, then disable it ... this gets pretty old. The other problem is making sure that after I enable the individual dataset, I need to click on the 'merge dataste' or I may (voice of experience) have copied the merged dataset into my individual dataset... which causes major problems as I have not figured out how to backup a single dataset so I could restore it.

 

Another issue I have is how to identify each individual gedcom after they are merged. I figured a way to add to EACH individual dataset the following (which are TMG Ids 1, 2, 3):

 

1) _top _W001 (W001 is the DNA Family number) -- this allows me to merge these when I merge all the W001 datasets into the Merged dataset)

2) _ID222 B333 _W001 (where ID222 is the 222nd participant and B333 is the 'branch' of DNA Family W001) ... 2) is the 'son' of 1)

I have to give 2) a birth sort of 222 so it will sort in numerical order. I also attach the eldest WELLS person form the gedcom as a child of 2)

3) _W001 ID222 _Researcher (this 'son' of 2) provides me a place to put in the Address, Phone, Email of the Reseacher. I also add the entire gedcom for ID222 as witnesses to the Address tag. The provides me a list of everyone they are researching along with their data.

 

I also add REFERENCE as W001 ID222. This presents me a problem as when I merge duplicate people, I lose the REFERENCE. I need a way to convert these to actual REFERENCE TAGS rather than the field. Then when I merge 'Joe Blow' that is being researched by 10 different people, it will retail all the References back to the ID numbers.

 

My next major problem occurs when I want to copy all of the 'merged' datasets (W001, W002, W003, etc.) from each of their Projects into one 'Merged Project' which will be a consolidation of all. The way TMG 7 is set up and I can NOT merge ONE dataset from one Project to another Project. The "merge Project" copies ALL the datasets into the 2nd Project, then I have to delete off all the individual datasets as TMG 7 does not like having 150+ datasets in one project. SUGGESTION: I would be nice that if I have 'disabled' a dataset, that it would NOT copy it to the new project. If I want to copy ALL datasets, I could 'enable' them all.

 

it would also be nice to be ablel to have the DNA results (log) to be included in Second Site

 

Some of the non-TMG problems I am running into is some sort of Standard for people entering in place name, unknown given or surnames, unknown dates. You would not believe the messes I am running into and having to standardize so the indices will match.

 

I would love to hear from others who are working on DNA Surname Studies.

[ladybonita 0]

I also do a single surname study for my maiden name. I keep two datasets ... one is my 'proven' line, the other is 'working' dataset which I capture EVERYTHING I can find on the surname. This way, I do not duplicate the information and don't clutter my 'proven' line with 'not connected' people.

 

 

...

 

My objective is to spend less time researching apparently unrelated families, BUT to keep track of them if subsequent information suggests a relationship. Because of the common surname, I have gone that path already.

[Michael Hannah 0]

I agree that dealing with multiple datasets involves speciial issues and difficulties. Perhaps I might suggest some ideas that may help?

The problems that I have run into is Merging the individual datasets into a single dataset... I 'disable' all the datasets except the one I am merging into, then 'enable' the individual dataset long enough to merge it, then disable it

Would it help to instead delete the merged dataset at this point?

I have not figured out how to backup a single dataset so I could restore it.

See below about creating a project from one dataset. Then backup that project.

Another issue I have is how to identify each individual Gedcom after they are merged.

I gather the ability to cite a single source to all people in a dataset before the merge is insufficient for your needs. I have also used the Import options to preset each person's Ref number, but agree this is often not enough. Since I was a programmer I can still write a simple Perl script to preprocess the Gedcom to insert identifying records, but that isn't available to everyone.

I figured a way to add to EACH individual dataset the following...

Inquiring minds would like to know how you did this?

I also add REFERENCE as W001 ID222. This presents me a problem as when I merge duplicate people, I lose the REFERENCE. I need a way to convert these to actual REFERENCE TAGS rather than the field.

My approach might be to run a List of People report with output of REFERENCE and ID number, and post process with Search/Replace to format a file as needed by the TMG Utility to add tags.

I want to copy all of the 'merged' datasets (W001, W002, W003, etc.) from each of their Projects into one 'Merged Project' which will be a consolidation of all. The way TMG 7 is set up and I can NOT merge ONE dataset from one Project to another Project.

Have you looked at the List of Persons report Secondary Output option to create a separate project from the people in one dataset? I would think that project would be only one dataset and help in this merging? Adds a step but would seem to work?

 

Hope this gives you ideas. You certainly have an ambitious task in front of you!

Edited July 16, 2008 by Michael Hannah