TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2001-05 > 0988854563


From: Lee Hoffman <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] OT NGS Conference
Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 21:52:01 -0400
References: <4.1.20010501204651.00aac1e8@pop.mis.net><5.0.2.1.2.20010501144349.00a11290@mail.cwnet.com>
In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.2.20010502091857.00a1acd0@mail.cwnet.com>


maverik wrote:
>Hi Lee, I have 3000+ original text files that have been created over the
>past 25 years by the family association There are probably close to 40 to
>50 thousand names in these files. I started moving these text files into
>TMG about 2 years ago and have only made a nick into the data. What I would
>like to do is be able to have the members help me by putting the basic
>data, name, birth, place, death, place, father, mother, and spouse into an
>Excel spreadsheet and be able to bring that into TMG.

Hmm! I take it these text files are journal
narratives/biographies/genealogy reports or similar type files. This would
be similar to having a large bound family genealogy book and entering each
person into TMG along with all their data as printed in the book. I
suspect that most users have done this to some extent. However, I see no
speedy way to enter the data.

You could extract the basic information (name, birth, marriage, death,
burial, sex) and enter that and then import the file either into the Memo
field of an Anecdote tag and/or as an Exhibit. Later you could review each
person and their text file to see if there is a need to add other tags and
data. The goal might be to eventually produce a report that would
effectively duplicate the text file from the TMG Reports with any added
data from other text file(s) for the same person.

One thing that could help is to create a Custom Flag
(File=>Customize=>Flags from the top menu) that would indicate whether that
person needed work or not. You could set up multiple settings to help
indicate what work needed to be done and or had been done.

>I know that I can get help from the members to input into Excel. Most of
>the members have it and can be brought up to speed on how to use it. I can
>set up a template for inputting the data. Most of them have their own
>preferences for a genealogy program so I couldn't expect them to buy
>another genealogy program just to do this work, no matter how much I love it.

Keep in mind that TMG can directly import from most current genealogy
programs or at least import GEDCOM files. So your members could input the
data into their preferred program and either send you a copy of their data
file or a GEDCOM file. You could then import their data into TMG into a
new dataset which you could merge into your main dataset. You would then
do some final editing and merging of duplicate persons. You might get some
ideas on this in the TMG Tips website (URL below).

Hope this helps -



----------
Lee Hoffman/KY
E-mail:
TMG Tips: <http://www.tmgtips.com>;
My website: <http://www.tmgtips.com/lhoffman>;
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A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)

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