GGD Ancestry Database Guidance

  1. Genealogy Data Privacy Awareness

The GGD Genealogy Database software will not display information about living persons if a person's record includes a birth year which was less than 100 years ago. Private information will begin to be automatically shown once a person is older than 100 years, based on the birth date in the record. Therefore, we urge GEDCOM owners to assure that each of their persons contains at least an approximate birth year if the exact birth date is not known. If you are not sure, say ABT 1990 or any decade year that is sure to make them hidden until they are over 100 years old.  If a person's death date is present, then the Privacy rules do not apply and all information will be shown.  A simple way to do this for people you know are deceased is to put a “Y” as the person’s death date.  Please make sure that you do this for all Galizien or German relatives in your main family tree – it will benefit your own work and it would allow you to update the GGD copy at some future date without having to estimate the birth dates again.

 

  1. Preparing your GEDCOM File for Sharing with GGD Members

The GGD assumes that GEDCOM submitters have excluded Private information, except for Living Person's information which is automatically not displayed by the Database Software as described above.

    1. This would include making sure private notes that you would rather not have other members see are marked private in your software.
    2. Each Family-Tree type software has their own instructions on how to export a GEDCOM file. You can generally Google your software name with “Export GEDCOM” to find detailed instructions, e.g. “Family Tree Maker” “Export GEDCOM”. In general the steps look like this:
      1. From the File menu, find an Export command.
      2. In that command, find a place to select the individuals or branches you wish to submit. This would generally be your parent or grandparent who lived in Galicia or Germany.
      3. Once you have selected that person, there is usually an option to select all the ancestors and ancestor-related individuals to that person. This would include your great-grandfathers siblings and their descendants.
      4. On the Export type, look for a generic GEDCOM or GEDCOM 5.5. You can usually leave all other options at their default value. GGD accepts either .ged or the zipped version, e.g. .zip or .gdz
      5. Ensure that you are not exporting any media.  GGD does not accept pictures.
      6. Once you have exported the file, then create a new file in your software and import the GEDCOM you just created. Look for living people where you might have forgotten to give an approximate birth date so that the GGD software will not show them to other members. Make any corrections needed in your master copy and export again.
    3. The next time you wish to send an updated version of your Gedcom to GGD, or anyone else, having approximate dates for all living people and private notes marked private means that you will not have to repeat the above steps except for new people you might have added.
    4. The GEDCOM file should be named after the GEDCOM owner’s GGD code PLUS the key Family Names included in the GEDCOM, e.g. K025 Zintel-Schuster.
    5. Email the GEDCOM to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will get back to you with comments.

 

  1. Long Term Preservation of GEDCOMs.

For the long-term and historical preservation of your genealogy research, GGD recommends sharing your own GEDCOM file not only with us at GGD, but with the noncommercial, Mormon Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).  If you are not already a member of the Family History Library, you can join for free at https://www.familysearch.org/register/custom/1. 

Instructions for sending them your GEDCOM:  https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-upload-my-gedcom-file

 

  1. Instructions for accessing the TNG Search Page

http://galiziengermandescendants.org/TNG/

    1. When you first try to search you will be prompted for a username and password. Please use the username “ggdmember” and whatever password Lisa, our GGD Secretary, has sent you for that year.
    2. Please be aware that the GGD Genealogy Database is built from the individual research of GEDCOM owners identified in the Search Results as “Trees”.
    3. The default Search is for “All Trees”, but you can also select one of the Trees for your Search.
    4. Search criteria can include Names. Locations and Dates for Birth, Christening, Death and Burial and Spousal Names.
    5. Please be aware that your Search Results may contain multiple occurrences of the same person, but with different personal data, as identified by the different GEDCOM owners.
    6. Clicking on a person’s name in the Search Results, brings you to the Family View for that person. From the Family View, you can select additional Text and Chart Views for Ancestors, Descendants, Relationships and Timelines.

 

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