How to create a Gedcom file

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How to create a Gedcom file

Creating a Gedcom file is a four (4) step process:

 

1.Create and save a load sheet

2.Populate the load sheet

3.Load the load sheet into Gedcom Builder

4.Create and export the Gedcom file.

 

 

Create and save a load sheet
 

To load information into Gedcom Builder requires the generation of a specifically formatted spreadsheet comprising 29 columns as listed below. By selecting the menu option Create load sheet a Microsoft Excel workbook will be created containing two (2) sheets labelled Data and Instructions.

 

Column Group

Column #

Column Label

Description

Required

Valid Values

Max Length

PERSON

1

PERSON ID

A unique numeric value  assigned to identify a person. If the person also exists as a parent, this value would be entered in the Father ID or Mother ID cell, as appropriate to ensure that the records are linked.

YES

 

Number only

2

SURNAME

The primary persons surname or family name

 

 

40

3

GIVEN NAME/S

The primary persons given name/s

 

 

40

4

SEX

The gender of the primary person. Use a single letter only.

YES

M, F or U

1

BIRTH

5

DATE

The date of the birth event

 

 

24

6

LOCATION

Location for the birth event

 

 

60

7

REFERENCE

A citation or reference id for the birth event

 

 

40

8

SOURCE

The name of the source for the birth event in which the citation appears

 

 

60

BAPTISM

9

DATE

The date of the baptism event

 

 

24

10

LOCATION

Location for the baptism event

 

 

60

11

REFERENCE

A citation or reference id for the baptism event

 

 

40

12

SOURCE

The name of the source for the baptism event in which the citation appears

 

 

60

DEATH

13

DATE

The date of the death event

 

 

24

14

LOCATION

Location for the death event

 

 

60

15

REFERENCE

A citation or reference id for the death event

 

 

40

16

SOURCE

The name of the source for the death event in which the citation appears

 

 

60

17

AGE AT DEATH

The age of a person at the date of the death event. Enter as number of years.

For part years enter number of months following decimal point, e.g. 0.6 for 6 moths

or  6.2 for 6 years and 2 months.

Age at death will be used to estimate the birth year if not provided

using the burial date if no death date exists.

Decimal number only

BURIAL

18

DATE

The date of the burial event

 

 

24

19

LOCATION

Location for the burial event

 

 

60

20

REFERENCE

A citation or reference id for the burial event

 

 

40

21

SOURCE

The name of the source for the burial event in which the citation appears

 

 

60

PARENTS

22

FATHER ID

A unique numeric value  assigned to a person acting in the role of a father.

The person must exist as a listed person and the Person ID is the value to be used

as the Father ID.Each child of the person will be assigned the same Father ID.

Number only

 

23

MOTHER  ID

A unique numeric value  assigned to a person acting in the role of a mother.

The person must exist as a listed person and the Person ID is the value to be used

as the Mother ID. Each child of the person will be assigned the same Mother ID.

Number only

SPOUSE

24

SPOUSE ID

A unique numeric value  assigned to a person acting in the role of a spource or

partner of a person. The spouse or partner must exist as a listed person and

the Person ID is the value to be used as the Spouse ID.

Number only

MARRIAGE

25

DATE

The date of the marriage event

 

 

24

26

LOCATION

Location for the marriage event

 

 

60

27

REFERENCE

A citation or reference id for the marriage event

 

 

40

28

SOURCE

The name of the source for the death marriage in which the citation appears

 

 

60

PERSON

29

NOTE

Used to record notes related to the person

 

 

1000

 

 If it is decided not to use the generated load sheet, the information must be laid out in the columns as listed above with the information commencing at row four (4). The first three (3) rows are not loaded into Gedcom  Builder.

 

 

Populating the load sheet

 

Enter in the Person ID column a unique number for each unique individual recorded.
 

Enter all information available into the appropriate columns. At a minimum the spreadsheet must contain a Person ID and a Sex (or Gender) value for each row to be loaded in to Gedcom Builder.
 

If an individual is a parent of another person enter the Person ID of the parent in either the columns Father ID or Mother ID as appropriate on the row of each person who is a child. The combination of the Father ID and Mother ID will result in a family identifier being created.
 

If an individual is a spouse or partner of another person enter the Person ID of the spouse or partner in the column Spouse ID on the row for their partner. The combination of the Person ID and Spouse ID will result in a family identifier being created. If any marriage information is know record it on the same row as where the Spouse ID is recorded.

 

The following extract illustrates the linking of parents and partners.

 

PERSON

BIRTH

PARENTS

SPOUSE

PERSON ID

SURNAME/FAMILY NAME

GIVEN NAME/S

SEX

DATE

LOCATION

REFERENCE

FATHER ID

MOTHER ID

SPOUSE  ID

14

Wells

Frank Herbert

M

1905

Redfern,  New South Wales,  Australia

 

3

4

15

15

Condon

Edna Victoria

F

14 Dec 1908

Waterloo,  New South Wales,  Australia

 

 

 

 

16

Wells

Norma Frances

F

1931

 

 

14

15

 

17

Wells

Frank  

M

1939

Sydney,  New South Wales,  Australia

 

14

15

 

18

Wells

Edna  

F

 

 

 

14

15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

Wells

William Allan

M

7 Oct 1913

Petersham,  New South Wales,  Australia

 

 

 

20

20

Hunter

Holly Jean Elizabeth

F

31 Mar 1915

Manly,  New South Wales,  Australia

 

 

 

 

 

In this illustration, Edna Victoria Condon (person 15) is the partner of Frank Herbert Wells (person 14) and mother of persons 16, 17 and 18, and Frank Herbert Wells (person 14) is the father of persons 16, 17 and 18. As the person 15 is entered as the partner of person 14 it is not necessary to show the reverse relationship.

 

When entering an Age at Death enter the number of years followed by the number of months as a decimal, e.g. 0.6 for 6 months or 6.2 for 6 years and 2 months. Age at Death is used in conjunction with the date of death or burial date to calculate the birth date  where is does not exist. See Preferences to enable this option.

 

When complete save the Workbook.

 
 

Load the load sheet into Gedcom Builder

 

Select the menu option FILE > Load a spreadsheet.  A dialog will display asking if any information stored in Gedcom Builder is to be deleted. The default position is to delete all existing information. If NO is selected then the information being loaded will be appended to any existing information. Next, select the saved workbook as the file to be loaded.

 

Once the spreadsheet is loaded into Gedcom Builder a dialog will display asking if a Gedcom File is to be created. Select YES to continue with the Gedcom creation process. If NO is selected the loaded information will remain within Gedcom Builder for creaing a Gecom file at a later date.
       

 

Create and export the Gedcom file.

 

 This process is performed automatically if the YES option is selected after the spreadsheet file has been loaded.

 

 Alternatively, if information is stored in Gedcom Builder the menu option Create gencom file will be enabled on selection will generate a Gedcom file from the information on file.