File Sharing and Brick Walls - Part 16 - Notes to Description

Discovered another Clean Up issue, when importing a GEDCOM file into FTM2012. The issue is the difference of opinion on where certain information goes and how many fields are associated with a Fact or Event. I will NOT get into any finger pointing, only that when a GEDCOM file is imported, and the probably goes between any genealogy software program receiving or sending a GEDCOM file.

The specific issue here is a Burial Fact. In Family Tree Maker there are three fields. Date, Place, and Description. The GEDCOM that was imported had another field, apparently, called Address.

Family Tree Maker wants us to enter the Cemetery Name into the Description field. This has been true for many previous versions of FTM, probably back to version 4, when we separated the Place and Description with a slash. Place / Description.

When reviewing the file, there were a number of Facts with Notes. Opening the Notes as a note like: Address Woodlawn Cemetery.

There is a "1" in the third column on the Left and selecting the Notes tab, is the "Address: Woodlawn Cemetery.

In this Blog Post: How to create a Cemetery Listing. I showed how to create a Cemetery Report and that the Cemetery Name comes from the Description field. So, it is important to me to move that Cemetery Name from the Burial Notes field to the Burial Description Field.

Copy and Paste Cemetery Name and remove the word Address from the notes field, as, in this specific case, want the Notes number to be zero.

Now the Cemetery Report will provide the cemetery name.

Lesson Learned: Check the Notes following the importing of a GEDCOM file as there may be information that needs to be moved into the Description field for a Fact in Family Tree Maker.





Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington