Author: Ancestry.com

Ancestry® combines billions of rich historical records, millions of family trees, and samples from millions of people in the AncestryDNA® network to provide valuable services. They have the most up-to-date version of the My Cousins family tree.
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GEDCOM Files


Sat 7/4/2020 7:31 PM

Hi John,

My name is Cindy and I am a Directly Ancestry Expert. Experts are not employees of Ancestry but are certified, Ancestry users. To protect your personal and payment information, this platform does not have access to customer accounts. However, I am able to answer questions. Thank you for writing.

I am sorry but GEDCOM FILES are text-only files. The downloads do not contain photos and other documents. I have attached a link below that explains more about GEDCOM files. https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Moving-Trees-Between-Accounts

There are two outside companies that sync to Ancestry. When the files are synced they will contain photos and documents. The companies which sync with Ancestry are Family Tree Maker 2017 or 2019 and RootsMagic. I have attached links for both companies. RootsMagic Link: http://www.rootsmagic.com/Contact/ Here is a link to Mackiev Live Chat: https://www.mackiev.com/techsupport/ftm/livechat.html

Please let me know if you have any other concerns or questions.

Best Wishes,

Cindy B.

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Editing Standards


Tue 7/14/2020 5:35 PM

We just got a reply to your question:

“Are there standards for punctuation? I was also looking for editing guidelines. For example, do you recommend 5 Jun 1999; 5 June 1999, 5 JUN 1999, etc. And should middle initials be followed with punctuation, James S. or James S? And is Senior Sr….”.

Hi John!

My name is Tina. I’m a Directly Expert and an Ancestry user just like you. I’m here to help you resolve any concerns you may have.

I completely understand your concern. There are millions of family trees on Ancestry and consistency is key but every tree owner will adopt their own editing formats. You can truly enter the information in the clearest way possible for you. Being consistent on all of your family trees is more than enough and if your privacy settings are set to public, people viewing your trees will be incredibly grateful and happy to encounter well put together information.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you are having a good day. Stay safe and well John!

Tina S.

[I can speculate as to why there is an absence of the period “.” after a middle initial in a name. If you copy and paste a name to use as a file name the period has to be removed in order for the full name to be used as part of a file name. It is a practical matter and as a pragmatist, I have elected to do the same. – Editor]