Hello, I have just began to enter my family’s genealogy into a local Gramps database. Now I want to invite relatives to send me data of their close relatives.
I have read about Gramps Web, but I would prefer to work with the local software rather than install and maintain web software. In which format should my relatives write their data? Options that I can think of:
Install Gramps, import the latest version of my database, add your close relatives, send me back the enlarged database. I then would have to merge this with my database using the Import Merge addon.
Write the data with some genealogy software in the GEDCOM format and send me the file.
Write the data with a text editor. I then would have to copy-paste them.
I would start with some “low investment” options while you gauge the interest of participation from your relatives.
Only highly invested relatives will battle through sharing of GEDCOM or Gramps databases. Either they would have to be experienced in genealogy software or be will to learn. Participation will be low.
Asking relatives to send free-form text by eMail or snail mail is likely to result in low-quality (inconsistent, incomplete and delayed/unresponsive) survey data. You are likely to get higher quality data with some fillable forms. Send to your high-risk (the most aged – grand parent generation) and and lowest risk (most likely to not be annoyed/suspicious – parents and siblings) candidates. After you get responses, use that feedback to customize the next round of surveys. (For instance, note that you have information on 100% of the descendents of a particular couple and n generations of their ancestors. And what you have permission to share.)
There are a variety of decent fillable PDF forms for Family Group Sheets and (3-7 generation) Pedigrees.
Sharing too much of the tree too soon can reduce participation. They might look and be intimidated or demotivated. Or see wrong/contested information and become aggravated. Or transcribe the unverified information from your tree rather than communicating what they believe to be correct.
By the way, the lower investment option for sharing online is by publishing the Narrative Web Report. By limiting the scope of the tree, excluding media and minimizing the complexity of content; you can reduce the size of the upload and flatten the learning curve for visitors.
Many service providers offer a bit of publicly accesdible online storage space. You might not have to invest in registering a domain name or even a dedicated IP address. Those inspire more confidence that you’re serious. But they incur extra service subscription fees.
Thank you. Do you mean that there are PDF files that produce or can be converted to GEDCOM data? Is there a simple program with which my relatives could produce a part of a tree? On paper we have already trees for 400 years, but I want to convert the information to GEDCOM, and I want to add the data of the last 40 years.
If you create a Gramps tree/database, you can send relatives either a full backup or a branch from your tree as an export using the native Gramps XML .gramps (data only) or the .gpkg (data and media) files.
Your relative would import these files into their version of Gramps on their computer, make any edits and additions, then send you their backup file which you can then import using the Import Merge tool.
The I/M tool only works if both people are using Gramps. The I/M tool works utilizing the unique handle that Gramps creates to identify each component of the database. Once created the handle does not change so as you get a file back from a relative, Gramps will know which components you originally sent to the relative and those components with a new handle coming to you from the relative.
If a relative is using another genealogy program, then GEDCOM files will need to travel back and forth with a manual merge of the entire database will need to occur.