GEDCOM

gedcom tutorial

This is a simple example of a GEDCOM in relation to its levels and layout. GEDCOM's produced by genalogical programs are many times longer and sometimes more complex. This example is extruded from a gedcom generated from the Legacy Family Tree Deluxe. I have taken only a small cross section of the gedcom file to show the heirarchical format and linking.

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  • 0 HEAD <-- some basic information about the file
    • 1 SOUR Legacy <-- where the gedcom originated from
    • 1 DEST Gedcom55 <-- the type of gedcom created
    • 1 DATE 19 Mar 2005 <-- the date the gedcom was created
  • 0 @I1@ INDI <-- indicates the first individual in the gedcom file
    • 1 NAME Adam /Mather/ <-- the name of the first individual
      • 2 GIVN Adam <-- the name is split up into its GIVEN
      • 2 SURN Mather <-- and SURNAME or LAST or FAMILY name
      • 2 SOUR @S31@
        • 3 PAGE panel 3
        • 3 QUAY 1
    • 1 SEX M <-- the gender of the person
    • 1 BIRT <-- indicates a birth
      • 2 DATE 8 Feb 1822 <-- the birth date
      • 2 PLAC Kilmarnock, , Ayr, Scotland <-- the birth place
    • 1 CHR <-- a christening
      • 2 DATE Mar 1823 <-- the date and place when happened
      • 2 PLAC Kilmarnock, , Ayr, Scotland
    • 1 DEAT <-- a death occurred
      • 2 DATE 10 Jul 1870 <-- on this date
      • 2 PLAC Morpeth, , New South Wales, Australia <-- death place
      • 2 CAUS heart attack <-- cause of death
    • 1 BURI <-- this person was buried
      • 2 DATE 13 Jul 1870 <-- on this date and place
      • 2 PLAC Paterson, , New South Wales, Australia
    • 1 ANCI HIGH <-- indicates an ancestor interest with a rating of high
    • 1 _TAG <-- Legacy can have anything up to 9 specific program tags
    • 1 _TAG2 <-- which can be exported. Beware that others programs
    • 1 _TAG3 <-- that import gedcoms may not recognise these specific
    • 1 _TAG4 <-- program generated tags
    • 1 _TAG5
    • 1 _TAG6
    • 1 _TAG7
    • 1 _TAG8
    • 1 _TAG9
    • 1 RESI Morpeth
      • 2 ADDR Main Street
        • 3 CONT Morpeth, NSW 2350
        • 3 _NAME Adam Mather
        • 3 ADR1 Main Street
        • 3 CITY Morpeth
        • 3 STAE NSW
        • 3 POST 2350
        • 3 NOTE something
      • 2 _OVER He lived at Morpeth
    • 1 CENS
      • 2 DATE 30 Mar 1851
      • 2 PLAC Barony, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
      • 2 SOUR @S32@
        • 3 PAGE "http://fp.ayrshireroots.plus.com/Genealogy/Records/Census/1851/1851.htm"
        • 3 QUAY 3
        • 3 DATA
          • 4 TEXT Z/51/12/
            • 5 CONT J/WILLIAM/MCILDOINE/HEAD/MAR/45//MASON/PER/MONZIEVAIRD/
            • 5 CONT J/MARGARET/MCILDOINE/W/MAR//31//PER/COMRIE/
            • 5 CONT J/DANIEL/MCILDOINE/SON//3///PER/AUCHTERARDER/
            • 5 CONT J/MARGARET/POLLOCK/SERV/U//13/DOMESTIC SERV/LKS/KILBRIDE/
            • 5 CONT J/DAVID/MURRAY/LODGER/U/19//STUDENT/ANS/MONTROS
            • 5 CONT J/DANIEL/MCWHANNEL/LODGER/U/21//GROCER/PER/COMRIE/
            • 5 CONT J/ADAM/MATHER/LODGER/U/29//MILLER/AYR/KILMARNOCK/
    • 1 FAMS @F2@ <-- Points to family with Charlotte Cameron as wife
    • 1 FAMS @F3@ <-- Points to family with Elizabeth Keppie as wife
    • 1 FAMC @F1@ <-- Points to family with Adam as a child
    • 1 NOTE @NI1@ <-- points to first note @NI1@ below
    • 1 NOTE @NI1@ <-- points to 2nd note @NI1@ below with CONC begins with (Research)
  • 0 @NI1@ NOTE <-- Legacy can have a number of notes; this is a general note
    • 1 CONC Adam Mather (1822-1870) is buried at St. Paul's (C/E) Angli
    • 1 CONC can Church, Patterson, New South Wales.
  • 0 @HI1@ NOTE <-- A research note
    • 1 CONC (Research):23 January 2005 between 2100 and 2125 hh, on th
    • 1 CONC e internet website for Ayreshire Roots Genealogy 1851 Censu
    • 1 CONC s located at
    • 1 CONT "http://fp.ayrshireroots.plus.com/Genealogy/Records/Census/
    • 1 CONC 1851/1851.htm". Located under the Scotland section, the lin
    • 1 CONC k for Lanarkshire produced some amazing results. The downlo
    • 1 CONC aded file lks.zip contained a file called "Lks Glasgow Baro
    • 1 CONC ny.txt" and contained the following information:
    • 1 CONT
    • 1 CONT Z/51/12/
    • 1 CONT J/WILLIAM/MCILDOINE/HEAD/MAR/45//MASON/PER/MONZIEVAIRD/
    • 1 CONT J/MARGARET/MCILDOINE/W/MAR//31//PER/COMRIE/
    • 1 CONT J/DANIEL/MCILDOINE/SON//3///PER/AUCHTERARDER/
    • 1 CONT J/MARGARET/POLLOCK/SERV/U//13/DOMESTIC SERV/LKS/KILBRIDE/
    • 1 CONT J/DAVID/MURRAY/LODGER/U/19//STUDENT/ANS/MONTROSE/
    • 1 CONT J/DANIEL/MCWHANNEL/LODGER/U/21//GROCER/PER/COMRIE/
    • 1 CONT J/ADAM/MATHER/LODGER/U/29//MILLER/AYR/KILMARNOCK/
    • 1 CONT
    • 1 CONT As bizarre as it sounds, some of this information relates s
    • 1 CONC pecifically to the Adam Mather in our database, going by th
    • 1 CONC e age above for the 1851 census and when Adam was born. 182
    • 1 CONC 2 + 29 = 1851.
  • 0 @F2@ FAM <-- a family record link found in @I1@
    • 1 HUSB @I1@ <-- points to INDI 1 above - Adam mather
      • 2 _PREF Y
    • 1 WIFE @I4@ <-- points to INDI 5 who is Charlotte Cameron (not shown)
    • 1 MARR <-- a marriage occurred
      • 2 DATE 15 Jul 1851 <-- the marriage date
    • 1 CHAN
      • 2 DATE 27 Nov 2004
        • 3 TIME 15:27
  • 0 @F3@ FAM <-- another family record link found in @I1@
    • 1 HUSB @I1@ <-- points to INDI 1 above - Adam mather
      • 2 _PREF Y
    • 1 WIFE @I5@ <-- points to INDI 5 who is Elizabeth Keppie (not shown)
      • 2 _PREF Y
    • 1 MARR <-- Adam and Elizabeth's marriage
      • 2 DATE 21 Nov 1854 <-- the marriage date
      • 2 PLAC Paterson, , New South Wales, Australia <-- marriage place
      • 2 NOTE @NF3@ <-- a note is linked (not shown)
      • 2 OBJE <-- a linked object
        • 3 FORM jpg <-- of type JPG indicating a picture
        • 3 FILE C:\Program Files\Legacy\Pictures\sample.jpg <-- file location on harddrive
        • 3 _SCBK Y <-- a scrapbook item
        • 3 _PRIM Y <-- that hold a primary photo
        • 3 _TYPE PHOTO
    • 1 CHIL @I7@ <-- points to a number of children (not shown) that would
    • 1 CHIL @I8@ <-- have similar entries to Adam above for the tag
    • 1 CHIL @I9@ <-- For example, this child will have 0 @I9@ INDI
    • 1 CHIL @I10@
    • 1 CHIL @I11@
    • 1 CHIL @I12@
    • 1 CHIL @I13@
    • 1 CHIL @I14@
    • 1 CHIL @I15@
      • 2 _PREF Y <-- this indicates this child is the preferred child allowing easy navigation for direct descent
    • 1 CHAN <-- this record was changed or modified
      • 2 DATE 13 Feb 2005 <-- on this date
        • 3 TIME 09:07 <-- and time
  • 0 @S32@ SOUR <-- a linked source
    • 1 _MEDI Web Site
    • 1 ABBR Census Info - Web Site
    • 1 TITL Scotland 1851 Census
    • 1 AUTH Census
    • 1 PUBL http://fp.ayrshireroots.plus.com/Genealogy/Records/Census/1
      • 2 CONC 851/1851.htm
    • 1 DATE 23 Jan 2005
  • 0 @S7@ SOUR <-- another source
    • 1 ABBR Lange Rainbow
    • 1 TITL The Lange Rainbow: A history of Mathias and Sophia Lange an
      • 2 CONC d their descendants in Australia 1846-1996 (1996)
    • 1 AUTH Graeme Dale Lange
    • 1 PUBL Published by Graeme and Anita Lang, Collinswood, South Aust
      • 2 CONC ralia
    • 1 REPO @R5@
  • 0 @R5@ REPO <-- a repository
    • 1 NAME Mark Lang
    • 1 ADDR 99 Some Street
      • 2 CONT Some Town, YYY 9999 Australia
      • 2 _NAME Mark Lang
      • 2 ADR1 99 Some Street
      • 2 CITY Some Town
      • 2 STAE YYY
      • 2 POST 9999
      • 2 CTRY Australia
      • 2 OBJE
        • 3 FORM jpg
        • 3 FILE C:\Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\Family History Photos\lang_mark.jpg
        • 3 _SCBK Y
        • 3 _PRIM Y
        • 3 _TYPE PHOTO
    • 1 PHON xx x xxxx xxxx
    • 1 _EMAIL marklang@tpg.com.au
  • 0 TRLR <-- needed in a valid gedcom file