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Script_Ancestry.com_Hint_Helper

This script works with Ancestry.com’s hint merge page to properly update data. This helps enforce genealogy best practices and saves time.

Author
Mark Wing
Daily installs
0
Total installs
66
Ratings
0 0 0
Version
2
Created
2021-12-12
Updated
2024-05-01
Size
50.3 KB
License
MIT
Applies to

This script works with Ancestry.com’s hint merge page to properly update data. This helps enforce genealogy best practices and saves time.

One of my frustrations with Ancestry.com is when merging hints using their web interface, there is a lot of stuff I need to clean up. This includes:

  • Changing facts to be alternative facts (when appropriate)
  • Correcting the formatting of dates
  • Updating the names of places

I built this script to automatically do the things I would have to do manually. It has made genealogy more fun for me.

Detailed List of Features

  • When there are existing facts, it changes the new facts to alternative facts by checking the right boxes
    • Ancestry.com encourages sloppy documentation habits by not having this as a default
    • If the new alternative fact matches the existing fact, Ancestry.com will recognize this once you submit and add the documentation to the existing fact
  • Checks boxes for additional family members
  • Corrects date formats
    • Shortens month names to three letters
    • Adds leading 0 to single digit dates
      • Matches Family Tree Maker format
    • Changes dates in “mm/dd/yyyy” format to “dd mmm yyyy” format
    • Changes “abt” or “Abt” to “Abt.”
    • Adds “01 Apr” to resident years 1935 or 1940 when reviewing 1940 census
    • Changes “Est” to “Abt.”
  • Cleans up place names
    • Adds “USA” if place is a state in the USA and is missing
    • Changes “United States” to “USA”
    • Changes state abbreviations into full names (“MA” becomes “Massachusetts”)
    • Removes “Ward #” from city names
    • If the county is missing, tries to add it
      • Currently works for
        • New England states
        • Oregon
      • If the city or town is also the name of a county in the state, it does not change it
  • Removes “County” from county if there is a city or town
    • Mostly from FindAGrave.com Index hints
    • Adds “County” if the place is from the California Birth Index
    • Adds “County, California, USA” if the place is from the California Death Index
  • Unchecks description check boxes
  • Adds “County” to the birth place for the following sources:
    • California Birth Index, 1905-1995
    • Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911-1999
    • Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000
    • Nebraska, U.S., Birth Ledgers, 1904-1911, Birth Index, 1912-1994
    • Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997
  • Adds “County” to the death place for the following sources:
    • California, U.S., Death Index, 1905-1939
    • Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998
    • Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919-1998
    • Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017
    • Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008
    • Texas, U.S., Death Index, 1903-2000
    • Wisconsin, U.S., Death Records, 1959-2004
  • Adds “County” to the marriage place for the following sources:
    • Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001
    • Texas, U.S., Marriage Index, 1824-2017

Usage

In order for this script to work, you must open the correct page for merging hints. When looking at hints, if you click the title of hint, it opens a box on the right. To make this script work, right-click on the title and select “Open Link in New Tab”. At the bottom when prompted if this person matches, select “Yes”. Once it reloads, you are on the correct page.