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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.

2021-12-12 يوللانغان نەشرى. ئەڭ يېڭى نەشرىنى كۆرۈش.

ئاپتورى
Mark Wing
باھا نومۇرى
0 0 0
نەشرى
1
قۇرۇلغان ۋاقتى
2021-12-12
يېڭىلانغان ۋاقتى
2021-12-12
Size
38.5 KB
ئىجازەتنامىسى
MIT
قوللايدىغىنى

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
  • Cleans up place names
    • Adds “USA” if place is a state in the USA and is missing
    • Changes “United States” to “USA”
    • Removes “Ward #” from city names
    • If the county is missing, tries to add it
      • Current works for New England states only
      • 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

Note: this is not the same page as the slider on the right. If you want to open the hint page, right click on the “Review” button and open it in a new tab.