Copying details from Family Search may or may not create source details

There’s an inconsistency in copying details from Family Search to RootsFinder. When a marriage record is copied over source information is added. This doesn’t happen for vital details of an individual (eg copy birth or death info). Is there a reason for this inconsistency. It would make sense to me to either always or never create those details (perhaps based on user preference). My preference is to not create the source automatically.

There is a reason for the inconsistency. It’s not a great reason, but a reason nonetheless. Currently, all marriage events, whether from FamilySearch or manually entered, have to have an “Evidence” created, because the evidence ties the two partners together. It doesn’t have to be that way (and in hindsight it shouldn’t be that way), but that’s the way it is right now.

Thanks for the clarification. The reason makes sense and helps me understand.

Closing this because it would require a big change to correct. The time is better spent on other things.

Hi Dallan

I’m wondering if it really is that big a change. I’ve noticed since you fixed other things about the marriage record (Copying couples from Family Search to Roots Finder doesn't create marriage record correctly) there are now cases where the source doesn’t get created. If one person is already in RootsFinder, and then their married partner is copied from FS to RF the person details are created AND the marriage record is also copied over correctly without source details. It is like the source is there but no values in it. Getting the same result when just copying the marriage record (ie the two partners are already in RF but no marriage record - the marriage is copied from FS) seems easier than you are suggesting. Just have an ‘empty’ source connection as happens when you create the marriage manually or copy the partner from FS. Also it is the same as what happens when you copy from FS to RF as currently and then just delete the entries from the source part of the record.

It’s a minor thing but actually quite irritating.

And for my 2c… I’d consider it a bug as it is inconsistent behaviour for essentially the same action.

I want to make sure that the problem I’m seeing is the same one you’re describing: When you add a spouse from FamilySearch to RootsFinder in the compare screen, if that couple relationship has sources in FamilySearch, those sources aren’t copied over. The marriage event is copied over, but the couple relationship is not. Is this what you’re talking about? I’ve attached a screenshot.

I think we are on slightly different channels and probably because I’m not using the language accurately.

Scenario 1:
Person A is copied from FS to RF
Person B (spouse) is copied from FS to RF

  • marriage record is copied to RF with ‘empty’ supporting evidence fields

Scenario 2:
Person A and B are already in RF matched to FS
Marriage record from FS is copied to RF
Supported evidence fields are populated with the Family Search reference as per example below. This is not created as a source but values appear in the source tab.

This behaviour in Scenario 2 does not occur for any other copying of information from FS so my view is that it shouldn’t happen here either. It is clearly possible to create the supporting evidence with empty values here (as per scenario 1) so should be the same in scenario 2.

Trust this is clearer.

Thank you for the picture! I think I finally understand what you’re saying. Please open a new browser tab so you get the latest update, and try it again. New facts should no longer have the FamilySearch URL, date, and citation text.

Yes, you got it :slight_smile: Thanks so much for sorting it out.

Great! I’m still going to work on copying relationship sources and notes.