"GEDCOM Import" allows a new user to upload a copy of their family tree into MyFamilyArchive and kickstart the creation of their family's "best memories" collection.

It's a family tree file exported from a genealogy app such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, or other site, that can be imported to replicate at least a portion of one's family tree.

Not at all. Many people use MyFamilyArchive with only a few people in their tree to create a collection of their immediate family.  Others use it with only with one or two people as a way to manage their cloud-based home movies. Since the primary purpose of the tree in MyFamilyArchive is to quickly and intuitively navigate to family memories, the size of the tree is often simply a function of the collections one wishes to create.

It's not about the tree (though it's indeed great to "own" your family tree). It's about capturing the memories of everyone IN your tree. And having a secure, shareable collection that anyone in your family, old or young, can navigate by simply clicking on a person or family in the tree.

MyFamilyArchive picks up where the genealogy apps leave off.  Those apps are great for tracing your family back generations and creating stories of ancestors where you have only a few photos; but they are not designed to organize your current family's "best memories" of photos, videos, home movies, documents, stories, etc.

We also allow you to import up to eight generations of your FamilySearch tree.

So Here is How to Import a GEDCOM File:

If You've Not Yet Started Your Collection...

1. If your family tree is in a genealogy app that allows it, download your GEDCOM file (interface shown above is that found in Ancestry.com).

2. Register (it's free) or sign in to your MyFamilyArchive account, click on your VIEW COLLECTIONS tab at the top of the page, then click Create A New Collection.

3. Choose Family Tree Structure

4. Select Import GEDCOM File and select the file from the location where the downloaded file was stored.

5. Your tree will appear like this when imported (though it will likely be much larger).

The import will bring in name, gender, and 'dates and places' of birth and death for all people in your GEDCOM file. (Profile photos are not imported as GEDCOM files do not contain photos.) Once the new tree is created in MyFamilyArchive, you can start creating a far more complete collection of photos, home movies, stories and other memories than can be added in the genealogy sites.

The import should add most people in your GEDCOM file to your MyFamilyArchive tree, but a few people may need to be added manually.  The number of generations included in a GEDCOM file is a function of the creation program used. 

6. Your tree will look more like this after adding profile photos and memories.  The number under each person denotes the number of items added for that person or family (link between couples). Clicking on the person or family link on the tree opens their collection page.

If You've Already Started Your MyFamilyArchive Family Collection...

If you already have a family tree in MyFamilyArchive, we're sorry but we can't merge a GEDCOM file with your current tree. But if you have added only a few Linked Albums (perhaps less than 15) but would like to import your larger GEDCOM family tree, then here are our recommended steps:

1. We suggest you first create a new temporary account (it's free to do) with another email address and test the GEDCOM import to make sure you're getting what you want in your new tree. If it looks good, then proceed with the following steps in your real account. 

(tip for creating a second email address - If you have a gmail address, you can just add a "+" sign and text after your name and before the @ to create a new email address, such as "jane+1@gmail.com". Other domains may also allow this.)

2. Go to My Account > Permissions and Preferences > Summary Report and download and save this report which is an Excel spreadsheet of all of your Chapters and Linked Albums, including Titles, Descriptions, and Share Links (Also see video: Getting Printout of Your Collection and Database)

3. Go to My Account > Subscription Options > Restart Your Entire Collection.

4. Complete this step only if you are ready! This is a scary step as it will erase your entire tree and all collection pages.  But if you have your Summary Report and have copied all Narratives separately, you'll be able to now copy and paste information into the new tree. Once you delete your old collection, head to the top of this page to start over.

If this confuses you, send a query to Contact Us and we'll get back to you ASAP!