Hi Bill, It sounds to me as though you may have got your import & export mixed up and inadvertently "imported" your exported gedcom file back into your database. First of all - as you noted that you made a back-up of your original Williams file (2300 individuals) - you should restore this to your main database location on your hard drive. To export a gedcom file of the Jones side of the family (your mother's ancestral family) - using your master database of 2300 individuals: 1. From File > Export > select the required gedcom format (either a PAF format if the recipients will be using PAF - or - "Other Gedcom 5.5" (selecting the "ANSEL" format). On the right hand side of this export window ensure that you select all the elements that you want to include in the gecom transfer. 2. On the Filter options - select "Partial" and press the "Select" button. 3. On the "Select Individuals" window - using either the RIN or Alphabetic sequence, select/highlight your end-of-line individual on the Jones line (Humphrey Jones). 4. On the drop-down relationship filter - select "Descendants" and press the "Select" button. A secondary window will then appear asking for the number of descendant generations to include (999 default) and a tick box to include (or not) spouses (normally expect to be ticked). 5. Finish off by - pressing "OK" on the "Select Individuals" screen and the "Export" button on the Export screen to create the gedcom file. On your specific noted problem - as long as your mother is linked as a descendant of Humphrey Jones, she will appear on the selected gedcom. If any of the descendants of Humphrey Jones do not appear then there must be a problem in the parent-child relationships at some point on your database. Any other named "Jones" individuals who are not descendants of Humphrey Jones will of course, not be selected. Using the above "Descendants" selection will select everyone who has a blood relationship with Humphrey Jones (including married-in spouses - see (4) above). Using the "Ancestors" options for your mother would select all of the ancestors she has a blood relationship with - this of course would include the Jones line but also her maternal line and all other direct line ancestors (and the descendants of other ancestors if optionally selected). This may be what you want if your Jones relatives in Wales have shared ancestral lines with your mother. In the selection process you can cumulatively select various combinations of "Ancestors" and "Descendants" of the same or different individuals (!) which will give you a combined selection - say, descendants of Humphrey Jones and ancestors of your mother - but you just need to keep a clear idea of what is being selected. (This is perhaps a silly example as; given the right combination of selection option on the Ancestors selection you would pick up all the descendants of Humphrey Jones in any case). Regards, Stewart -----Original Message----- From: Bill Williams [mailto:billwilliams25@juno.com] Sent: 16 August 2005 15:57 To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [PAF-5] Fw: Spliting a PAF5 file and making a Gedcom file From: Bill Williams To: PAF-5-USERS-D-request@rootsweb.com Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 3:48 PM Subject: Spliting a PAF5 file and making a Gedcom file I believe that I really need help for subject problem before I do any more damage to my PAF5 file. This is my first attempt to accomplish this procedure but I need to do quite a bit more of it. My original file is named Williams.PAF and includes 2300 individuals. This file includes my father's family (Williams), my mother's family (Jones), my wife's father's family (Morgan) and my wife's mother's family (Kyne). I have made four backup copies of the PAF 5.2 Williams file. I have printed out all 196 pages of the PAF 5.2 Users' Guide. After trying unsuccessfully to split out the Jones family (Using the descendants of Humphrey Jones born 1719) I called the LDS Library and obtained help but then tried to make a Jones Family.ged on a 3 1/2 floppy disk. This required another phone call to the LDS Library plus they called me back to get the procedure down correctly. I praise them for that! The Jones file ended up as 543 individuals. 1. My major problem is that while doing this it also added the 543 individuals to my 2300 individuals in the Williams file (total of 2843) creating 543 sets of Jones family duplicates in my original Williams file on the hard drive. 2. In addition I notice that it did not make a complete Jones file of all the descendants of Humphrey Jones. 3. Next, in order to include all members of the Jones families I believe that I must add the ancestors of my mother who was a Jones. What kind of problems will this produce? 4. Am I on the right track to send a complete Jones Family file to three Jones family cousins in Wales? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Bill Williams billwilliams25@juno.com ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service http://www.familysearch.org/