Finding Missing Sources In Legacy Family Tree 7.5, Part 2

Yesterday, I explained a method for searching for missing sources in a specific location using Legacy Family Tree.  The method works well if you plan on entering the missing sources directly into Legacy.  You don't need to print out a report; you can just view and add sources directly from the search list.

Today, I'm going to describe a method that may be more practical if you have a large database or many missing sources.  I began using a genealogy database in the mid-1980s, but my first program only printed pedigree charts and family group sheets.  I couldn't have entered a source citation even if I'd realized I should.  I began adding sources in the 1990s in Brother's Keeper, moved to Legacy about 2001, and started using RootsMagic in conjunction with Legacy about 18 months ago.  All the moves between databases involved GEDCOM, and given the age of my database, I've got a lot of missing sources.

One option would be to run a simple Missing Sources search of the entire database.  Because my database contains about 8100 people, the report for missing sources for burial place alone is 24 pages and nearly 400 people.  That's too large a "to do" list for me to handle.  The "Anything" search is even more impractical:  for reasons of my own, I usually don't add a source to the Name field, so virtually my entire database will show up on that search.

Another option is to limit the search by location, surname, and event type.  For example, I searched for and printed a list of everyone with the surnames of my great-grandparents who are buried in Harrison Co., Missouri who have no source citation for that burial.  With that list, which contains only 21 names, it will be easy to use my gravestone photographs, cemetery books, and FindAGrave to add source citations.

Unlike the method I described yesterday, this process involves tagging. Tagging is a feature of Legacy that allows us to mark individuals in the database so we can limit searches or reports just to those individuals.  For this example, I started by tagging everyone in my database with the surnames of my great-grandparents.

(1) Clear any tags that may have been assigned previously (Ctrl-T; then select Clear All Tag Numbers for Everyone). Then, open the Search feature (Ctrl-F; or use the Search Menu and select Find) and select the Query by Example tab.  If necessary, use the Clear button to remove data from any previous searches, then type in the surname:

(2) Make sure "Clear list before this search" (lower left) is ticked, and click the "Create List" button.  The following screen should appear:

(3) Select the Options button at the bottom of the name list, then select Advanced Tagging.  From the Advanced Tagging screen, select the "Everyone in Search List" button, then Close.  Notice that an X has been added in the Tag 1 column of the search list.

Close that list and repeat Steps 1 through 3 for the other surnames.

(4) Once the surname(s) are tagged, press Ctrl-F to open the Search box again.  This time, select the Detailed Search tab.  This screen uses drop-down boxes to define the search in a variety of ways.  In this case, I wanted only the surnames I'd tagged who are buried in Harrison Co., Missouri.  To do that, I made the following selections:

Primary Condition:  Look for whom? Individual; Where to look? Tag 1; How to look? Equal to; What to look for? Tagged

AND

Second Condition:  Individual; Burial Place; Contains; Harrison Co., Missouri

(5) Make sure "Clear list before this search" is ticked, then click Create List.  I now had a list of everyone with the tagged surnames whose burial location contains the words Harrison Co., Missouri:

 (6) From the bottom of that Search list, click the Search button and then Find.  This time when the search screen appears, select the Missing Sources tab and clear it if necessary.  Select Burial Date and Place, and in the lower left corner select "Only search the search list."  Then click the "Create List" button.

(7) Now click the Print button at the bottom of the list of names, and select the options you want to print.  Because I'm dealing with Burials in this example, I selected Name, Died, and Buried under Row 1.  Clicking Preview (or Print) gave me the following report, containing the information I need to confirm and add burial citations for my surnames of interest in Harrison Co., Missouri:

Could I have skipped the tagging step?  Sure, but I prefer working with shorter lists, and I wanted to illustrate how tagging can provide data you otherwise wouldn't be able to obtain without manually going through large reports from your entire database.  I probably wouldn't use tagging in most situations where I can find what I need from the Query by Example or Detailed Search tab.  However, when I want to include more than 3 conditions, it seems necessary.

Yes, this sounds complicated when you see it written out, but that's only because the search and reporting features of Legacy are so powerful, flexible, and customizable.  It's not that hard; you just have to experiment with the options to realize how much you can do.