Using the above file structure, spend a few minutes identifying the features below.
Comment
Note how each individual has a record and is identified by a number. For example, the entry for Jason (I1) is:
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0 @I1@ INDI
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1 NAME Jason //
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1 SEX M
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1 FAMS @F1@
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1 FAMC @F2@
There are also references to families associated with Jason, F1 and F2. These can be found defined elsewhere in the file.
F1 is Jason and Medea's family with their five children:
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0 @F1@ FAM
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1 HUSB @I1@
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1 WIFE @I2@
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1 CHIL @I3@
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1 CHIL @I4@
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1 CHIL @I5@
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1 CHIL @I6@
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1 CHIL @I7@
and F2 is the family consisting of Jason's parents and himself:
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0 @F2@ FAM
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1 HUSB @I8@
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1 WIFE @I9@
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1 CHIL @I1@
Notice how Jason, coded as I1, appears as the husband in family F1 and a child in family F2. These links trace out the lineages
in the data; they make it possible to browse and search related individuals and draw charts such as the one above.
GEDCOM files are not intended to be human readable and they can be much more complex than the example seen here. Their main
use is a transfer format.