How to Merge Families on PAF
- 1). Open PAF by double-clicking on the desktop icon. Select the file you wish to work with. At the top of the toolbar, choose the "Match/Merge" icon, which looks like the heads of three people. When you select the Match/Merge option, a pop-up window will appear stating that this option may delete some records. It asks if you wish to make a backup copy before proceeding. Choose "Yes." Enter in a name for the backup file and click on "Enter."
- 2). Select the Match/Merge options that pertain to your file. Choices for matching include names that sound similar, names with exact spelling or Ancestral File Numbers. Merge Options include combining notes, sources and multimedia objects and confirming the action when the merge option is selected. Select any combination of items by clicking on the boxes next to the option. Select "OK."
- 3). Examine the two or more choices that appear after selecting the "OK" option. The oldest record, referred to as the original record, will appear on the left side of the screen. On the right side will be the first duplicate record of a family member. Compare the information to be sure that the record is truly a duplicate entry. Select the merge option and confirm the merge. If there are more duplicates for the original family member, they will appear in the right side of the screen after the first two records are merged.
Merge an entire family by first matching each individual and then selecting the merge options. Repeat the process for each family member until no duplicate records remain.
Source...