Hi Jerry, so happy to hear from you cousin!
I'm confident that with the help of some friendly curators and other interested parties (including myself) you will soon have a genuine, quality family tree. One that provides you with a solid foundation on which to continue building your family history.
To err is human... :) The most difficult to fix though, are faulty merges. We can't reverse them ourselves, so need a curator's help. So it is always more efficient to think them over very carefully first and if necessary ask for some advice before committing to any questionable merges. They have an "I'll Decide Later" option which is very useful because if we change our mind we can always merge later.
First we need Ashley again or another curator to reverse this merge before we can help you begin tidying up. The curators are knowledgeable about how Gedcom works. And they may be able to help you figure out how you wound up with so many duplicates.
For example, Wilson Norris has four brothers named "John" with different dates and locations. You might decide which are correct and either merge, delete, or disconnect the unnecessary extras.
To get tuned up and prepared for an easy merge into the World Tree I suggest you begin with the lower branches of your Norris and Wilson lines and gradually work your way upwards. Whenever a pending merge pops up out of the blue, just remember they are only suggestions and it's up to you to decide whether they really match your tree or not. You have the option to remove any false matches.
Prove and document as much as you can, step by step, and add appropriate documents for reference to the relevant profile "Sources", or make note of them in the "Abouts". Then either delete or disconnect any individual profiles you created that are questionable or superfluous/redundant and that you find no proof for (or at least solid evidence). They can always be added back on after you have researched and verified them.
As you work your way up the line, carefully check the facts and mark your individual ancestors "proven", once you are satisfied the files are correct. On public profiles, posting reliable sources might be enough. For ancestors or places where you have no records specifically for them, or are just unsure for any reason, you can try out some of the many helpful Geni tools.
And if you don't find the answers there, you may need to do more extensive research. I sometimes get fairly good results with genealogy books that have been published online. Some universities have excellent resources freely available online too. Some state archives are pretty good, and Family Search can be good for research if you search under Records.
On Geni you can look at Ancestor and Descendant Reports for any profile, which often provide a better perspective or easier view of lineages. And they have many more tools and apps that are as educational as they are fun and convenient. Relationship Calculator, Searches, Lists, Projects, Help pages, etc.
Not least of which are several discussion threads specializing in different aspects or types of problems with your genealogy. You can also start your own discussions from specific profiles you have questions about or need help with.
In conclusion, as I too have some Norris and Wilson connections I am quite interested in the subject and research a lot in hopes of understanding and expanding the family history a little better. So anytime I find anything I think might be helpful, I'd be happy to let you know either here or in private message.
Best regards,
Debra
