Finding and Correctly Listing Multiple Marriages in Your Family Tree

[@khanson6687]

This will help immensely, especially since I just found out my late sister-in-law had children from a prior marriage and was just made aware of such after her passing.

[@AncestryAimee]

So glad to hear it’s helpful!!

[@kathyl2839]

Loved the trick of making a new person with the same name and then merging that person. I have always struggled with this on Ancestry and been annoyed that I couldn't just add the right mom to all the kids with one step,

[@AncestryAimee]

Glad it helped!!

[@tabithaerickson5767]

I am working on my great grandmother. She was married 3 times starting at 13 years old. I had all her last names from my aunt, before my aunt passed, but I’m doing the fun stuff not trying to figure out her maiden name and the order of her marriages and 12 children children.

[@AncestryAimee]

Oh boy. That’s a task! Good luck!!

[@Paul_Sheila]

Sheila here. Excellent tips!!

[@AncestryAimee]

Thanks so much!

[@gayleumbach1478]

Thanks for sharing this. I am finding this a lot after a death, but now I’m finding Mormons with wives at the same time.

[@AncestryAimee]

Haha! True! Sometimes we think it was an error but with Mormons during those years (1830s - 1890) it may be a polygamous marriage!

[@maureentaphouse5206]

Sadly I shall have to watch this tomorrow but having had this problem I shall pay close attention once I get back from a hospital visit sometime in the afternoon.. Thank you in advance for answering my question. Much appreciated.

[@AncestryAimee]

You bet! It was a great question! Hope the video helps.

[@maureentaphouse5206]

@@AncestryAimee spot on. This is exactly my situation so I have saved it and can refer to it as I check everything. Fortunately there were only twins from the first marriage , one survivor, plus 1 from the second marriage though she is a problem too. But that is a different problem as I know when she was born and died but practically no records of her life after 1911 census. I can live with that though . I shall share this video to a UK group in case some one else can benefit form your efforts. Thank you again for your help.

[@AncestryAimee]

So glad the video applies so well!! Thank you for sharing too! I really appreciate it!

[@AncestryAimee]

To Debbie Carroll from the live video, here is the link the the video on the family history centers - You Likely Have a Family History Center Near You! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn_Nm4Gportmb7c

[@BillTxn]

I have encountered this situation many times and it requires attention to detail just as shown in this video. I have also found children from a woman's first marriage listed with the surname of the stepfather in later censuses, an enumerator error, so be watchful for that. Additionally, as to surname spelling changes, you can add a name by using the "Add" button on the Facts page, drop down to "Name" and enter it there. It will then appear as an alternate name and will be searchable by others. If you use "Also Known As", that fact drops to the bottom of the column and is NOT searchable in ancestry.

[@AncestryAimee]

Thanks @Bill Thomas! I appreciate the complement! Thank you also for adding the differences between "Name" and "Also Known As." Great comment about stepfather's surnames as well, keep in mind that sometimes those children from the first marriage take on the surname of their stepfather too so both surnames should be examined when continuing the research on those children.

[@BillTxn]

@@AncestryAimee I'm working on that very issue with a blended family with children from other marriages who took on the name of the stepfather, but there are no adoption documents. I'm trying to find living descendants to contact for more info.

[@AncestryAimee]

Good luck! That is difficult. Adoptions like we know them today were not common. Love your strategy!

[@roncadillac3987]

Thanks! Have a great grandfather (mom’s) with two wives, but 1st in New Brunswick, 2nd in RI, so should not be a problem. Just finished watching Rootstech-thanks to you. I have DNA test from Ancestry. My Son has DNA on 23and Me, so I just ordered DNA kit on 23+me, which does not seem to be on Rootstech?? I decend from New Brunswick side of great gramps, and learned from Rootstech that DNA matches from step RI relatives valuable as their DNA from great gramps alone. Thanks again-keep up your videos. Ron from Cape Cod

[@AncestryAimee]

Ron thanks for being a super fan! I really appreciate it. Just sitting in the airport now headed home. Yeah. I was disappointed too that 23 and me didn’t show. I was planning on getting a couple of tests. SO glad you saw that in the 1/2 relatives are definitely helpful when isolating one side of your family. Good luck!!

[@karmagal78]

I have a direct ancestor that has a double cousin with the same name. Both were born within a few short years of each. I’ve seen them merged into 1 single line. Then you have to split everyone apart.

[@karmagal78]

One died young, the other died several years later.

[@AncestryAimee]

Yeah. Naming conventions in some families and cultures create this more often than people think. Thanks for sharing!

[@sshermanful]

This is great and you made it all so easy. On the same topic of multiple marriage, or I should say "relationships", how do you add information about "half" sisters or brothers who were born by different woman while the man was married to another woman? This is my dilemma right now as I have messed up the relationships in my tree. I did try to add the woman as "unknown" but it still comes up in the tree as "spouse." After watching your video I realize I am missing out on some of the information in using Ancestry and really looking at the census records closely. Thanks so much.

[@AncestryAimee]

So glad this helped! I add half sisters/brothers by adding their mother/father or it will show as unknown. If the child was accidentally listed under the wrong parent, you can go into changing relationships and remove that parent and then they will be listed under unknown parent.

[@AncestryAimee]

Hope that makes sense!

[@traceyyoung9734]

Hi Aimee, I have a relative that was added on my great-great-grandfathers side and married someone on my great-great-grandmothers side. When adding each as a spouse on both sides, I end up adding them twice in my overall family tree. Is that a proper way to enter them? Please advise, thanks 😊

[@AncestryAimee]

You should be able to add them as marriages not adding them twice. In fact it should be just one person.

[@michaelcrone2333]

Very helpful video. Thanks. It seems that Ancestry is making a lot of these children step children by default and I can't figure out how to neutralize that. If they are not officially step children for varied reasons, I want to change that. Can you help?

[@AncestryAimee]

Great question! Ancestry will do that when they haven’t got both parents, and whatever record that created the child. For instance, if the father is a widower, and there are children in the census, they’ll be put under an unknown wife. It’s very easy to correct just go into relationships, and then you can change the parentage

[@GYPSYG514]

Debbie, sorry I was working at the same time... UG

[@AncestryAimee]

Thanks for joining the live broadcast!

[@GYPSYG514]

@@AncestryAimee thank you for having a live broadcast!! lol

[@stevelaursen1691]

on opening my tree I get a previous wife. how do I get a diffrent wife to alway show up.

[@AncestryAimee]

You can set a preferred spouse. Follow the instructions here: www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-set-the-preferred-spouse-or-parents