Genealogy Chat

Hi,
I've just come back to this thread and read the replies from
JiminyCricket and InspectorGreenPen.
Thanks very much to you both for your very helpful replies.
It is daunting when you are not sure how to do things on the tree.
I'll be able to keep all your advice and will refer to it for next time I need it.

It all depends what is meant by displayed.

With FTM (and most other commercial tree programs, for that matter) a fundamental rule is that each person is only entered once within the database.

However, where a person has more than one relationship, then depending on the nature of those relationships, a report or tree chart may show an individual and subsequent descendants twice. This is correct and needs no action, provided you have followed the rule of entering each person only once.

In order to create multiple relationships, there are two tools at your disposal. Add/Detach and Merge. Here are some general rules for their use.

Merge is used when you have already added the person twice, perhaps to separate descendant lines without realizing it at the time. Merging the two names together into one is all that is required.

Add, as described by Patricia, is when you wish to create second or subsequent relationships for a person that you have already entered. You first select the person you want to attach to, specify whether you want to add a father, mother, spouse or child and then select the person you wish to attach.

Detach is used when you have linked a person incorrectly. In this case you select the person you wish to detach. The can then be added back to their correct position using the previous process.

It can be a bit daunting at first, but as mentioned, do a back up first in case you get it wrong, and I find that is you have to do several steps, jot down the actions for each first.

Thanks very much Patricia for your help. I've managed to do it the way you said, and now I have Robert with his correct parents.

It takes some working out sometimes how to work these trees!
:-)

Hope I have this right ...........

you need to go to Robert B and then 'person', then Attach/detach. and select attach Father. Attach Robert to John, I think it may give you the option to attach to a particular family in this case John and Ann.

Should work in Family or person view, just make sure it is Robert highlighted in Family view. I would make a back up of your file BEFORE doing this in case I am wrong or you attach to the wrong person

Hi Kath,
Thanks for your help. Just looked and seen that there is, and I've now been able to do what I needed to do.
Thanks again.

I have an older version of Family Tree Maker (2005) so not sure about your version but on mine you can go to "people" in the top tool bar and click on "merge" to join up someone to a family. Is there anything like that on your version?

Kath. x

Could someone help with entering some names onto my Family Tree Maker 2010 please?

My 2xg grandfather George "A" married Charlotte "B".

Charlotte's brother Robert "B" married my 2xg grandfather's sister, Elizabeth "A"

I have put them all down on my tree. Charlotte and Robert's parents are my 3xg grandparents and called John and Ann.

I have put John and Ann down as being Charlotte "B"'s parents, and I am also trying to put them down as Robert "B"'s parents.
I already have Robert down as being married to Elizabeth.
I don't know how to join Robert up as the son of John and Ann without getting two entries for Robert.

Hope someone can understand what I am on about! :-S