My parents are still living

hillaryannbolander1 · March 3, 2022

How do I connect my tree to my father who is living and not create a duplicate account?

Norm Jones · March 3, 2022

You can't connect directly to your living parents. You need to create another entry for living parents, as shown in the attached article:

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-add-living-relatives-to-a-person-in-family-tree

Julia Szent-Györgyi · March 3, 2022

Only the person who enters the profile for a living person can see it. You connect up with the shared tree at your deceased relatives.

Yes, this means living people have duplicates in the private spaces of their various living relatives -- but those duplicates are really just placeholders or anchor points, so you need not put any effort into entering them. If you don't happen to remember Mom-Mom's maiden name, enter her as Mom-Mom; nobody besides you needs to know who you're talking about. (The best way to protect the privacy of the living is to not put their information anywhere online, not even in a "protected" space. Keep their data in an offline genealogy program.)

dontiknowyou · March 3, 2022

Seconding @Julia Szent-Györgyi's suggestion to just use placeholders for living persons. The goal is to make a chain of placeholders between you and your deceased ancestors.

Brett . · March 3, 2022

@hillaryannbolander1

Hillary

Welcome to the "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.

I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...

[ And, I happen to be a Member of the Church ... ]

Just in passing ...

Your Question: How do I connect my tree to my father who is living and not create a duplicate account?

Short Answer: You CANNOT, you NEED a "Living" DUPLICATE of him in YOUR 'FamilySearch' Account.

In 'Family Tree", of 'FamilySearch' ...

For those Users/Patrons, who are Members of the Church, MANY do not just have (LESS "Detailed") "Place Holders", for our IMMEDIATE Family members, we HAVE ("Detailed") "Living" DUPLICATES of them, in the "Private Spaces", in our 'FamilySearch' Accounts.

For Starters ...

Just my take ...

When you are WITH another ("Living") User/Patron, be-it a Family member or not, looking at/in THEIR 'FamilySearch' Account, ...

Even though you can 'see' that they have a particular 'FamilySearch Person Identifier' (PID) in THEIR 'FamilySearch' Account ...

You, will NOT be able to 'see' that PID for the other User/Patrons in/through YOUR 'FamilySearch' Account ...

NOR, will you be able to USE that PID for the other User/Patrons in/through YOUR 'FamilySearch' Account ...

For ("Living") Users/Patrons, of the "Family Tree' Part, of 'FamilySearch' (including yourself) their PID is, unique to them; and, can ONLY bee 'seen' by them, in THEIR 'FamilySearch' Account ...

"Living" Users/Patrons, of the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch' ARE just like, in fact, just the SAME as, "Living" individuals/persons, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', that are recorded in our "Private Spaces", of our individual/personal 'FamilySearch' Accounts - they can ONLY be 'seen' by the User/Patron who created them; or, in case of a "Living" User/Patron, by them.

As such ...

For "Living" Users/Patrons, just like "Living" individuals/persons, we HAVE to "Create" a ("Living") DUPLIACTE of them in OUR own respective 'FamilySearch' Accounts, in other words within our respective "Ancestral" Lines, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

And ...

That said ...

'Yes' ... they WILL be DUPLIACTES ... but, that is O.K.; and, a necessary feature for "Privacy".

Basically ...

You and your ("Living") Family members (and, extended Family) have to "Build" a "Bridge" of the "Living" individuals/persons (As "Living" DUPLICATES) that connect/link you together, in your respective 'FamilySearch' Accounts.

Once, you and your ("Living") Family members (and, extended Family) have ALL "Built" that "Bridge" of the "Living" (individuals/persons) that connect/link you ALL together (As "Living" DUPLICATES); then, when you ALL come to your FIRST Common "Deceased" Ancestor, your "Ancestral" Lines will connect/link together. into one.

I hope, that this may help/assist, somewhat.

Brett

Brett . · March 3, 2022

@hillaryannbolander1

Hillary

Furthermore ...

Here an old 'standby' of mine, that I have previously proffered on occasion ...

------------------

Most new (and, some old) Users/Patrons, DO NOT, understand, the basic 'nature' and 'premise', of the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', when they join in.

Please let me explain ...

[ And, please bear with me; as, I am VERY 'Verbose' ... that is my 'style' ... ]

We do not have our OWN "Tree", in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

We ONLY have "Branches" (ie. Ancestral" lines), that are interconnected, in this SINGLE "One" World "Tree", for all of us, that is the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

The "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', is NOT like 'On-Line' "Websites" (eg. "Ancestry_com"; or "MyHeritage_com"; or, the like); and/or, 'standalone' personal (computer) programmes (eg, the OLD, now no longer supported, "PAF"; or, "Ancestral Quest"; or, the like).

We DO NOT have "Private"/"Personal" 'Trees', in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', like other 'On-Line' "Websites"; and/or, 'standalone' personal (computer) programmes.

We do not even, own; or, manage; and, are NOT even responsible for, the "Deceased" individuals/persons, in "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

And, most importantly ...

We DO NOT even, own; or, manage; and, are NOT even responsible for, Our OWN "Deceased" Ancestors/Family/Relatives, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

The "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', is built on a "Open Edit" Platform - hence, why any "Registered" User/Patron can "Edit" (ie. Add, Delete; and/or, Change) ANY "Deceased" individual/person, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

------------------

You can certainly "Merge"/"Combine" any "Deceased" individual/person, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', with another "Deceased" individual/person, in "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch', regardless of who the User/Patron was, that initially created those "Deceased" individuals/persons; as, they DO NOT reside with the User/Patron, who initially created them - they are "Public".

In fact, you can ONLY 'see' "Deceased" individuals/persons, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'; except, with this 'rider', that you can ALSO only see "Living" individual/person, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', that YOU created; as, they reside in your "Private Spaces".

No other User/Patron, can 'see' ANY "Living" individuals/persons, that were created by another User/Patron; as, they ONLY reside in the "Private Spaces", of the User/Patron who created them.

We CANNOT even 'see', the ACTUAL Record, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', of our IMMEDIATE Family (eg. Spouse; Children; Parents; Siblings; ETC; Etc; etc), if they are "Living"; and, they have their own 'FamilySearch' Account.

Of course, you can create your "Living" Family members; and, record them in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'; but, they will ONLY be seen by you:

▬ You cannot "Share" them with any other User/Patron.

▬ You cannot "Merge"/'Combine" them, with any other "Living" individual/person, residing in the "Private Spaces", of another User//Patron.

There is CURRENTLY, no mechanism, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', for Users/Patrons, to "Share"; or, "give permission" to "Share", the "Living" individuals/persons, in their own "Private Spaces", with/between other/another User(s)/Patron(s).

There are a myriad of "Privacy" Laws, within the many various, Countries; and, Unions, throughout the World - it is a nightmare to negotiate.

The "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', is used in many, Countries; and, Unions, throughout the World; and, as such, must adhere to the myriad of "Privacy" Laws, throughout the World.

Hence, "Privacy" is one of the reasons that we cannot "Share" the "Living" individuals/persons in our own "Private Spaces" - it is NOT the ONLY reason; but, certainly has a bearing on the matter.

Another factor, is that such would have to be 'Coded'/'Programmed', into the Programme, that is the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch'.

'Yes', these "Living" individuals/persons, in the "Family Tree" Part, of 'FamilySearch', WILL, in fact, in many (most) cases will be "Duplicated" - unfortunately a necessary situation that currently cannot be avoided.

I know, that there are "Duplicates", of the "Living" ME - at least, one for my Wife and each of our Children, not to mention my other ("Living") extended Family members.

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Here are some "Knowledge Articles", in 'FamilySearch', in regard to "Private Spaces"; and, "Living" individuals/persons: