Correcting errors in records
I have discovered an error in the mother of my grandfather Kenneth Anna McPherson. How do I get that corrected?
Answers
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The correct answer will depend on the type of error you are finding in her profile/Sources.
Historical Record/Image error:
If her historical record/image has an Edit button/option you may be able to edit it yourself. If not - then you can attach the record and note that the index is incorrect in the Reason to Attach statement or person/record Source Notes. Even incorrect original records can be noted in the person/Source Notes - though of course you will not be able to go back in time and get the image corrected or perhaps the current day jurisdictional authority to amend such.
Tree profile error:
If you mean that there is a problem in her Tree person record (not a historical record/image) - the Edit option is the pencil icon found to the right of the particular conclusion (Name, Place, Date, Relationship, etc.). For example, if there is a child that does not belong in the family - you can edit the Parent-Child Relationship through the pencil icon for that child (the pencil icon appears in the Family Members section of Details tab - to the right of that child's name).
If you want to pass along the URL of the particular record - perhaps someone can comment in more detail.
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You don't say what kind of error. If there is an error in his death certificate (for example) you can work with the dept of health in the state which issued it to get a correction issued. (Departs. of health or public health own the vital records in each state.). There are restrictions on who can submit a correction. Also, some kinds of records can have corrections submitted; others cannot. An error in a census record is going to remain.
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Heres the problem. My great grandfather Farquhar McPherson married 2 sisters. The first sister, Anna Ross, had 4 children including my grandfather Kenneth McPherson. Kenneth was born 15 June 1887. Anna died on 30 June 1887 from complications in childbirth. Farquhar did not marry Elizabeth until 18 June 1888 when Kenneth was 1 year old. Therefore, Anna is the mother, not Elizabeth.
I'm sure the confusion arises because on his marriage license Kenneth listed Elizabeth as his mother. It was the only mother he had ever know, but it was not correect from a legal standpoint.
Anna should be listed as the mother. I do not know how to unlink Elizabeth and link Anna.
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@MoSwift, you still didn't specify what part of FS's vast sprawl you're talking about (Tree, Records, Genealogies, Images), but I think I've found it, in the open-edit collaborative Family Tree: GSJ4-355 is your grandfather, right, and you want him to appear under Anna rather than Elizabeth as his mother?
I see a couple of choices on how to fix this. One way is to edit his parent-child relationships and replace Elizabeth with Anna, the other is to leave that relationship in place but edit the type to "step", while also adding him as a child under Anna.
Editing relationships technically works starting from either end, but I find the chance of unintended outcomes (such as a child alone under an extra parent) lowest if I start with the child. So to replace Kenneth's mother, go to Farquhar's page, scroll down to the Family Members section, copy Anna's ID, then click the edit/pencil next to Kenneth's name. On the resulting popup, click the bottommost "Remove or Replace" (the one under Kenneth's name), click the checkbox, then click "Replace Parents". Choose By ID, paste in Anna's ID, and click through; when you get to where it asks whether you want the couple or the person, choose the couple. Type in a reason and click Replace and you're done: Kenneth is now listed as a child under Farquhar's first marriage rather than his second. (You may need to update/reload the detail page for it to display correctly; I think this depends at least partly on your browser.)
If you want Kenneth to have a relationship with both his birth mother and his stepmother-and-aunt (which I think is the better choice), then you can start the same way, by clicking the pencil next to Kenneth on Farquhar's page, but instead of "remove or replace", click "Add Relationship Type" under Elizabeth's name, and choose "Step" from the drop-down. Then, copy Kenneth's ID, click "Add Child" under Farquhar and Anna (above Farquhar and Elizabeth), choose By ID, paste in the ID, then click through. (And please excuse my litter in the change log; the process finished a step earlier than I expected. I undid my change so that you can do it yourself.)
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@MoSwift To correct the relationship, go to the person page of the child. Scroll down until you see "Spouses and Children" and "Parents and Siblings". On the right (Parents and Siblings) there will be a pencil next to the name of your person. Click the pencil and you will see pencil to edit or add the relationship of each parent. Select the step mother and make that relationship "step". Close that whole box. Back under Parents and Siblings you will see Add Parent. You need to click that and the bio mother either by typing her name or copying the PID (which you may get if you have her person page open in another tab.) Add the relationship of biological parent.
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