Suggestion: Sealing Children to Parents where mother's name CANNOT be known
As a professional Family Historian (over 50 years experience), I frequently encounter a culture and country specific quandary where well-meaning Church members must create a non-existent descriptive "name" or title for a mother in order for her children to be able to be sealed to her and her husband (whose name IS known). In the Netherlands (even today) a woman is always known by her maiden surname (or patronymic) in Church and legal records - never as "Mrs. So-and-So". She never applies her married (or husband's) surname to herself. Prior to current Temple Department decisions, it was doctrinally permitted for a child to be sealed to their father (name given) "and your mother" -- an example is my own 9gg father Adriaen Cornelis Bolle who was SP in July 2000 in the Kona, Hawaii Temple. But currently his brother Bolle and sister Maeiken cannot receive their SP ordinance -- unless an invented, place-holder "fake name" for their mother (such as "Mrs. Cornelis Bolle") is created first. As you are no-doubt aware, MANY vital and Church records were destroyed during the bombing in WW II. Even christening records that do survive from early centuries often give only one parent -- the father's -- name. I have found that well-meaning researchers or descendants -- not as familiar with Dutch culture -- DO innocently "create" such bogus references ("Mrs. So-and-So") and succeed in having the SP ordinance completed. This, however, not only adds a Fake Name Reference into the FamilySearch Family Tree system, but also later confuses future researchers when they are unable to find ANY reference to such a non-existent person. I'm certain that accuracy -- and encouraging further research -- was the primary concern for eliminating the "and your mother" option in Temple Ordinance work, but [at least in the case of the Netherlands or Dutch territories] it is also encouraging entering False Information into the system in the process. [I try to note such "Place Holder" names when I encounter then in FamilySearch, but I deeply understand their descendants' honest desires to allow their ancestors to be SP.] Please share my genuine concern with the appropriate department(s). I do hope that I will not have to perpetuate this "False Naming" trend in order for my 9gg aunt and uncle to be so blessed. Thank you so much! -- Carolyn Depp [aka "StoryCatcher"]
Answers
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To seal a child to parents, the names of both the father and mother are required. Provide their full names if possible. At a minimum, either a first name or last name is required for both.
While you can perform ordinances with minimal information, careful research for accurate and complete information before ordinance work is completed helps prevent duplication.
Note: By system design, Family Tree requires the name of a mother for the sealing to parent ordinance. This the link for the article from the FamilySearch Help Center which will give you additional information.
We hope this information will be helpful. Please contact us again if further clarification is needed, or if you have any other questions.
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