People I have entered who are still living and some other queries

Ross Geissmann · July 18, 2021

Hello folks, I have several problems that I would like your advice in solving.

Firstly, I have been using familysearch for several years now and because I did not correctly read some of the instructions, I have made some errors which do not allow people to enter or check their own details.

Question 1 If I enter details of a living person, how do I remove the control of their names from me and give it back to them so that they can look after their own tree.

Q 2 What happens when I pass on and nobody knows about listing the death details on familysearch of a person that I listed when they were living and does this mean that person can never be entered in the familysearch tree.

Q 3 When the same person is listed more than once, and they have several familysearch ID’s and all those details are merged into one are those deleted ID’s used again?

Q 4 Is there any point in entering details of persons who served in military conflicts, and they had no offspring’s, would they, or anyone, be likely to check this tree.

COMMENT: Because I have no biological bloodlines, I guess my family line will finish with me

Waiting in anticipation for your reply.

Many thanks Ross Geissmann

Gordon Collett · July 18, 2021

1) You don't. Any living person you enter stays strictly private to only you until you change them to deceased. Anyone related to those people who want have a record for them will have to create a private record of their own. This does create duplicates that have to be merged after all the records are marked deceased but that is fine and is in accordance with current system design. When my father past away several years ago, I had to merge my record for him with the one my wife could see, and the six records that each of my children could see. Then with a few more that various cousins of his had created.

2) This seems to still be up in the air as to whether FamilySearch might one day start marking as deceased users who are over 110 years old and marking people in their accounts who are over 110 years old also as deceased to get them visible to everyone. Or whether those records will just stay hidden.

3) No. Because those records are not deleted. The records that are merged in are archived. That is why we can restore them if merged incorrectly.

4) The goal with family tree is to be a record of the entire human family. Those people you are entering that do not have offspring are still someone's 15th cousin. They will be found again someday by someone doing descendancy research.

Ross Geissmann · July 18, 2021

Thanks Colin, if I am reading you correctly if I enter a Joseph Bloggs, who is still living, and then Joseph himself then enters his own details, does this mean that Joseph and I are the only people able to see the full details and other people only see something similar to <private person>. This then remains like this until Joseph Bloggs passes on and someone marks him as deceased and this then allows anyone to see his full details.

Thanks Ross

Gordon Collett · July 18, 2021

If you enter a Joseph Bloggs and Joseph Bloggs enters himself and I enter him, also, then you can see only what you entered, he can see only what he entered, and I can see only what I entered. Each of the three records will have a unique ID number. Other people cannot see anything at all, no <private person> or any hint anywhere that those three records exist.

Here is a test family in beta.famiysearch I created to test stuff out. If they were to have five living children entered, then this is what you and everyone else would see:

Screen Shot 2021-07-17 at 9.34.34 PM.png

Brett . · July 18, 2021

@Ross Geissmann

Ross

Welcome to the "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.

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

Furthermore to what 'Gordon' has already been proffered ...

In general ...

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 "Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch'.

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

"Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" 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" 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 "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch'.

"Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch'.

You can certainly "Merge"/"Combine" any "Deceased" individual/person in "Family Tree" 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".

If fact, you can ONLY see "Deceased" individuals/persons in "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch'; except, with this 'rider', that you can ALSO only see "Living" individual/person in "Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" 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.

"Family Tree" 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 "Family Tree" of 'FamilySearch'.

'Yes', these "Living" individuals/person in "Family Tree" 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.

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