Incorrect information

CarVan

How do I edit and correct information in my family tree. Wrong names for grandparents. Dates mixed between my father and his father. I don't know how this happened, but I now receive info for names that are not part of my family tree. How can I get correct names listed?

Sanra

Hello @CarVan

Thank you for your question about the wrong names for grandparents. Do you know the ID number for these individuals? If you do you can correct the parent-child relationship by Replacing the individual that is your father by using his ID number. The article below may be helpful.

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-correct-parent-child-relationships-in-family-tree

You may need to do this twice, so that you and your father are not listed as children of your grandfather.

You might want to edit some of the details for these individuals. Use the link below:

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-change-vital-information-in-family-tree

We wish you success in getting the generations correct, and the information accurate, in your Family Tree.

JLewis11

We understand how frustrating it is when your Tree has incorrect information. We are attaching a link that you can open and read...https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-correct-parent-child-relationships-in-family-tree

This walks you through the steps to edit and make corrections. (the edit icon referred to is the little pencil in the box of the person you are editing.) There are other articles at the bottom that you can also click on to open for further help.

We wish you much success in your editing endeavors.

ATJones

Hi, CarVan! Great question, and it's one we all come across as we begin to work on the FamilySearch global tree.

First of all, it is important to know that nobody has their "own" separate tree in FamilySearch. All the users of FamilySearch are essentially working on one big family tree together, which everyone gets to contribute to. You could think of it as one massive tree of the whole human family, which we are all adding little branches and twigs onto.

So, say someone else (perhaps one of your cousins or other relatives) has put a branch onto the big FamilySearch family tree that looks like your family, and you want to correct some information that doesn't match what you know to be true.

You can edit the fields for name, birth and death dates and places by clicking on the blue word "edit" which is to the right of each of those fields. After you make the correction, it is VERY important that you write in the little box that will be provided, telling why you are making the change. This will help others who are working on the same branch of the family tree know where you got your information.

Examples of some of the reasons I've written in that text box as to why I have made a change, are: "This is my aunt and I know this is how she always spelled her name", "This is the death date according to what was written on the death certificate", and "This is the information that was published in his obituary", etc.

Some things I like to take into consideration before fixing what other people have written are: am I sure this is really my family, and not just people with similar names? Is it possible that other people have information about our relatives that I didn't know, like a child who died in infancy that nobody talked about, or someone changing their name, or someone lying about their age, etc.?

Some other things that can help illuminate where people are getting the information they have put in the tree, is looking at the "sources" category in the menu at the top and seeing what documents they are getting their info from. It's astonishing how often names are misspelled, or dates are wrong on official documents, census records, and even grave stones! If people are basing their info on these sources, they may not realize there is an error.

Hope this helps, best of luck! Hope you enjoy your family history research!

bathompson

Hello @CarVan,

Here is what you can do to correct the names and/or dates for your family.

1. In Family Tree, display the person page of the individual whose information you want to correct.
2. If you do not see Vitals near the top of the screen, click Details.
3. For the information you need to correct, click Edit to the right of the name or date.
4. Review the sources and reason statement. Continue only if your change makes the information more accurate.
5. When editing a name, choose the appropriate language in the field above the name fields.
6. Make your changes.
   • If the option is available to delete information, you can click Delete in the bottom right corner of the box.
7. If you change a date or place, select a standardized date or place.​ If no matching standard is available, click None of the Above.
8. Enter a reason statement to explain why the information is correct. If the existing reasoning is applicable, leave the existing explanation, and add your own comments.
9. Click Save.

Note: We recommend that you refresh the web page after you save changes.

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-change-vital-information-in-family-tree

You can find this information to print as well as how to do this process on your phone or tablet by clicking on the small ? at the top right of the page and then Help Center at the bottom of the pop-up window. Then search for "correct vitals".

Best Wishes!