In the past, when you signed in to Family Tree, the tree always opened with you in the main position, and then you navigated to the people you were interested in.
Example of the Main Position
You can now select an ancestor so that when you sign in, Family Tree opens with that ancestor in the main position. This helps users who are researching a specific family or people who are demonstrating Family Tree but don’t want their own information displayed on the screen. The feature allows users who are single to set their pedigree to display both sides of their ancestry. The feature also keeps the ancestor near the top of the history list so that he or she is easy to return to. And it’s easy to change when you’re no longer focusing on that person.
Change the Starting Person
To set an ancestor as the starting person, you will need the ancestor’s identification number from Family Tree.
- Go to the person in Family Tree, and copy the number.
- In the upper right corner of the screen (just below Get Help), click your name.
- Click Settings.
- Click the Preferences tab.
- Click in the box, and add the ancestor’s identification number.
6. Click the Save Changes button. The ancestor’s name appears above the box.
Each time you sign in, Family Tree will display the person you selected in the main position. If you want to change the person, repeat the process and enter the new person’s identification number, or to go back to showing you in the main position, click your name.
How the History List Is Affected
The history list shows the last 50 people you’ve gone to in Family Tree. An easy way to return to a person is to display the list and click the person’s name. The history list for Person takes you to the person’s Details page. The history list for Tree takes you to the person in the pedigree.
By default, you appear as the first person on the list. When you select a different person as the starting person, that person’s name always appears as the second person in your history list. If you look at other people and then want to return to the person you set as the starting person, it’s easy to find the person’s name in the history list.
- To return to the starting person’s Details page, click the down arrow by Person, and click the name.
- To return to the starting person in the pedigree, click the down arrow by Tree, and click the name.
Set One of Your Parents as the Starting Person
In Family Tree, a couple is displayed in each position. For users who are single, the portion of their pedigree where a spouse’s ancestors would be listed is blank. Some users prefer to set one of their parents as the starting person. This creates a pedigree that displays both sides of the single person’s ancestry.
Example of a Single Person’s Tree
The Same Tree with a Parent as the Starting Person
