How do I indicate that a person in Family Tree had no children or was never in a relationship?

Article Id: 1304
May 28, 2023

In your family history, you can come across people who did not marry or have children. You can add these facts to that person's record in Family Tree and explain how you came to this conclusion. Your information helps prevent other Family Tree users from having to repeat your research.

Add couple relationship information in these circumstances:

  • You come across people who were in a couple relationship but had no children
  • People lived together instead of marrying.

Steps (website)

You have two options for documenting a person or couple who had no children. The first option is to click Add Fact under Details tab. The second option is to click the Pencil icon to edit the Couple Relationship in the Family Member section.

Here are the steps for the Details tab option.

  1. In Family Tree on the FamilySearch website, navigate to Person page for the individual.
  2. Select the Details tab.
  3. In the Other Information section, click Add Fact.
  4. Click one of the following options:
    • No Couple Relationships. Click this option if the person never married or was never in a couple relationship.
    • No Children. Click this option if the person never had children.
  5. Enter a clear explanation of how you know that the information is correct.
  6. Click Save.
  7. If both facts apply to this person, repeat steps 3 through 7 to add the other fact.
  8. To correct or enhance the reason statement of the fact, follow these steps:
    1. Click the Edit option for the fact.
    2. Make your additions or corrections to the reason statement.
    3. Click Save.
  9. To delete the fact, follow these steps:
    1. Click Delete.
    2. Enter the reason that you are deleting the information. 
    3. Click Delete.
  10. If possible, attach sources or enter notes that provide evidence for the change you made.

Here are the steps for editing the Couple Relationship.

  1. Go to Family Member section.
  2. Click Pencil icon.
  3. Click Add Fact under Relationship Facts.
  4. Review system warning message for No Children.
  5. Enter reason and source information.
  6. Click Save.

Steps (mobile app)

  1. In the Family Tree mobile app, navigate to the Person page for the individual.
  2. Select the Details tab.
  3. Tap the green circle in the bottom-right corner.
  4. On the list, tap one of the following options:
    • No Couple Relationships. Tap this option if the person never married or was never in a couple relationship.
    • No Children. Tap this option if the person never had children.
  5. Enter a clear explanation of how you know that the information is correct.
  6. Tap Save.
  7. If both facts apply to this person, repeat steps 3 through 6 to add the other fact.
  8. To correct a fact, use these steps:
    1. Tap Edit.
    2. Enter the correct information.
    3. Tap Continue.
    4. Enter how you know that the information you just entered is correct.
    5. Tap Save.
  9. You can delete a fact:
    1. Tap the fact.
    2. Tap the fact's delete option
    3. Enter how you know to delete the fact.
    4. Tap Delete.
  10. If possible, attach sources that provide evidence for the change you made.

Family Tree Lite

In Family Tree Lite, you can only edit vital information. The Other Information section is not available. Use the web version of Family Tree or the mobile app for iOS and Android.

How do I indicate that a couple in Family Tree never had children?
How do I add or change marriage information in Family Tree?
How do I add notes to a person in Family Tree?
What are the benefits of adding sources to Family Tree?

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