What are all the possible data problems in Family Tree?

Article Id: 1351
November 03, 2025
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When Family Tree detects impossible or unlikely data for a person, it displays a data problem icon. The icon is a red circle with a white exclamation mark.

Viewing and Dismissing a Data Problem

  1. Click the red exclamation icon to view the data issue.
  2. In the pop-up window, select the listed data problem to see more details.
  3. If the issue can be dismissed, a Dismiss button will appear in the bottom-right corner.
  4. If you believe the data is accurate despite the warning, click Dismiss to remove the alert.

The table lists all of the data problems, describes when they appear, and indicates whether you can dismiss them.

Data ProblemDescriptionCan be dismissed?
Birth after Father's DeathThe birth year of the child is later than the death year of the father.No
Birth after Mother's Child-Bearing YearsThe birth year of the child is after the mother turned 52, which is normally the end of child-bearing years.Yes
Birth after Mother's DeathThe birth year of the child is later than the death year of the mother.No
Birth before Father Could Have ChildrenThe birth year of the child is before the father was 12 years of age.No
Birth before Mother Could Have ChildrenThe birth year of the child is before the mother was 12 years of age.Yes
Born after MarriedThe birth year of the person is after the marriage year. No
Born after Spouse's DeathThe birth year of the person is after the death year of the spouse.No
Child Born before FatherThe birth year of the child is before the birth year of the father.No
Child Born before MotherThe birth year of the child is before the birth year of the mother.No
Child Christened before FatherThe child's christening year is listed before the father's birth year.No
Child Christening before MotherThe child's christening year is listed before the mother's birth year.No
Child Death before Father The death year of the child is before the birth year of the father. No
Child Death before Mother The death year of the child is before the birth year of the mother. No
Children Mismatch

The person has children but has a fact listed as "No Children."

The couple has children but has a fact listed as "No Children."

No
Christening before Father Could Have ChildrenThe child's christening year is listed as occurring before the father was at least 12.No
Christened before Mother Could Have ChildrenThe child's christening year is listed as occurring before the mother was at least 12.No
Death before Birth YearThe death year of the person is before the birth year.No
Death before Christening DateThe child's christening year is listed before the father's birth year.No
Death before Spouse Was BornThe death year of the person is before the birth year of the spouse.No
Death Year before MarriageThe death year of the person is before the marriage year.No
Died Too Young for Marriage or ChildrenThe person has marriage or children information, but the person died at 8 years of age or younger.Yes
Invalid CharactersThe Vital name contains invalid characters.Yes
Invalid CharactersThe Vital name contains invalid repeating characters.Yes
Male or Female Is RequiredSpecify the sex of this person.No
Looping PedigreeThe person has a child who is also listed as a parent. No
Marriage MismatchThe person is married or lived together but has a fact listed as "Never Married."No
Married before 12 Years OldA spouse was less than 12 years of age at the time of marriage.Yes
Missing Standardized Event Date or PlaceA date or place for an event, such as birth, marriage, or death, is not standardized according to the database, making it difficult to search.No
Person over 120 Years OldPerson is too old to be living. The birth date is over 120 years ago.No
Possible Duplicate ChildInformation about 2 or more children is similar: Name is the same. Birth year is the same or missing. Death year is the same or missing. Living status is the same. Yes
Possible Duplicate SpouseInformation about 2 or more spouses is similar: Name is the same. Birth year is the same or missing. Death year is the same or missing. Living status is the same. No
Reoccurring personThe person appears in more than one place in the pedigree, but not in a loop.Yes
Stillborn ProblemThe person's record contains a stillborn event, but the vital dates show that the person lived longer than one year.No
Problem with Name LanguageThe characters in the name field do not match the language template.No

How do I merge duplicate records in Family Tree when they have duplicate sources?
How do I resolve a "stillborn" data problem in Family Tree?
How do I request an update to the database of standardized places?
How do I solve a looping pedigree in Family Tree?
In Family Tree, how do I resolve the data problem, "Problem with Name Language"?

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