A person in Family Tree has the wrong spouse

Article Id: 1432
April 18, 2024
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How Do I Fix a Wrong Spouse in Family Tree?

You can fix a wrong spouse relationship at any time. 

If you want to reverse the change, do it from Latest Changes. We suggest that you record the ID number so that the removed or replaced person is easy to find later.

Remove
This will remove the couple relationship with its sources and notes. It will also remove the individual from the child relationships shown.

Replace
This will replace the person in the couple relationship with a different person and will preserve the sources and notes. It will also replace this person in the child relationships shown.

Steps (website)

  1. In the top menu, click Family Tree, and then click Tree.
  2. Find the person on the tree with the incorrect spouse.
  3. Click the person’s name. In the details that pop-up, click the person’s name again.
  4. On the person page, click the Details tab.
  5. In the Family Members section, find Spouses and Children. 
  6. In the box that shows the marriage that you want to remove, click the pencil icon. The Couple Relationship screen opens. Continue with the appropriate instruction set below.

Delete Relationship

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the Couple Relationship box and click Delete Relationship.
  2. Read the message. To continue, click in the box to confirm that you reviewed pertinent information.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Enter a reason for the change and click Delete.

Remove or Replace spouse

  1. Below the spouse information, click Remove or Replace.
  2. Read the Remove and Replace information. Review relationship information and then click in the box.
  3. If you want to replace the spouse, click the Replace link. If you only want to remove the spouse, click the Remove link.
    1. If you clicked to remove the spouse, explain why, and then click Remove.
    2. If you clicked to replace the spouse, the Replace screen appears:
        • If you know the spouse's ID number, click By ID Number, enter the ID number, and then click Next. Click Add Match. Explain your reason for the change, and then click Replace.
        • If you do not know the spouse's ID number, complete the search fields, and click Next. If the correct person appears in the list, click Add Match. Otherwise, click Create Person. Explain your reason for the change, and then click Replace.

Steps (mobile app)

  1. Navigate to the Person page of the individual with the incorrect spouse.
  2. Tap the Spouses tab. 
  3. To the right of the spouse, tap the pencil icon. (If you do not see a pencil icon, tap the down arrow first to view the details.)
  4. Tap Remove or Replace [Wife or Husband].
  5. Review relationship information and then tap in the box (to indicate that you have reviewed the relationships, sources and notes for the individuals involved). Tap the Remove or the Replace button.
    1. If you tapped Remove, explain why, and tap Remove.
    2. If you tapped Replace, find the correct spouse.
      1. If you know the spouse's ID number, tap Find by ID or Add by ID.
      2. Enter the ID number, and then tap Continue.
      3. Tap Select. Explain why the information is correct, and then tap Replace.
      4. If you do not know the spouse's ID number, enter information in the search fields and tap Continue. Indicate whether the spouse is living or deceased, and then tap Continue. If the correct person appears in the list, click Add Match. Otherwise, use your search entry to create a record. Explain the reason for your change, and tap Replace.

Steps (Family Tree Lite)

  1. While signed in to Family Tree Lite, navigate to the Person page of the individual.
  2. Under the individual's name, click View Family.
  3. Under Spouses and Children, you can view the different marriage relationships.
  4. Between the individual and the spouse, click the Edit icon.
  5. Click Remove or Replace under the name of the incorrect spouse. 
  6. Do one of the following:
    1. To remove an incorrect spouse, click the appropriate Remove button.
    2. To replace an incorrect spouse, click the appropriate Replace button. The Replace Person screen appears.
      • If you know the spouse's ID number, click Find by ID Number, enter the ID number, and then click Next. (FamilySearch Lite does not add the hyphen into or capitalize the letters of the ID.) Click Add Person.
      • If you do not know the spouse's ID number, complete the search fields, and then click Next. If the correct person or couple appears in the list, click Add Person or Add Couple. Otherwise, to create a parent record, click Create Person. 

Next steps

When you remove or replace a spouse, the parent-child relationship also changes for children attached to the couple. As needed, remove the parent-child relationships with the incorrect spouse.

How do I correct parent-child relationships in Family Tree?
How do I see what changes were made about a person in Family Tree?
How do I add a family member to the pedigree in Family Tree?
How do I add or change marriage information in Family Tree?

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