Genealogy Chat

How do you add another set of parents to ya family tree? I cant find a facility either on here or Family tree maker. The reason I want to add second parents is cus I want to add dads adopted parents, but i cant seem to do this. I can only add one set of parents but I dont want to lose dads real family (cus of the blood ties) (and my new found cousins woohoo lol) Luv Angie xxxxx

I don't think I can answer your question as I'm not sure you can add a 'second lot' of parents. However on Family Tree Maker you could just start a new tree and have all your dad's family on there separately. (You can have as many trees as you want on there). Maybe omeone else can give you a better answer. Kath. x

If you go to the online help centre,there is an answer for every question you could pose for FTM. You need the 'other parents' command. Copied and pasted from FTM Help centre (but it doesn't show the illustrations on this thread) FTM 2005-2006: The 'Other Parents' dialog box Question Can you explain how to use the Other Parents dialog box under the People menu? Answer The Other Parents dialog box allows you to see all sets of parents to which a selected individual is attached. This dialog box makes it easy to see or change the nature of a child's relationship to their parents, add a set of parents, or jump to the Family View for a different set of parents. The Other Parents dialog is accessible from any child's Family View. To access a particular person's Other Parents dialog: From the View menu, choose Index of Individuals. Select the individual's parent, and then click Go to Family View. The individual is displayed in his parents' Family View, listed as a child. Click so your cursor blinks in the name of the child whose parent/child relationship you want to view or change. Click the People menu, then click Other Parents. You'll be taken to the Other Parents dialog box. Below this picture, you will find an explanation for how to use each of the items you see in this box. Figure 1: The Other Parents dialog How to use the Other Parents dialog box: View Parental Relationships Jump to the Family View for a Relationship Add a New Set of Parents Change the Nature of the Relationship Set a Relationship as Default Hide a Relationship in Trees and Reports View Parental Relationships You can view a child's parental relationships at a glance, simply by clicking on their name and then viewing their Other Parents dialog box. For each set of parents, you'll see their names, and the nature of the child's relationship to each parent. The letter (N) next to the parent's name indicates that a natural (birth) relationship exists between the parent and the selected child. Here are some other common relationships that may exist: A - an adoptive relationship F - the parent is a foster parent U - nature of the relationship is unknown S - a step-parent relationship M - family member to a parent P - private (often used to protect information of living individuals in downloaded files) Note: A child can only have a Natural relationship with one father and one mother. Jump to the Family View for a Relationship You may want to jump to the Family View containing a particular set of parents and the selected child. Doing this will allow you to view siblings associated with the same relationship or to enter data for the individuals on the page. To jump to the Family View for a specific relationship, click on that relationship in the list in the Other Parents dialog box. Click OK and you'll be taken to that Family View. Add a New Set of Parents You may have a situation where you need to enter another set of parents. For example, you might want to have both the natural and adoptive parents attached to one child in your file. To enter a second set of parents: From the Other Parents dialog box, click Create New Parents. The Create New Parents dialog box comes up. If the second mother and father are different from the parents currently entered, click Two new parents. If one of the parents is the same (for example, if you're entering a step relationship with an existing parent's second spouse) choose Another father or Another mother as appropriate. In the dropdown menus, set the relationship with the new parents. Click OK. If you are prompted whether to attach the child's siblings to the new relationship, choose Yes or No as appropriate. Note: If you attach other siblings to the new relationship, you should check their Other Parents dialog boxes afterward to make sure that the relationships with all sets of parents are correct. You'll be taken to a Family View for the new relationship, where you can enter the names of the new parent(s). If the new parents already exist in your file, use the Attach Spouse command under the People menu to attach them to this relationship. Click here if you need help attaching the parents to this relationship. Note: If you don't know the parents' names, you'll still want to enter something, like the word 'Unknown', in the Name field. This will help you avoid a Spouseless Relationship in your file. Change the Nature of the Relationship When you enter a relationship by typing it into Family Tree Maker, FTM assumes it is a natural relationship. In cases where you enter a second set of parents or merge a child with a second set of parents into an existing relationship, you might need to change the nature of the child's relationship with their parents. In the Other Parents dialog box, you can see at a glance the relationship that exists between a child and a set of parents. To change the nature of that relat

Angela If you click on help on your FTM and select 'online help centre',you can search for this answer and print it out. Just enter 'other parents' in the search box. Glen

Hi Glen eek this is scary I havnt got a clue oh my god im lost already :(((((((((( I dont understand where that menu thingy is ive looked and cant find it i went to the help thingy and saw exactly what you'd told me and I still havnt got a clue what it all means and where the menu thingy is. God im a lost cause Luv Angie xxxx

On the toolbar at the top of a family view in FTM look for File,Edit,View,Books, PEOPLE Hover on people and a dropdown menu appears,then continue as per the answer. I know it looks awkard on the thread,that's why i suggested printing it. The other option is to run a 2nd tree,then one will be 'birth' family and one 'adoptive'. I have six different trees on my FTM,my birth family,adoptive family,and 4 more i'm researching for other people. Glen

I am going to crack this if it kills me im going to have a coffee and a ciggie and sit and work it out Please please come to my house Glen and do it for me lol. Luv Angie xxx