Family Tree Data Problems for Support – Training Sandbox 26

How to Fix Data Problems in Family Tree

When Family Tree detects impossible or unlikely data for a person, it shows a red square with a white exclamation mark. For example, this icon appears if a child is born before a parent or if someone lived over 120 years.

Where Data Problems Appear

Views: Landscape, Portrait, Descendancy, and First Ancestor views. You can hide or show these icons by clicking the Options icon and selecting Data Problems.
Fan Chart: Records with data problems are highlighted in red.
Person Page: In the Research Help section.
Mobile App and Family Tree Lite: These do not display data problems.

Steps to Resolve Data Problems

Investigate: Determine if the record contains an error.
- Tip: Parent-child relationships can affect data problems. For example, if a child is born after the mother's death, the system uses the biological mother's death date.
Correct Errors: If the record has an error, correct it. The icon will disappear once the problem is fixed.
Dismiss Problems: If there's no error, you might be able to dismiss the data problem.

Resolving Specific Data Problems

Stillborn Data Problem

This problem appears when a record shows a Stillborn event, but the birth and death dates indicate the person lived for more than a year.

Steps (Website)

Research: Determine if the child was born dead or if there's a typing mistake.
Correct Dates: Ensure birth and death dates and places are accurate.
Delete Stillborn Event: If the child lived after birth, delete the Stillborn event. If you can't delete it, add it again in the Other Information section, then delete it.
Keep Stillborn Event: If the child was born dead, ensure the birth and death dates match and keep the Stillborn event. Optionally, edit to add matching dates and places. If you cannot add date and place, add stillborn again with the new data.

Steps (Mobile App and Family Tree Lite)

You can correct birth, death, and stillborn events, but these apps do not display the Stillborn data problem.
If you need to add, edit, or delete a Stillborn event, you will need to use Family Tree on the full website or use the Family Tree mobile app.

Problem with Name Language

To solve this, edit the person's name to ensure the language template matches the scripts used, and each script is in the correct field.

Steps (Website)

Sign In: Go to FamilySearch, click Family Tree, then Tree.
Find Person: Open the person page and click the pencil icon next to the name.
Select Language Template: Choose the correct template above the Title field.
Move Name Parts: Use cut and paste to move each part of the name to the correct field.
Enter Reason: Explain your changes in the Reason This Information Is Correct field.
Save: Click Save.

Steps (Mobile App)

Sign In: Open the Family Tree mobile app.
Find Person: Open the person page and tap the name.
Edit Name: Tap Edit, select the correct language template, and move name parts to the correct fields.
Tap Continue.
Enter Reason: Explain your changes.
Save: Tap Save.

Dismissing Data Problems

Some data problems can be dismissed if they are correct. Others disappear only after correcting the data that is causing the problem.

Steps (Website)

Find Person: In Family Tree, find the person with the data problem.
Open Details: Click the person's name. In the Details tab that pop up, click the person's name again. Then click the Details Tab.
Dismiss Problem: In the Research Helps section on the right, click the data problem and then Dismiss. Enter a reason and click Dismiss again.