How do I add a child to Family Tree?

Article Id: 1451
April 02, 2025
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One of the most direct ways to add a child into Family Tree is to link them to their parents.

Steps (website)

  1. In the top menu, click Family Tree, and then click Tree.
  2. Find the parent of the child you want to add.
  3. Click the parent's name. In the details that pop-up, click the parent's name again. You will be taken to that person’s page.
  4. Click the Details tab.
  5. Scroll down to the Family Members section.
  6. Under Spouses and Children, click Add Child. (If Add Child does not show, click the down arrow beside Children)
    • If one of the parents of the child is unknown, click Add Child with an Unknown Mother or Father, and add details in a note.
  7. Enter information about the child, and click Next. (If you know the ID of the child, click By ID Number.)
  8. Review the search results. If you find the right child, click Add Person.
  9. If you do not see the person in the search results, click Create New.

Steps (mobile app)

  1. In the Family Tree mobile app, navigate to the Person page of one of the parents.
  2. Tap the Spouses tab.
  3. If you see more than one spouse, tap the down arrow next to the name of the appropriate spouse.
    • Currently, the mobile app has no option to add a child for a parent without a spouse. Visit the website for this option.
  4. Tap Add Child.
  5. Enter information about the child, and tap Continue. (If you know the ID of the child, tap Add by ID or Find by ID.)
  6. Indicate whether the individual is living or deceased, then tap Continue.
  7. Review the search results. If you find the right child, tap Add Match.
  8. If you do not see the person in the search results, tap No Match. 
  9. Review your entry, and tap Add or Add This Person.

Steps (Family Tree Lite)

  1. While signed in to Family Tree Lite, navigate to the Person page of one of the parents.
  2. Click View Family.
  3. Under Spouses and Children, under the appropriate spouse, click Add Child.
    • Family Tree Lite has no option to add a sibling without parents. Visit the full website for this option.
  4. Enter information about the child, and click Next. (If you know the ID of the child, click Find By ID Number.)
  5. Review the search results. If you find the right child, click Add Person.
  6. If you do not see the person in the search results, click Create Person.

Tips

Twins or multiple births

  • Add each as a separate individual. 
  • Do not add the word "twin" in the name. Instead, you can specify it in Other information, or the Notes section of the Person page for each individual.
  • Even if added in a particular order, the children can appear out of order. If 2 people show the same birth date, the system lists them alphabetically. You cannot change the order. 
  • If the twins died without names, enter only the last name with birth and death dates. To avoid a later merge of the apparent duplicate records, you can take these steps:
    • Create a note for each to explain the situation.
    • Check for possible duplicates, and mark the twins as Not a Match with a clear reason statement. 

Children whose parents were not married

Consider the following guidelines when adding children whose parents were not married:

  • You can add both parents together as a couple and then add the child. Consider the following situations for the parents:
    • If the parents never married and never lived together, delete the couple relationship between the parents. FamilySearch will show that there was no couple relationship between the parents.
    • If the parents lived together but never married, click the edit (pencil) icon next to the marriage event. Then click Add Event and select either Common Law Marriage or Lived Together from the drop-down menu.
    • You can add relevant information about their relationship as a note to each parent. If the parents never married and never lived together, be sure to add relevant notes to each parent.
  • You can also choose to add each parent individually to the child. This will result in each parent's family line appearing separately, meaning you won't be able to view both lines at the same time.
  • Indicate the child's relationship to each parent by doing the following:
    • Click the edit (pencil) icon next to the child.
    • In the pop-up window under each parent, click the edit (pencil) icon next to Relationship to Child.
    • Select the appropriate parent and child relationship. Currently, Family Tree provides five relationship types between parents and children: Adopted, Biological, Foster, Guardianship, and Step.
      • The system assumes a biological relationship. You can specify a different relationship type for multiple sets of parents.

How do I add a parent in Family Tree?
How do I specify biological, step, adopted, and foster relationships in Family Tree?
How do I restore a deleted relationship in Family Tree?

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