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Question: When building a family tree and someone becomes a widow/er and remarries!.!.!.!?
I am trying to build a family tree and my maternal grandmother was widowed a total of three times, how do you list the surnames!? I am trying to use GeneBase!.com and it links the family!. Would I put my grandmother's name at the time of her passing or the name she used when she was married to my maternal grandfather!? What about a divorce!? Do I list that as a marriage and how to I show it as a divorce!? Or someone who is adopted into the family once a link can be established!?

The tree is slowly forming, but I don't want to confuse other family members of my family who may be also working on their family trees, who I have not yet found!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
the core of genealogy is to be factual!.!. you list marriages, even when you don't want to (the info can lead to a record using that name, even if brief)!.
Women are ALWAYS entered by their birth name!. Always!. The program will incorporate marriages, etc!. The RECORDS after marriage will be found using the name at that time!.!. but that affects that record only and not how she is entered in the program!.
I am not familiar with genebase!.com!.!.!. I STRONGLY suggest that you review the standard grenealogy programs, not websites!. Personal ancestral file is the oldie but goodie, and can be downloaded from
www!.familysearch!.org!.
The reasoning here!.!. the well known programs use their format,but also allow you to import the information to gedcom files!. Think of Gedcoms as generic "bridge" files!.!. a common format that is read by all (standard) programs!. I've seen people using the bargain or less known programs, get 3 yrs of work entered!.!. then find that they cannot share the info with anyone, or others can't share data with them!.
My personal opinion is that information belongs on your home computer first, where you have control!. Web sites can and do crash or go out of business!. Just experience!. It does not prevent you from sharing your info at all!.!. you just maintain control over where it goes!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

It doesn't matter as long as you pick one rule and stick with it so that anyone looking at your information can see what you've done!. Personally, I always use a womans maiden name unless I am referring to her at a specific time in her life, such as when discussing an obituary or whether she was a witness at a wedding, etc!. Then I use the name she used at that time!.
Perhaps the problem is the program you are using!. I use Family Tree Maker and have also put info on Ancestry!.com and both systems allow me to enter marriage, divorce and adoption info!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Those are great questions!. I'm going to suggest it doesn't entirely matter!. You have your parents and she is one of their parents!. From there, you should focus on making sure you have solid records for your great grand-parents on your grandmother's side!. The rest is all foot notes and carefully archived stories!. In the end, the father that is the parent of your Mom or Dad is the grandfather you want to put on your tree!. The others are a part of the rich history of your grandmother's life!.

Hope that helps!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Any genealogy program worthy of the name will allow you to enter as many spouses as you want!. "Spouse" in genealogy doesn't have to be husband or wife; it can be "sex partner", if an unmarried couple have a child!.

You then attach facts to the couple; marriage, divorce, children!. Some facts need two people, some need just one; birth date, death date, military service, occupation, and appeared on census are all examples of facts that go on individuals!. Marriage and divorce require two people!.

You'd enter your grandmother under her birth name!.

Adoptions cause more debate in our little circle than any other single topic!. I'm of the school that genealogy is about genes, so you add a note to a couple, to the effect that John Smith and Mary Jones were married in 1942 and had room in their hearts and home for Jeffery ----, mother and father unknown, who they adopted in 1950!.

Other people put the adoptees in as if they were biological children!.

If the program you are using doesn't have a way to document the date
and place for
Birth
Death
Christening
Marriage
Divorce
Miliary Service
Religion
Occupation
Burial
at the very least, and space for up to 32,000 characters of notes (that's enough room for a brief biography, including the family story about Uncle Elmer and his banjo), then you should consider getting a new program!. PAF, already mentioned and available free from the Mormons, is an excellent choice!. I use Roots Magic, but it costs $29!.Www@QuestionHome@Com