When I first started using Family Search to find my ancestors who needed their temple work done, I noticed that I could not reserve or print ordinance cards for some ancestors, because these individuals had problems with the data that was uploaded to Family Search. I was able to resolve many of these data issues, by trial and error, and by working with Temple and Family History Consultants at the Granite Family History Center.
Many family history centers are closed, and we are not able to have our questions answered in person. I found an article posted to the Family Search Blog, written by Jan Mayer, titled: What Are Family Tree Data Problems, and How do I Fix Them?. This blog post is a great tutorial about what “data problems” icons look like and how to resolve data problems. This article focuses mainly on the red exclamation point icon (!)
The top four reasons for (!) data problems are the following:
- A location or date has been entered in the wrong format.
- Dates indicate that an ancestor as has lived more than 120 years.
- An event appears to be a mistake, such as a marriage that took place before the person was born.
- Someone has added new information that doesn’t agree with what is already there.
In this article, you will learn how to:
- Locate data problems
- Things to consider before changing the data
- How to fix the data problems.
So if you need help resolving these issues on your family tree, you can find answers here. Your efforts to correct these data problems will make the records found on Family Search more accurate and may help you complete the temple work needed by your ancestors. — Elaine Hardman