Support for multiple marriages to the same person

Question

I realize there have been several different threads on this already (from 2013, 2015, 2015 (again), 2018, and 2019). There is also a section in the Help Index on it, stating that we should put this information in the biography. However, is there a reason why Wikitree can't support this info? Would it break the database somehow? Or is this uncommon enough Wikitree didn't think to implement it? Can the Wikitree team add it as an improvement? It would certainly prevent some of the more interesting (and creative) suggestions like "make a duplicate and then merge them and see if it keeps both".

Comments

If it were implemented, it would probably be done by creating a duplicate and merging it.  Similar to "changing an LNAB".  That way, the two IDs can be used as handles to edit and delete the marriages.

In fact it happens all the time.  When you merge two profiles with the same spouse, the system will try to merge the marriage details, if they're compatible.  If they aren't, it just keeps the two marriages.

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RJ, what you're suggesting happens all the time is actually a bug that sometimes (but not other times) leaves ghosts lurking in relationships after a merge.

There is no technical reason that would prevent creation of 2 (or more) separate marriage records for the same pair of profiles.  WikiTree simply does not permit it.  The only change needed to make this possible is removal of the check to see if the same pair of profiles already has a marriage record when someone attempts to add a marriage.  I think it would probably be a good idea, if they ever decide to permit multiple marriages of the same pair of profiles, to require at least an end date for one of the marriages, if not start dates for both of them.  At the moment, no dates or places are required to create a marriage record - only the ID's of the two profiles.

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RJ, this was tested in September 2015 (when you also suggested it), and the theory was proven to be incorrect (see first linked 2015 thread, in the selected "best answer"). I don't see why we can't just have a checkbox that would add more dates to the same marriage line, you know?

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George Rutherford had a place on the river outside Strawberry California - It was a Camp and had several little buildings with paths between - the outhouse was a Tipi (go pee-pee in the Tipi) and he and his wife were there every summer and I remember the place so well - every time they had a fight they would divorce - than later make up and re-mary

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Evidently my experiment was flawed.  Never trust primary sources :)

Answer 1

Liz,  Go ahead and suggest the new feature following

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Developing_New_Rules

I will support it, I have several cases in my own family.

Comments

Do you think that it is wise to do that, Robin, now that Jamie has added it to the profile improvements suggestions list? I don't know the policy on this stuff...

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I guess I am as confused as you are....I thought we went through the process before they got added....

Answer 2

I would be concerned that inevitably merges, different dates from the internet, differing estimated dates, etc. would lead to a situation where we would have many profiles would showing multiple marriages and 99.99% would be incorrect.  People will misuse the ability to enter multiple dates for their own purposes.  While I understand that you have a rare situation you would like displayed, there is a downside and in the long run it would not be helpful to wikitree overall.

In my mind, this is exactly what the biography is for - to explain and source genealogical connections, dates, locations, etc.  The profile is the biography, not the data fields at the top.  What is wrong with having the multiple marriages clearly explained (and sourced) in the biography?  What real advantages are there to allowing multiple dates to what is in the vast majority of the time a singular event?

Comments

Joe, while I see why you would hesitate, I feel like that would not happen if it was a checkbox you would willingly have to click (and you would probably need to have at least one divorce date in there?)

The problem with the biography idea is not knowing which date to use. For example, I have been working on sourcing and building out the profiles of Margaret Rutherfurd-69 and her husbands, siblings, and parents (excuse the work in progress on all of their pages!) The problem lies in the fact that that she went Mills, Dukes, Murat, Sprague, Sprague, Murat, meaning that Charles Murat was her 3rd and her 6th husband. Which date I choose changes the order, and it makes it kind of awkward to handle both in the profile fields and in the biography - which is why I haven't put ANY marriage dates in for any of them, even the ones she only married once. There's no policy for "use the earlier one" or "use the later one" or what.

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I see I have earned a down vote with my negativity 

You hadn't yet put a real biography on Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd so I added how I would handle the problem.  Of course feel free to modify however you want since you had the interest in the family.

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Woah, Joe, this is so amazing looking! I see you chose the earlier dates, putting Murat before Sprague. I can definitely see how your way of handling it would help a lot. Thank you so much for putting this much work in - it looks amazing. Hopefully even if we don’t get this suggestion through we can figure out a policy on it besides the one sentence mention (ie adding “go for the earlier marriage date”). Thank you!!!

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Thank you Liz.  I did end up getting a little carried away but she was an interesting lady and the information wasn't that hard to find.

Answer 3

Added to the suggestions list.

Comments

Thanks, Jamie! :)