Keeping relationships accurate is essential for maintaining a family tree. A genealogy database can contain hundreds or even thousands of people, and an incorrect parent, spouse, partner, or adoption relationship can affect how your family tree is displayed and interpreted.
If you use Family Tree Maker 2019, you can review and update these connections using the built-in Manage Relationships tool. The feature allows you to filter relationships by type and change one relationship or multiple relationships without having to open every individual record separately.
In this blog, you will learn how to manage relationships in FTM 2019, when you should use the feature, how it relates to Ancestry synchronization, and where to find additional FTM support.
What is the Manage Relationship Feature in FTM 2019?
Family Tree Maker 2019 provides a dedicated Manage Relationships tool for reviewing relationships between couples and between parents and children.
The tool can help you find relationships based on their current type. For example, you can filter relationships involving types such as spouse, partner, biological parent, adopted parent, and other relationship classifications.
This becomes especially useful when you have a large family tree or have imported information from another genealogy program.
For example, you may discover that several couples have marriage facts recorded in your tree, but their relationship type is still listed as “Unknown.” Instead of opening each couple individually, you can use Manage Relationships to find those records and change the relationship type.
How to Manage Relationships in FTM 2019?
The steps for managing relationships in FTM 2019 are the same on Windows and Mac because the official documentation actually provides the procedure for both, with only minor interface differences.
1. Open Your Family Tree
Launch Family Tree Maker 2019 and open the tree containing the relationships you want to review.
Before making significant changes, it is a good idea to create a backup of your tree. For example, you can find couples who have a marriage fact but whose relationship type is still set to ‘Unknown’ and change it to “Spouse.”
2. Open the Manage Relationships Tool
With your tree open, go to the Edit menu and select Manage Relationships.
FTM will open the Manage Relationships window, where you can filter the relationships stored in your tree.
3. Choose a Relationship Type
Use the Show relationships menu to select the type of relationship you want to examine.
For example, you might want to find couples whose relationship is currently classified as “Unknown.”
The official FTM documentation gives this as an example: couples may have a marriage fact but still have their relationship type set to Unknown. The Manage Relationships tool lets you locate those records and correct them.
4. Review the Results
FTM displays the relationships that match the selected category.
Take the time to review the people involved before making changes. This is very important where family structures are complicated.
5. Select the Relationships to Change
Choose the relationship records that you want to update.
If you are correcting many records with the same confirmed relationship type, selecting multiple relationships can save considerable time. However, bulk changes should only be used when you have verified that the selected records require the same change.
6. Apply the New Relationship Type
Choose the appropriate new relationship type and apply the change.
Once the change is completed, the updated relationship will no longer appear under the old category. You can select the new relationship type from the Show relationships menu to find the updated records again.
When Should You Change a Relationship?
The Manage Relationships feature is useful in several situations.
You may want to review relationships after:
- Importing a GEDCOM file
- Combining or merging family tree information
- Correcting an incorrectly recorded spouse
- Updating an adoption relationship
- Correcting a parent-child relationship
- Finding relationships that are still classified as “Unknown”
- Cleaning up an older family tree
However, don’t change a relationship simply because it differs from another online family tree. Genealogy information should be based on evidence rather than assumptions.
For example, if a child is listed as an adopted child, don’t change the relationship to biological simply because another family tree shows the same person as a biological child. Review the available records and sources first.
Can You Sync Family Tree Maker 2019 to Ancestry?
Yes. Family Tree Maker 2019 supports synchronization with Ancestry through FamilySync.
Core family tree information, including names, facts, relationships, sources, citations, repositories, and supported media can synchronize between linked FTM and Ancestry trees.”
This means that after correcting relationships in FTM 2019, you can synchronize your linked tree with Ancestry.
However, synchronization should not be treated as a complete backup of your Family Tree Maker file.
Some information remains specific to FTM or Ancestry and does not synchronize, including research notes, fact notes, media notes, relationship notes, tasks, saved charts and reports, source media, and certain other FTM-specific data.
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For this reason, keep regular backups of your original Family Tree Maker tree even if you regularly sync Family Tree Maker 2019 to Ancestry.
Adding Photos to Family Tree Maker
Family photographs and historical documents can add valuable context to a genealogy project.
Adding photos to Family Tree Maker and other media to people, facts, citations, and relationships is easy.
If you have a large collection, use descriptive filenames and keep the original image files in a separate backup location. This is particularly important for old family photographs, certificates, letters, and other documents that may be difficult or impossible to replace.
Also remember that not every piece of media-related information transfers identically between FTM and Ancestry. The FamilySync documentation identifies several types of Ancestry-specific media and information that do not transfer back to FTM.
What About Family Tree Maker 2024 Download?
FTM 2019 users may also be considering a Family Tree Maker 2024 download.
If you are considering an upgrade, make sure you obtain the installer from a legitimate source and confirm that it is the correct version for your operating system. The official FTM support center currently provides separate documentation for FTM 2019 and FTM 2024.
Family Tree Maker Support Website: What Can You Find?
If you are looking for additional information about Family Tree Maker, Family Tree Makers Support offers round-the-clock support for FTM 2019, FTM 2024, Ancestry synchronization, installation, backups, transferring FTM to another computer, charts and reports, and troubleshooting.
Final Thoughts
Keeping relationships accurate is essential to maintaining a reliable family tree, especially as your research grows and your database becomes more detailed. Family Tree Maker 2019 makes it easier to review and correct these connections without having to search through individual records one by one.
If you need help with Family Tree Maker, FTM Supports offers practical help for you covering common issues, features, and troubleshooting. You can browse the website to find information relevant to your version of the software and the problem you are trying to resolve.
A little care when reviewing relationships can save you from bigger errors later and help keep your family history organized for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does FTM 2019 have a Manage Relationships tool?
Answer: Yes, Family Tree Maker 2019 includes a Manage Relationships tool that lets you filter relationships and change the relationship types for individual or multiple relationships.
- Where is Manage Relationships in FTM 2019?
Answer: Open your tree and select Edit → Manage Relationships. You can then use the show relationships menu to find the relationship type you want to review.
- Can I change several relationships at once?
Answer: Yes, the Manage Relationships feature allows you to select multiple relationships and change their relationship type together. Review the selected records carefully before applying a bulk change.
- Can FTM 2019 sync with Ancestry?
Answer: Yes, FTM 2019 supports FamilySync for synchronizing a linked Family Tree Maker tree with Ancestry. Most core genealogy information can be synchronized, although some information is specific to one platform and does not transfer.
- Is Ancestry a backup of my FTM 2019 tree?
Answer: No, Ancestry synchronization should not be considered a complete backup of your Family Tree Maker database. Some FTM-specific information does not sync with Ancestry, so maintaining separate backups of your FTM tree is recommended.
- Can I still use Family Tree Maker 2019?
Answer: Yes. FTM 2019 still has support resources available, including documentation for relationship management, updates, synchronization, and troubleshooting.