Tech Forum

Let's see if I can explain this - I'm not sure I understand it myself

One of our members approached me today and stated his IOS was incorrect and he wants to know how to get it corrected.

His membership record shows biological children from a previous marriage who were legally adopted by his former spouse and her new husband. Also, his membership record does not show all the children he and his current wife have legally adopted.

I think I understand how to add the children to his record, once he brings in the adoption paperwork that shows their status. But, how would I go about removing the biological children? Would I just "Cancel" them off his record? In both these cases, the children are grown and gone from the household so we don't have their individual membership records (I haven't researched it yet, but suspect none are members).

Thanks for any advise on a way forward. Once I pull the whole story together with his records, it may be easier to call Membership Support to talk through it.

Cool!

I guess I stumped the forum! Now, I only wish I knew the answer myself...

davesudweeks wrote:His membership record shows biological children from a previous marriage who were legally adopted by his former spouse and her new husband.
...
how would I go about removing the biological children? Would I just "Cancel" them off his record? In both these cases, the children are grown and gone from the household so we don't have their individual membership records (I haven't researched it yet, but suspect none are members).

In MLS, you can just go to the Individual Record for the father. On the Children tab (not the Household tab), by each child is a "Remove" link. Click that Remove link for each child that you are certain is not his child. That will remove them as his children, regardless of their membership status.

However, I'm not certain that is the right thing to do. Those children are certainly still his children in one sense. And the MLS records feed into New FamilySearch for genealogical purposes. If everyone is still living, those records won't be visible to most people, but eventually they will die and then the membership records will provide public family relationships. Should there be no father-child relationship between that man and his children? I don't know, but you and he might want to consider that before removing them.

davesudweeks wrote:His membership record shows biological children from a previous marriage who were legally adopted by his former spouse and her new husband. [...] But, how would I go about removing the biological children?

I think I'd let the ward of the adoptive father deal with that. Sure, you can cancel them off his record, but that would leave the children "fatherless". AFAIK, the Membership system only supports a single father, so if the adoptive father's ward updates his record, then that will fix your problem.

It may be worth a call to local unit support to see what they suggest. They could alert the other ward.

Thank you for the advice - I do appreciate another couple of brains giving ideas. I believe the children are not members and neither are the birth mother and adoptive father. In addition, I understand they have been legally adopted and our ward member has no legal connection to them as his children - my brother has adopted several children and they are sealed to he and his wife, not their birth parents. Finally, I agree that (before I do anything at all, once I have all the facts exactly straight) a call to local unit support is a very good suggestion indeed.