Trimming your Family Tree, Good or Bad?

I try not to go too far off the beaten path where my Family Tree is concerned. For example, I do add the parents of people who married into my family. I don’t necessarily research the parents any further than their names, however if their names were given on a marriage record, then I will add them to my tree. It is through these names, that I might find siblings that marry into various branches of my tree.

Anyway, while researching a first cousin 3 times removed, I found that she died quite young. Then her husband remarried. I decided to add the second spouse, since there were several census records, where this 2^nd wife is living in the home with her stepson, my 2^nd cousin 2 times removed. When I added her, I ask myself, should I add the 2^nd wives’ parents? Or is this going too far off the beaten path? 

When I do my family research, I want to make sure I actually have the correct records that go with my family before I key in any new information. I find it is easier than to just accept every hint that comes my way and sort things out later. Therefore I open multiple documents (tabs) on my browser. I also try to put these documents into chronological order by dragging the tab to its proper placement, with oldest event on the left and more current on the right.

As I was going through documents after my first cousin 3 times removed died, I found one census record where the the niece of the 2nd wife was living in the household. Then I found that this same niece married her stepson, my 2^nd cousin 2 times removed. As per my normal routine, from the marriage record I added the niece’s parents where the father is the brother of this 2nd wife. However, without their parents’ names, I would not know of the relationship between the 2nd wife of husband of my first cousin 3 times removed and the wife of my 2nd cousin 2 times removed.

Therefore I now have the Father-in-law of husband of 1^st cousin 3x removed and Mother-in-law of husband of 1^st cousin 3x removed. Plus my 2^nd cousin 2 times removed father-in-law shows up as Brother-in-law of husband of 1^st cousin 3x removed instead of what I would like to see of Father-in-law of 2^nd Cousin 2x removed. The program knows the relationship, for whatever reason, has decided to show the other relationship.

So each of you will have to decide how far is too far off the beaten path with adding people to your family tree.