Multiple Parents and Single Parents in Legacy
You can enter more than one set of parents for an individual in Legacy. For example, there may be adoptive parents plus birth parents or foster parents you want to include in your family file. Legacy will also let you create blended families of one natural parent and a step-parent. In addition, some users add "alternate parents" when research suggests more than one possibility. You can also add just one parent when, for example, the mother never married and the father is unknown. Here are the basics for entering more than one set of parents and single parents.
The Legacy help file has excellent guidance that will assist you. Please click on Help and select Help Index. Next click on Tutorial Lessons and select from the examples and demos shown. Under Basic, Intermediate and Advanced you will find:
"How to a Child"
"How to Add Parents"
"How to Add Additional Parents"
"How to Add a Spouse"
"How to Add an Additional Spouse"
"How to Add Marriage Information"
"How to Link in Existing Individuals"
“How to Rearrange Spouse and Child Orders”
"How to Show Relationships"
And more...
Adding Parents and Marriage Information
1. Starting in Family View first enter the individual with more than one set of parents.
If you want to record name changes (for example from a birth name to the name given at adoption), click the AKA (Alternate Names) icon 
and add it. Save his/her record.
2. Next click the Parent icon 
in the row at the bottom of the individual's box in Family View.
Clicking this icon brings up the Parents List where you can add one or more sets of parents.
3. To attach a set of parents that are already in the family file, click Link to Existing at the bottom of the Parents List screen. The Marriage List then appears where you can select the couple to add. Skip to step 10.
4. To attach a set of parents that are NOT in the Marriage List, click the Add New Parents button. "Unknown & Unknown" will appear in the screen.
5. Next click the Add Father and Add Mother buttons. When you click one of these buttons, the options to Add a NEW Person or Link to an EXISTING Person will appear.
6. Follow the prompts to add the new parent or select one from the Name List. If you enter two new people the Marriage Information screen will open automatically.
7. If you attach only one parent (for example, you know only the mothers name) the Marriage Information screen will not open and you should then close the Parents List screen. Next in Family View open the Marriage Information for the single parent.
8. In the Marriage Screen enter all of the appropriate details and click Ending Status down arrow button. From the list that appears you can select Annulled, Common Law, Divorced, Married, Other, Separated or Unmarried. In addition you can add your own definitions like "Alternate."
9. At the bottom of the Marriage Information screen you can change the wording for Family View labels. For example, for an unwed set of parents you may change Husb and Wife to Father and Mother. You can also change the report phrase from "married" to "lived with" or other wording to best fit the circumstances.
10. Add a another set of parents to the individual by repeating steps 2 through 9.
Setting the Individual's Child Status.
1. With the parents (or parent) in the Husb/Wife (or Father/Mother) box in Family View, right-click on the individual who appears in the Children's Box below his/her parents.
2. From the popup menu select Children's Settings and the box will appear.
3. Highlight the individual and click on the Status down arrow button. From the list that appears you can select Adopted, Adopted Twin, Foster, Foster Twin, Illegitimate, Illegitimate Twin, None, Sealed, Stillborn, Stillborn Twin or Twin. In addition you can add your own definitions like "Natural" if that reads better than Illegitimate.
Setting Family View Status Options
• Set the Preferred Parents in the Parents List by highlighting them and clicking the Select button. The screen will close and the preferred parents will be displayed in Family View.
• Change "Unknown" by clicking on Data Format on the Menu bar and select Customize. The Customize screen will open. Select the Other tab and under "Words for Blank Records" choose either "Unknown" or (Just leave it blank). Click the Save button.
• Change Family View Labels by clicking on Options on the Menu bar and select Customize. The Customize screen will open. Select the View tab and under "Default Family View Labels" you can edit the wording for individuals with and without spouses. Click the Save button.
• Show Status by clicking on Options on the Menu bar and select Customize. The Customize screen will open. Select the View tab and under "Show Status Family View" check "On Marriage Info" and/or "On Children." Click the Save button.
• Show Half-Siblings in Family View by right- clicking on an individual in the Children's Box who has half-brothers or half-sisters. From the popup menu select View / Show 1/2 Kids.
Printing Reports with Multiple Parents and Single Parents
• Family Group Sheets: In the Family Report screen select "Use the Phrases from the Marriage Records." Next click the Report Options button, select the Include tab and check Child Status and Marriage Status. Optionally you can also select to include Alternate Given and Surnames if individuals went by more than one name. (Any options that are "grayed-out" or "ghosted" are not available for the report.)
• Individual Reports: From the Individual Report screen click the Report Options button, then select the Include tab and check Child Status, Marriage Status and Other Parents. Optionally you can also select to include Alternate Given and Surnames if individuals went by more than one name.
• Ahnentafel (Ancestor) Book: From the Ancestor Book screen click the Wording tab. Here you can edit wording to match the children's phrasing depending on whether or not their parents were married. Next click the Report Options button, then select the Include tab and check Child Status and Marriage Status. Optionally you can also select to include Alternate Given and Surnames if individuals went by more than one name.
• Modified Register (Descendant) Book: From the Descendant Book screen click the Wording tab. Here you can edit wording to match the children's phrasing depending on whether or not their parents were married. Next click the Report Options button, then select the Include tab and check Child Status and Marriage Status. Optionally you can also select to include Alternate Given and Surnames if individuals went by more than one name.
• Descendant Narrative Book: From the Descendant Narrative screen click the Wording tab. Here you can edit wording to match the children's phrasing depending on whether or not their parents were married. Next click the Report Options button, then select the Include tab and check Child Status and Marriage Status. Optionally you can also select to include Alternate Given and Surnames if individuals went by more than one name.
