How do I cite or give proof of no spouse or child on a profile

Question

Wikipedia claims that Noreen never got married or had children. A quick search seems to agree with that statement... but at what point is it ok to say NO CHILD/NO SPOUSE on the profile? I also can't figure out... how would I cite that? Aside from wikipedia or IMDb I can't think of where it would say unmarried forever.

I don't know if this makes sense. Lmk.

Answer 1

I will add that, there's no harm in making this change. If someone in the future finds evidence of a marriage or children, this can be reversed and the new connection made.

Answer 2

It certainly does make sense, Jenn.  It's much easier to prove presence of a spouse or children than absence.  The only time I check those boxes is when there is no evidence of a spouse or children and:

• the person died before reaching adulthood or
• the person was institutionalized for their entire adult life or
• I have personal knowledge (including information told to me by close relatives of the person)

Perhaps other members have a better way to make this decision.

Answer 3

When I was/maybe still a PIP voyager working on a profile of my 2nd great grandfather, I had a lot of "probable" facts, but no actual proof.  It was more of a Sherlock Homes way of proving the information and events that had to have happened, with no actual records left to prove it.

My PIP mentor, also very involved in the profile, suggested we add a section of "Research / Notes and explain how we came to the conclusion that these things logically had to have happened, in A Sherlock Holms sort of way! Elementary, my dear!

Answer 4

Aside from the answers given here, you can also phrase your text to reflect this in the bio, depending on the person. In this case, it's easier to say "Noreen never married," because she is a notable. But in cases where the information is more sparse, you can use more general text such as, "It is not currently known if Noreen ever married," or "It does not appear as though Noreen ever married", especially if you suspect a source could be found later.