Home > Technical Support > Why the Bracketed Numbers?

Each individual that appears more than once in a tree due to an intermarriage or multiple sets of parents will have a bracketed number next to their name. An intermarriage creates more than one relationship between two people. For example, suppose two cousins are married and you're generating a tree starting with their common grandparents. The couple will appear on both sides of the tree -- once in the wife's side of the family and once in the husband's. The numbers tell you that [1] John Wilson is the same as [1] John Wilson. If you see a John Wilson on the same tree that doesn't have [1] before his name, he is not the same person. If several individuals appear more than once in a tree, the first set of duplicates will be assigned [1], the second will be assigned [2], and so on. Lower numbers indicate that the person is closer to the intermarriage (or fewer generations away).

You will also see these numbers for children with multiple sets of parents. Suppose you have given a child two sets of parents and you've included both sets in your tree. The child will appear twice with a bracketed number next to their name, once under each set.

Note: You can specify whether you'd like to include duplicate descendants in your tree. Right click your mouse and choose Options and click the Include duplicates descendants each time they appear check box.