diff --git a/hgext/convert/common.py b/hgext/convert/common.py
--- a/hgext/convert/common.py
+++ b/hgext/convert/common.py
@@ -55,11 +55,13 @@ SKIPREV = 'SKIP'
 
 class commit(object):
     def __init__(self, author, date, desc, parents, branch=None, rev=None,
-                 extra={}, sortkey=None, saverev=True, phase=phases.draft):
+                 extra={}, sortkey=None, saverev=True, phase=phases.draft,
+                 optparents=None):
         self.author = author or 'unknown'
         self.date = date or '0 0'
         self.desc = desc
-        self.parents = parents
+        self.parents = parents # will be converted and used as parents
+        self.optparents = optparents or [] # will be used if already converted
         self.branch = branch
         self.rev = rev
         self.extra = extra
diff --git a/hgext/convert/convcmd.py b/hgext/convert/convcmd.py
--- a/hgext/convert/convcmd.py
+++ b/hgext/convert/convcmd.py
@@ -472,6 +472,9 @@ class converter(object):
             parents = [self.map.get(p, p) for p in parents]
         except KeyError:
             parents = [b[0] for b in pbranches]
+            parents.extend(self.map[x]
+                           for x in commit.optparents
+                           if x in self.map)
         if len(pbranches) != 2:
             cleanp2 = set()
         if len(parents) < 3:
diff --git a/hgext/convert/hg.py b/hgext/convert/hg.py
--- a/hgext/convert/hg.py
+++ b/hgext/convert/hg.py
@@ -582,7 +582,9 @@ class mercurial_source(common.converter_
 
     def getcommit(self, rev):
         ctx = self._changectx(rev)
-        parents = [p.hex() for p in self._parents(ctx)]
+        _parents = self._parents(ctx)
+        parents = [p.hex() for p in _parents]
+        optparents = [p.hex() for p in ctx.parents() if p and p not in _parents]
         crev = rev
 
         return common.commit(author=ctx.user(),
@@ -591,6 +593,7 @@ class mercurial_source(common.converter_
                              desc=ctx.description(),
                              rev=crev,
                              parents=parents,
+                             optparents=optparents,
                              branch=ctx.branch(),
                              extra=ctx.extra(),
                              sortkey=ctx.rev(),
diff --git a/tests/test-convert-hg-startrev.t b/tests/test-convert-hg-startrev.t
--- a/tests/test-convert-hg-startrev.t
+++ b/tests/test-convert-hg-startrev.t
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ Convert from specified revs
   o  0 "0: add a b f" files: a b f
   
 Convert in multiple steps that doesn't overlap - the link to the parent is
-currently missing
+preserved anyway
 
   $ hg convert --config convert.hg.revs=::1 source multistep
   initializing destination multistep repository
@@ -237,8 +237,8 @@ currently missing
   converting...
   0 2: copy e from a, change b
   $ glog multistep
-  o  2 "2: copy e from a, change b" files: a b c d e
-  
+  o  2 "2: copy e from a, change b" files: b e
+  |
   o  1 "1: add c, move f to d" files: c d f
   |
   o  0 "0: add a b f" files: a b f