Question

Is the story that the Buddha had a wife and child perhaps not historically accurate, and a kind of marketing idea to appeal to the masses? Is that why there is not mention of them in this passage?

MN 36

“So at a later time, when I was still young, black-haired, endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life, having shaved off my hair & beard—though my parents wished otherwise and were grieving with tears on their faces—I put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness."

That his son and wife were not mentioned doesn't prove that they were not so, it's just a question that arises. What do we really know of a great sage from 2500 years ago. We have a lot of amazing texts that are available in translation. I'm grateful for the Pali Canon translations. They are amazing. 

What if the Buddha was spiritual from the time of his adulthood? What if he didn't enter into life with a wife and child? Would that really change his insights? In a way the biography of the Buddha is fantastical and miraculous, signaling that something special is there. As you read the formulas of the teachings over and over, there seems to be something more than just those words, though putting it all together and applying the words can support a strong practice. The tradition of a sangha can also support personal progress. Personal effort can support progress. Supportive conditions can support progress. Access to the teachings and support lead to progress. Various sects emphasize certain things. Charlotte Joko Beck preached the nothing special doctrine. Pema Chodron says start where you are. There is an ocean of teachings and updates. 

It's our modern times that we want to know the Buddha or Shakespeare for that matter. We want to know a person to locate the teaching in them, but there's something larger there, and like all good teachers, the teachings are larger than the people. Shakespeare's life might not be as interesting as the plays that he authored in collaboration with the troupe and other writers.