How does an adopted person record their ancestors?

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Question:

Are their ancestors the same as their adoptive family!? Or are the blood relatives listed as their ancestors!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

In most genealogy programs you can add 2 parent links to the same person - one adoptive and one biological!. You can do both lines and keep it in one gedcom!. When you print reports it will ask you which parent to select as the default!. I've done this in my gedcom files for adopted relatives with known birth relatives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In my opinion, in genealogy the genetic line is more significant than the adoptive line, because if it were not for all those genetic ancestors, you would not even exist!. It is their genes that allow you to even be here!. However, the reality is, it is highly unlikely that even in a genetic line, that every last one of those thousands of people were really fathered by the person who is recorded as the father!. Infidelity is not a new concept!. also, in many cases, before adoption became such a legal issue, people often just took in and raised children as their own that were not even theirs, but are recorded as theirs according to census records and wills, etc!. So, even in the genetic line, it is not likely that all the people listed are truly genetic ancestors!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'd say it's up to the adopted person - who do YOU consider to be your family!? It's the adopted family that developed whatever personality traits and/or values that got instilled into you by their upbringing of you, but it was the blood relatives that actually got the opportunity to contribute to your DNA!. Whichever's more important to you, I guess!. Maybe just make two different ones!? I think genealogy's fun, so it wouldn't seem like too horrible of a chore!. :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

This is the most divisive question in our little world!. It comes up all the time!. Some use nature, some nurture!. People get into flame wars over it!.

Arguments for bio parents - GENEalogy!. A lady in my church with mostly Portuguese ancestry adopted a girl from India!. You can tell they don't have the same genes!. Genealogy is supposed to be the study of genes!. Since she was adopted out of an orphanage, if the child ever did genealogy, she would have a very small family tree, with "Unknown" for mother and father!.

Arguments for real parents, as the twig is bent so grows the tree, and the adoptive parents are (usually) the reason the child turns out as he or she did, for better or worse!. (People who adopt teens usually have to ride the sleigh the bio parents gave them, even if it is going downhill at 100 mph with no brakes!.) The real parents are the ones that read to the kids every night, teach them to ride a bicycle, scold them for talking with thei rmouths full, change the diapers, bandage the cuts, foot the bills, and so forth!.

Another argument for bio parents instead of real ones, if the child was lost in the woods and raised by wolves, would you put "Grey Fang" in as the mother!? More realistically, who do you put for some poor waif who changes foster homes every three years!?

I always advise people to do what seems right to them!. If they put the real parents into the spots normally reserved for bio parents and someone tells them they aren't doing "Real" genealogy, I advise them to say "No dear, I'm not; I'm doing family history!. Would you like some more tea!?"Www@QuestionHome@Com

Frankly, I think it would be fun (though more work) to go ahead and do two family trees!. One for your biological family and one for your adoptive family!. Both had a great amount of influence as to the person you are today!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I am adopted and I list my ancestors as my adoptive parents!. I do show that I am adopted in the family tree!. But as far as I am concerned my adoptive parents and their ancestors are my family!.Www@QuestionHome@Com