Genealogy dilemma

[ricslady]

I've known since I was 13 that my dad wasn't my biological father. I know my biological father and half siblings although not well. My question is how do I do my family tree? I had my dad's last name not my biological. It's all so confusing!

[rach3975]

I did a quick search and found this family tree that deals with how to include both adoptive and birth families on the same tree. Would something like that work?

[catgoddess]

My mother is adopted and that has held me back from doing my family tree. I'm going to follow this thread to see the suggestions, too!

[ricslady]

Thanks Rachel. That does help alot!

[Jen22]

On Ancestry, I decided to just do a separate tree for my biological side (I was adopted). It annoyed me that if I added my bio sisters to my adoptive tree, it would automatically add them to my adoptive parents and I couldn't add different people as their parents (hopefully that made sense, lol). Anyways - yeah, I just gave up and made a separate tree so I could put ALL the info and not have anything conflicting.

[pewtertm]

My husband is adopted, and when I was working on our tree, we decided to use his adoptive parents.

*his adopted mother was his birth mom's cousin, so there was still a connection.

[ricslady]

Thanks girls

Jen, my ancestry tree is a disaster. I need to start over to get it right.

[britaneejean]

i like Rachel's treat (or full circle) & then Jen's idea of 2 different trees. either one works. i've gone the 2 separate trees route (my step-father adopted me so it's just one "branch", kwim?).

[Sherri Tierney]

My poor tree is lopsided. LOL I only have information regarding my maternal grandmother's side. No information on my maternal grandfather or his family and nothing on my dad's side. I don't have a clue who my biological father is and my step-dad didn't come into the picture until I was in my late teens and he wasn't a huge part of my life either (my maternal grandmother adopted me). Genealogy is so hard for me. I get a headache thinking about it.

[Jen22]

Originally Posted by ricslady

Thanks girls

Jen, my ancestry tree is a disaster. I need to start over to get it right.

Lol - my old trees were that way (especially when I tried to include my bio family in with my adoptive family). When I started again last year, I went perfectionist on it and I have to say - it looks purdy, lol

[ricslady]

My tree on my mothers side is huge. I've been able to go back to my 9th great grandparents. Redoing it going to be a pain and I've been procrastinating.

[pewtertm]

Originally Posted by ricslady

My tree on my mothers side is huge. I've been able to go back to my 9th great grandparents. Redoing it going to be a pain and I've been procrastinating.

That's the part that frustrates the anal retentive/OCD part of me. I can get my mom's side of the family back to the 1400s, but can't even get past my grandparents on my dad's side of the family.

[LJSDesigns]

I have been able to do really well with my Dad's side, his family had been in the same area of Virginia/West Virginia since the early 1600s. Interestingly enough when I trace his mother's tree and his father's tree back all the way to the first family in America, it turns out that they are descended from a brother and a sister. Not that the brother and sister married, but that the lines came back together over 350 years later.

My mom's side is has been a little harder in some branches, but then I also have a royal branch and am a Mayflower Descendant on her side so that is pretty cool. Of course on her one side, her great-great grand parents were first cousins so my family tree turns into one branch. LOL

My tree allows for the parental relationship to be listed as biological or adopted and provides different branches for each. Makes it so much easier.