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General => Technical Help => Family History Programs, Tree Organisation, Presentation => Topic started by: Lynn H on Wednesday 02 January 08 07:20 GMT (UK)
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I have been sitting here reading some threads and it got me thinking, who can i get to take over my family history research after i'm gone. (Not that i plan on going for a while yet) but i have no family members that are remotelly interested in what i'm doing and it breaks my heart to think it will end. I have written letters to my kids, and asked them not to destroy all the hard work i've done, in the hopes that interest will come with age. Does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do to get them interested?
Lynn.
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I have seen several copies lodged at local librarys and family history centers which make interesting reading and I've always thought that was quite a good idea as you never know who is going to come along and make an enquiry.
I was lucky enough to find that someone who took over a house my OH's ggrandfather lived in wrote to the local FH society to say what he had left in the house and that it lots of items had remained in one or two rooms for more than 80 years! Considering this was a "blue plaque" house from a later inhabitant I was so pleased to find the information.
jc
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Enjoy it and share it while you are still breathing.
Place your data in as many places as you can. Start your Family Tree in a dozen places. Make it colourful.
Go to it every day and be proud of your creations.
Once you kick the bucket it does not matter any more. You'll be fast asleep forever.
Have a worry free New Year.
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Hi rover, i wish i had your attitude toward my tree, but unfortunately i don't. I have worked long and hard to get my information and i'll be damned if i'll let it all go to waste.
Lynn.
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G'day Lynn
I know my ageing Auntie ponders this question too!! Her daughter is not interested in all the work she has done but she has a neice and nephew (me & my brother) who have caught the bug.
But if you have no one interested submit your information to a library or family history center or something similar where someone interested will seek it out some day.
I discovered some great stories about my great grand mother from a lady who took the time to write her memoirs and place them in the state library. There is a story about the day she first met her husband, the story of their wedding day, plus much more. The lady had even submitted a photo that none of the descendants had ever seen before!! It was an absolute gold mine when i found it all.
So submit your info to a place where others will seek it out!!
Ronica
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It won't go to waste Lynne. If you post your tree to a few reliable, long standing web sites (Family Search, Ancestry) it will be there forever for all your unknown families and descendents to find in the future.
Leonie.
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Hi, You may be surprised to find that your kids will be more keen that you thought to ensure your hard work is at least taken care of. They may just be thinking you can do it all so they don't need to know how.
My dad was always telling us about his latest finds and I wish he had been a bit more pushy insisting that I take a proper look at how he organised things and updated his website. My brother and I are short of time but my daughters are also interested and between us we will keep things updated if nothing else for now.
Very useful to know about the libraries as well.
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Peter -
Welcome to Rootschat :) :)
I'm a pushy parent - but my son shows no interest at all! I don't want to push too hard, because at least at the moment he listens - don't want to put him off altogether.
On-line storage seems the best idea - but the only interest he shows in my website at the moment is the technical side - content doesn't inspire him!
Still, there's hope yet - and I plan to keep it in front of him - not that it's that missable, being in about 10 large folders in the front room!
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Mum44. Thats it. !!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D
I'll get him to get involved by designing a website for me. He is very good with computers as thats his job. If i keep him interested that way, he may just stay with it. He always listenes to what i am telling him and has said that when he gets to my age he might start to do it. He's only 27 so he has a long way to go. This could just work!
Thankyou for all the input.
Lynn.
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One day there will be a consolidation of all the various family tree websites on the net - it might already have started to happen.
In a decade or so it will be clear where to deposit your findings with the knowledge they will be preserved for hundreds even thousands of years.
The biggest worry would be it might necome politically fashionable to seek and wipe out such knowledge (as has happened over and over in history)
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Thats exactly what we have done our son has been visiting record offices and has been a huge help but isn't that keen, but every now and then a story turns up that he can get his teeth into At the moment its a photograph taken by one of my late uncles of a telegram from Hitler to an air crew before the war Son has had it translated and researched the event it refers to even found photos of the plane so he's interested in the stories if not the genealogy.
Good luck in fanning the spark of interest into a blazing fire.
Welcome to Rootschat Ronica and peter let us know how we can help
Trees
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Hello Trees
You can alway try donating your research to the Genealogical Society. I have a distant relative who spent decades researching one branch of my tree, before computers too, and he did just this. One of his ancestors has now collated all the paper documents and transcribed them onto a computer and is trying to sort out the remaining "problems". As a result of their work, I managed to solve a mystery on my tree, and with some extra spadework on my part, we also solved a couple of the other outstanding problems.
Alternatively, if you've got some half decent software that can be used to create a printable report, you could get everything printed and bound ...
David
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For real future long term security I'd put everything down on good old fashioned good quality paper rather than trust ANY form of modern technology!!!!
It all comes and goes, but paper, or preferably (real) parchment will remain.
Carole
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Carole - indeed.
The downside to that is that the future family historians might not be able to find it, but it looks as if they'll all be computer wizards! My son can find pretty much anything on the web - I still use Britannica in hard back!
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We haven't had very long with cyberspace - but just think of all the obselete forms of sound recordings there have been in the past 100 years, and the different formats of TVs ...
You can sit in a Record Office, unfold and read a document from the 17th century and it's as good as the day it was written - I have a feeling that websites aren't going to mean very much to anyone in the 23rd century ........
Carole
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For real future long term security I'd put everything down on good old fashioned good quality paper rather than trust ANY form of modern technology!!!!
Couldn't agree more, Carole. Computers and the Internet have transformed family history research, but if anyone imagines today's digital storage media will still be around in a few decades, let alone centuries, let them remember the Sinclair Microdrive, or try to buy a 78rpm record player or even a cassette tape player . . . ok, I'm sure there are still plenty around at the moment, and possibly even still being made, but as soon as the next latest thing comes along they rapidly disappear.
I'll carry on using the computer and the Internet, but If I ever manage to finish writing and binding my book, I think I might try lodging a copy with a museum or history society as suggested above . . . something I hadn't considered before.
An ancestry chart on parchment . . . now that is an interesting idea . . . better brush up on the calligraphy . . . 8)
Mike.
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How about lodging a copy with your will at the solicitors office with instructions that it is to be added to by whoever inherits it and put a copy in your local Record Office . I think mine would need to go into just about every county Record Office the ancestors seem to cover sooo much ground ;D and put it on the web.
Trees
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Another excellent idea, Trees. Much food for thought on this thread.
Mike.
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I have all the information on paper, i print everything i get. I have lost all my computer info twice now, so its all in print. I only use computer for research. Thankyou all for your advice though you have given me some great ideas to keep it going.
Lynn. :) :)
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Your son is only young Lynn. I didn't begin to get interested until I was in my forties. I only began proper research in my fifties when I got hooked.
I have made ring binders for my daughter and all my nephews and nieces, and presented them with them whether they were interested or not.
Now two nieces show a great deal of interest, and I have made proper books for them with photo's and certificates.
My nephews showed no interest (even though one on his Mother's side had Spanish and American ancestors ..I'd die for something like that). The other nephew's small son, was given school work on family history. He took the ring binder in to show his teacher, who made a great fuss over it, delighting my great nephew so much that he began to take an interest.
So it might not be this generation of your family, but the next that carry on your work. So make sure your son knows that it is his responsibility to keep your research whether he personally wants it or not, to pass on to the next generation.
Maybe you can get him interested not only by making the web site, but by asking him to try to find an ancestor for you on a census. Tell him you just can't find them (even if you have already). When he finds them, tell him what a great researcher he is. Then ask him to try and trace another.. after that he should be hooked ;D
Su
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A couple of years ago I found some very good archival quality journal type books each in it's own box. They were on sale so I bought them all. (5) One day when I'm sure I have my facts all correct I'm going to start writing my family history into them. (soon) I already have two large hard cover note books with family history, unfortunately they don't lend themselves to photos but I've already started putting my photos into archival albums. These are almost impossible to buy now so I've had to make some up myself. Not a very difficult job, getting acid free tissue is much easier these days too. No way would I trust my photos to plastic sleeve type albums.
cheers,
Leonie.
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For real future long term security I'd put everything down on good old fashioned good quality paper rather than trust ANY form of modern technology!!!!
Couldn't agree more, Carole. Computers and the Internet have transformed family history research, but if anyone imagines today's digital storage media will still be around in a few decades, let alone centuries, let them remember the Sinclair Microdrive, or try to buy a 78rpm record player or even a cassette tape player . . . ok, I'm sure there are still plenty around at the moment, and possibly even still being made, but as soon as the next latest thing comes along they rapidly disappear.
I'll carry on using the computer and the Internet, but If I ever manage to finish writing and binding my book, I think I might try lodging a copy with a museum or history society as suggested above . . . something I hadn't considered before.
An ancestry chart on parchment . . . now that is an interesting idea . . . better brush up on the calligraphy . . . 8)
Mike.
I have high hopes for USB keys and SD chups. They might lose theur cherge over time but as they are now used by photographers too they might still be able to be read in the future
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My trouble is I have 24 ring binders containing information about the various branches of the family. Who is going to want to keep all that. I don't know what a solicitor would do with it. It's not just a tree we have, it's all the other things like certificates and census. I told my daughter, who is not interested, to put them in a box and store them in the loft. Someone in future generations may want to know.
When my mother-in-law died my bro-in-law told me about all the certificates she had, which they threw out, even though they knew I was doing the family history.
I've just started going through my mother's side again. I estimate it will take 2 years. When it is done I will send a copy on disk to every cousin on that side whose address I know. I did that with my father's side. I'll have to hope that they can transfer it to different storage.
Having seen so many family heirlooms sold on Flog it and such like programmes I can only hope some will be interested.
A few years ago I did send a hard copy of a little book to the relevant family history society but I have so much more now and the ancestors are from so many counties.
Meanwhile I will just enjoy the research and hope for the best.
Sylviaann
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Solicitors seem keener on throwing away documents these days rather than storing any more :(
I bet they said Mr Edison's wax cylinders were amazing when they were invented because generations to come would always be able to hear the important people and great singers of the day on them ::)
I wouldn't trust ANYTHING!
Carole
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I have high hopes for USB keys and SD chups. They might lose theur cherge over time but as they are now used by photographers too they might still be able to be read in the future
Hmmmm . . . I bought a 2gB USB memory stick and copied all my data files to it . . . but then I apparently tried to transfer a file that overflowed it's capacity. It now produces a "write protected" error, and no amount of low-level formatting will make it usable again. So I no longer have high hopes for any form of digital storage media, apart from short-term backup storage.
Of course paper documents can fade . . . or can be destroyed by water or fire . . . but I still think they are the best bet. After all there are millions of documents that have survived centuries, even millennia. I might have to give the parchment idea a miss for now though, since I checked the price! :o :o
Mike.
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I think we all have family members who think that our hobbie is a bit of an obsession......and we are all a bit weird
But......I do worry...not only about who will take care of the tree....
(just give it on disc's to all family members however distant in relative or mind)...........
but after spending hours in gloves looking at old documents...........I do wonder if a paper trail would survive more than a computer disc.
Dead sea scrolls do come to mind
Do think we should all be running to the desert to bury our records ;)
Steve
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I have been sitting here reading some threads and it got me thinking, who can i get to take over my family history research after i'm gone. (Not that i plan on going for a while yet) but i have no family members that are remotelly interested in what i'm doing and it breaks my heart to think it will end. I have written letters to my kids, and asked them not to destroy all the hard work i've done, in the hopes that interest will come with age. Does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do to get them interested?
Lynn.
Lynn, have you thought of publishing the first of a series of books relating to the history of your family. It can be factual or fictional based on fact ... it doesn't really matter so long as the money starts to roll in ... that's the stage your kids will begin to take an interest.
Christopher
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Hi Christopher, what a brilliant idea that is. ;D ;D ;D
My kids would be more than happy to help with that, if it meant money in their pockets. I might even suggest that they write it and take the credit for it, if it keeps the history going.
Wonderful Idea.
Lynn.
By the way, Happy New Year.
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Happy New Year to you too Lynn.
May I have an autographed copy of the book when it's published please?
Christopher
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;D ;D ;D ;D.....OK.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Interesting thread....
I think, I have enjoyed my hobbie, loved my research...so far with what I have found, as FH is always ongoing....where do you stop, when you hit parish records, which besides a few brick walls, I have done.
I have enjoyed the experience, knowledge of my folks, finding out in all aspects I could...and if after me, none of my family is interested, I have gained, gleened, and enjoyed my time with them....so be it!
I would love for mine to take over my thorough and costly research , but if they don't....I am sure in the future it will be looked apoun...by someone with interest maybe? In disc or paper form. Please look kin......
Basically, this has been done by me for me....but I do hope, wishfully, in the future mine will be bitten by the 'roots' bug. Do you think it is an age thing? when we get to age we are ready to take up the genealogy bug? I do hope so....
Who knows, but hoping... :-\
Cas
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I must say that I too enjoy doing research and find family history an enjoyable and satisfying hobby in and of itself. But I would like to think what I'm doing will last for a while. I like the story idea, I have a couple of very interesting ancestors I'd love to write about. One in particular, I have her photo sitting up in front of me, her whole life except...... no birth & no death!?! She just pops up fully growed, gets herself into the newspapers, travels all over, gets divorced, then disapears. Very frustrating. I look up at her photo and ask, "Dont you want to be imortalised?" But she never answers.
Do you think all this research makes us potty?
cheers,
Leonie.
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Hi Leonie (lovely name)
Write it down let it flow...your research, thoughts, facts, findings, then go back and correct or add, even embelish within reason, to a degree... in what you have found, think, feel...... I love the written word, and enjoy it very much, along and imagination, but am crap at maths although I teach.... ???
I also will do this one day...give a narrative of my findings, possibly for future generations for them to understand my emotions of how I felt at this time, my research, including connections, facts, stories, my/our ancestors history, as it was, or as I viewed it...maybe with mine this with envoke/spark future interest
We live in hope
Cas ::)
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A funny thing happened to me yesterday :o :o I started this thread because i was worried about who was going to carry on my family tree.
My daughter turned up and asked if she could go through the old photo box. She said she wanted photos for her Facebook friends. She started going through the box and all of a sudden she said "you need to write on these photos so that we know who they are " Shock hit me!! she actually showed some interest in what she had found in the box. She never knew that i had Wedding Invitations printed out, or that i once owned my own business or loads of other things like that.
It put my mind a ease to think that she really does care, and even though she hasn't said as much, i think that my history will be in safe hands.
Lynn, ;D ;D ;D
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Hi Lynn
Does the heart good to hear that! I'm trying, with a small amount of success, to get my 11 and half year old daughter interested. She's the only one. I told her I'd do the hard bit and get the records and she just needs to keep it up to date.
She is starting to ask lots of questions so maybe just maybe she'll do that! ;D
Fingers crossed
Ann
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Wonderful news your family's past looks as if it will have a future and be in safe hands after all
Trees
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I was thinking the same thing recently. I'm going to give mine to the SoG at some point but as I'm only 27 I've probably got another 50 or so years of potential research time.
Ever thought of sticking it all in a time capsule and burying it in your garden?
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Welcome to Roots Chat Jake I hope you have as much fun here as we do and get a lot of help with your research let us know how we can help
Trees
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Welcome Jake.
When i left Canada to come and live here, that is exactly what i did with 38 of my diary's. I regret it now though.
Lynn.
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Don't worry much over who will be the one to take over your research - they just might not be born yet!
My grandfather's brother started our tree, spent years on it and even had paid help from a professional.
I managed to trace everything he had (without the benefit of his research) in a matter of a couple of weeks online - I haven't actually left my desk in the name of research yet :o
I've taken it much further than he had - siblings/sibs spouses/spouses ascendants/etc and even gone a generation further on the direct lineage much to my surprise.
So, it could well be that one day one of your siblings grandchildren picks up the research and gets the genealogy bug!
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The way I see it, FH is like a jigsaw puzzle. Someone else can look at what you've done and say "ooh that's nice", but the person who derives most benefit from it is the one whose done the research, wrestled with the tricky bits and got the satisfaction of solving each bit. Therefore look after the irreplacable and the original with the utmost care, but vast volumes of notes you've acquired in the course of your research probably increase the likelihood that someone will simply decide to discard the whole lot. Make it clear which bits couldn't be replaced from official repositories. It's not always clear what those are - my parents interviewed my late great grandmother about the family shortly before she died in 1982, and the notes they took from that don't look much but are invaluable!
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I think we all have this concern.
I had a break through the other day, one of my distant cousins (5th or something) who does the family history with me, has a daughter the same age as my daughter. Even thought neither are into family history they chat to each other on the net all the time.
I may not have someone to carry on the tree but I have linked the next generation together, hopefully these distant cousins, from across the oceans, will become mates for life, and their children etc.
A different concept, but still carrying on the tree in one form or another ;D ;D
Margaret
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A couple of years ago I found some very good archival quality journal type books each in it's own box. They were on sale so I bought them all. (5) One day when I'm sure I have my facts all correct I'm going to start writing my family history into them. (soon) I already have two large hard cover note books with family history, unfortunately they don't lend themselves to photos but I've already started putting my photos into archival albums. These are almost impossible to buy now so I've had to make some up myself. Not a very difficult job, getting acid free tissue is much easier these days too. No way would I trust my photos to plastic sleeve type albums.
cheers,
Leonie.
Hi Leonie,
Just browsing this topic, and wondered if you know about the 'My History' site:
http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Genealogical_Storage.html
I've found them very helpful, with a nice personal touch. I emailed them recently about 100 sheets of A3 archive quality paper, which they were advertising in 25-sheet packs, and they actually added a 100-sheet pack to their list that same day! 8)
Mike.
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This theme has been raised several times in the few years that I have been a member of Rootschat......and each time...I scratch my head!
Doing my family tree has given me great pleasure....especially in finding connections that I never imagined...e.g. The American Revolution.....A hanging in Wiltshire.....7 British Home Children shipped to Canada.
But....if my kids throw it all in the rubbish that is OK.....because I will be dead.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
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Quite honestly, I had little interest in family history until the death of my last surviving grandparent within months of the arrival of my firstborn, shortly before turning 40. Suddenly, it all became very important to do, while my daughters 3 remaing grandparents remained in good mental health.
Talk about a missed opportunity! My grandmother, Jeannie Rees, worked for the South Australian Archives - imagine what we could have talked about!
It is to honour her memory that I dedicate my research.
I don't care if anyone follows it on - but I do care that I have done my best to make it available for them if they wish to build on it.
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I totally agree with this line in the previous post.
I don't care if anyone follows it on - but I do care that I have done my best to make it available for them if they wish to build on it.
While I'm alive I'll stick to that belief.
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Yes, I agree too. I hope my work won't be thrown out after I'm gone, but I'm really doing it to satisfy my own curiosity. And meanwhile, I'm expanding my knowledge of general history as well, because I keep looking up references to the various periods to try to understand the type of life my ancestors experienced . . . pretty grim in many cases. I much prefer living today!
Mike.
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I have a difficult problem with my history as my grandaughter is showing interest but her two brothers are adopted so it is not their history. I mostly see them all together so I don't like to discuss it with her in front of them.
My daughter in law is the boys natural mother but she was adopted herself after being neglected by her mum so has no interest in her own history.
I think I will just gather as much information as I can and keep it until she is older.
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I have a difficult problem with my history as my grandaughter is showing interest but her two brothers are adopted so it is not their history. I mostly see them all together so I don't like to discuss it with her in front of them.
My daughter in law is the boys natural mother but she was adopted herself after being neglected by her mum so has no interest in her own history.
I think I will just gather as much information as I can and keep it until she is older.
My eldest son is adopted. I was adopted too but it was a family adoption so I know my background. My eldest son, even though I have offered information is not interested in his biological parents ( that is just biological mum you are my real mum) but he is very interested in the family history and is pleased he is part of the family that is related to illustrious or not very illustrious ancestors.
We have always been very open with my son about his origins and have never hidden anything from him that he has wanted to know since he was tiny. He is now 35 and has chased up some records for me and refers to these people as his ancestors.
Try to engage them you might be as surprised as I was. We found that I was descended from a 'Lady' in Scotland and now my son tells everyone jokingly 'don't speak to me like that I am a descendant of Lady....... you know'
Pennine
Pennine
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I am just wary of stirring up a hornets nest. The circumstances of my daughter in laws adoption were pretty bad and although she knows she has brothers and sisters that were also adopted she doesn't want to know anything about them.
She had the boys and split up with their father who wanted no contact, met and married my son and they have a daughter together and he adopted the boys. They are twelve and their sister is ten and have always known about the adoption.
I love them all equally, my grandsons came into our family as toddlers and completely stole our hearts and I don't want them to feel my grandaughter has family that they are not connected to.
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I was adopted (age 7 - good old 7yr itch !) by my mothers 2nd Husband and took his surname.
I know and correspond with my natural father so have done his line rather than to one of my current surname - I have no interst as i didn't paticularly like him and have no contact - I just keep an eye out fo his death.
My wife has teased me over this and funnily enough I have traced the lines of adoptive parents where the original father is unknown.
I did do a quick speculative scetched FH of my adopted father and found that, even though I most remember he was snobbish and liked to criticize coal miners in particular (My natural father was a coal miner before retirement) he seems to have an ancestry which is loaded with mining families (south yorkshire of course)
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Mazwad,
My son married a girl with 3 children (from 2 different fathers). I have included them on my tree as grandchildren. My daughter in law explained after she saw the tree, that the eldest had a different surname to the other two, and would n't want her real name on there. I asked this child what she thought, after getting permission from her mother, and the child (all of 11) said "But that is who I am, so my real name should be there".
Maybe, if you talk to your d.i.l. and the boys, they may like to be included as, after all, they are family! Only for your personal use, of course, I wouldn't put it on a public website.
Good luck, JB
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Thanks for your replies I think I will do as you suggest as after all their surnames are the same as ours now.
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i know how you feel here,i am in the same boat. i am teaching as much as i can to my 8 year old in the bid that she will carry it forward in to the future
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If you have a rash of recent adoptions or blended families or sperm donors it is ebven mor important to leave your kids what you know.
Just say here it is, its quite small (dont be tempted to ofload those 3 filing cabinets to them - just the key stuff) you probaly think its weird right now but you might get intersted someday.
Chances are they will but you will be long gone when they do
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point taken
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I am sure none of my familyare interested in my research and when I Asked myself this question I came up with the idea of placing my tree at least on as many sites as was possible and of course Family search to whom most of us mere mortals start in the hope that this trend continues and if later members of my family take an interest it's there for them if not it's there for others ::)
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i just hope my daughter will take a great interest in this as well :-\
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Hi I decided a few years ago to learn caligraphy, it is a lot easier than you would think.So I intend to write out my trees on parchment,and give it to the eldest of each family branch.They all know what I am doing and are looking forward to receiving it.But not for a couple of years yet!!!I still have lots to do.
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i wish you all the luck
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I love them all equally, my grandsons came into our family as toddlers and completely stole our hearts and I don't want them to feel my grandaughter has family that they are not connected to.
You sound like a good grandmother. :) As an adoptee, I would say that your grandkids are connected to the family history - they are connected through your son and through you. Even though you are not biological relations, you affect them. Your family traditions will become theirs. You will have shared experiences from here on out. It's great that you are trying to be sensitive to their feelings, but don't rule out that they might be interested in your past.