How to Make a Family Tree With Adoptive Kids
Creating a family tree with adoptive kids is challenging. Standard family trees do not show adoptive kids unless they are the biological child of one of the parents. Notating adoptive kids in a family tree can be done in several ways, depending on the format of the tree you are using.
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Instructions
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Creating a Family Tree with Adoptive Kids
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Open your family tree software program. If you do not have one, there are two free options. The first, called PAF, is from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The second is called Legacy, standard edition. Both of these can be downloaded directly onto your computer. Both are available for MAC or Windows.
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Open the family tree software you are using and enter the names of the biological parents as a new record if they do not already exist in the database. If the parents are already in the database, then select the mother first.
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Enter the data for the biological child. Start with the child's full name. Next enter the date and location of birth.
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Go to the biological father's record in the software. If it does not exist, enter his full name, date and location of birth and any other information that you have on him. Select the "Add a Child" option. Add the biological child to this father.
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Locate the adoptive mother's record in the software. Add her information if necessary. If she is married to the adoptive father, add him as the spouse. Select the "Add a Child" option. Add the adoptive child as an adoptive child. If there is no adoptive child option, add the child, and in the notes section, mark the child as adopted. You may get an error that the child has more than one mother. Ignore the error if there is no option for adoptive children.
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Locate the adoptive father's record in the software. Select "Add a Child." Add the adoptive child to this father. Choose adopted if there is an option. If not then add as a child and ignore error messages about multiple parents. In the notes section enter all of the adoption information.
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Repeat these steps for each adoptive child. Turn on your printer and be sure it is connected to your computer. When you are ready to create the family tree, select the print option, choose the format you wish to use, and select the print button. The family tree should print out with both the adoptive parents and the biological parents listed. To show only the adoptive parents, you may have to adjust the families selected for the tree. Some software will print only biological children. Others will print both but show the adoptive children in a notes category. Tweaking the selected families, print options and the type of tree chosen will give you the results you desire.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are new to genealogy, try using one of the free software options. This will allow you to find a system you like best without spending a lot of money.
Failure to notate the biological parents if known or failure to notate the kids as adoptive is against Genealogical Standards.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit family tree image by Judy Ben Joud from Fotolia.com
