Some adoptees who ask for help in identifying a birth parent have absolutely zero information to kickstart a search. While many of these adoptees would have been turned away several years ago, DNA registries have thankfully opened a door to them that was once closed.
More often than not in these cases, I find myself building their family tree based on their DNA matches. I identify common ancestors with various DNA matches and a family tree slowly emerges. DNA doesn’t lie.
In building family trees, especially when I first began offering this service, I was taken aback by the staggering number of times I came across wrong information in historical documents. I was also a little shocked at how much I didn’t know and still had to learn. Every time I build a family tree, I learn something new. Every time.
I’m currently taking a course to further sharpen my skills. As part of the curriculum, I have been working on my own family tree. Maybe you can learn a few things from my process so when you come across something similar in your own tree-building, you’ll work through it better and more efficiently than I have.
USE CONTEXT CLUES
Pay close attention to birth dates, death dates, areas of residence, names of offspring, and other details. If your ancestor’s name is John Smith, you must be especially careful not to assume the first John Smith you hone in on is your ancestor. If you’ve identified an ancestor who was born in 1825, it’s impossible that she gave birth to a child born in 1821. You get the picture.
DIG DEEP
Don’t throw in the towel when you hit your first brick wall. Sit on it for a bit. Consider other resources you haven’t tried yet. Ask for help. Contact other relatives who may have additional information.
TAKE A BREAK
Building family trees is a time commitment. And that’s even an understatement. If you feel yourself getting bogged down, take a break. Come back to it with a fresh eye when you’re ready.
FACT CHECK OTHER FAMILY TREES
You simply cannot trust what you find in other user’s family trees. If they’ve come to a certain conclusion that doesn’t make sense, find out what their resources are and follow the trail yourself. See if you come to the same conclusion. So many trees are filled with so many mistakes.
ACCEPT THAT HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ARE FALLIBLE
I have come across loads of misspellings and flat-out wrong names in historical documents, especially census records. One of my ancestors, Walter, is identified more than once as Robert. So don’t take names and dates as gospel truth just because it was written a certain way in one document. Find as many documents as you can that check out against each other. Human error is definitely a thing.
CONSIDER ADOPTION & SIMILAR SITUATIONS
My own son is adopted, so this is top-of-mind for me, but might not be for some. Though I have been surprised at the frequency of adoptions, children born out of wedlock, children raised by relatives, etc. in just my family tree alone.
My grandmother was raised by one man, but belonged biologically to another. It was rumored that my great-grandfather was raised by his parents, but possibly was not biologically theirs. I have a half-aunt who was placed for adoption at birth.
BECOME FAMILIAR WITH ENDOGAMY & THE LIKE
Endogamy involves mating within a specific group to the point that, over time, marriages occur between cousins, over and over again. This can be difficult to identify, especially the further back it is in your family tree. It’s just something to keep in mind and consider if things don’t quite seem to be adding up.
It was also not terribly uncommon for brothers to marry sisters. This would mean their children would all be double first cousins. A DNA test might reflect that a double first cousin is a half sibling.
MULTIPLE MARRIAGES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN RATHER TYPICAL
Theodore married Julinda in 1793. They had three children. After Julinda died in childbirth in 1799, Theodore married Sarah three years later. They had seven children. Sarah died in 1817 from cancer. Theodore married a third time in 1818 to Emeline. They had no children. Theodore died in 1826.
DON’T GET TUNNEL VISION
The sooner you accept that you don’t know all when it comes to family tree-building, the better off you will be. There are so many different possibilities and scenarios within the history of a family. Consider all options. Find someone who is more experienced than you and run the issue by them. Test out different hypotheses.
All of the time and effort become worth it when you break through that brick wall or identify a biological parent. And then you get to do it all over again.