FAMILY HISTORY MATTERS!

Most adoptees know the importance of family history; theirs is lacking in many ways, and those of us who know our forebears often ignore our family histories. We need to take advantage of the people resources we have available to us.

As more and more diseases are discovered that have a familial link, people need  at least to get the information as to what diseases took family members.

Whether you are writing a family history or getting a medical family history together, the process stays pretty much the same..

• Write down all of the information you already have.
• Confirm your information with that of a trusted older person in the family.
• As you record information about family members, note the dates for  important life events–birth, marriage, children, divorce, location of home, and death.
• If you’re recording the family history for the first time, attempt to get older members of the family to share personal reminiscences about other family members.
• Seek to get the black-and-white photos of your antecedents, even if you cannot identify them.
• Organize chronologically.
• Back up your work.
• Ancestry.com or Family Search.org are great resources for storing your family tree. You may find that others have already begun the preliminary search, and you can build from that search.
• Share your results with others.Publish as an independent writer on Kindle, Nook, SmashWords, or other ebook outlet.

  

• Plan and organize a family reunion–another place to share.

All of us, including adoptees can benefit from discovering our genealogical roots through DNA testing.  Ancestry.com has more information regarding the process. Start a family Facebook page so that members can share with you.