Kathryn, I loved reading your search and connections story. You have called out your place in history which is something that has little to do with how someone is raised IMO. As the mom and sister of adoptees your situations are close to my heart. It's wonderful to be raised in a loving family, but it's also good to know where one fits within both history and genetics. I hope all this is going to feature in a book of some sort, Kathryn. Thank you so much for the Scrap shoutout. Without my genealogical research (and DNA results) it wouldn't have been complete.
Thanks. Luanne! I think knowing our history is so important. I feel like I"m still just at the beginning of all this. Lots of good information on Ancestry, but still, not everything is online. And so many aspects of ordinary people's lives aren't recorded at all!
Kathryn, passing along that many states allow adopted children to request their original birth certificate after a specific number of years has passed. Some states allow health/medical information to be enclosed along with the original birth certificate. With Ancestry, you may connect with a closely connected relative who can provide the details of your birth family.
Thanks, Sheree! Yes, Rhode Island is one of those states, and I do have my original birth certificate, but it still contains misinformation because of the “putative father” rule. (A term I’ve only ever encountered in the F. Scott Fitzgerald story “Pat Hobby, Putative Father.”)
Beautifully written. Ancestry is so complex, and sometimes my own family history stories are so sad I wonder if I’d be better off ignorant (but, of course, the answer is always NO). I hope you can keep uncovering more information and stories!
Kathryn, I loved reading your search and connections story. You have called out your place in history which is something that has little to do with how someone is raised IMO. As the mom and sister of adoptees your situations are close to my heart. It's wonderful to be raised in a loving family, but it's also good to know where one fits within both history and genetics. I hope all this is going to feature in a book of some sort, Kathryn. Thank you so much for the Scrap shoutout. Without my genealogical research (and DNA results) it wouldn't have been complete.
Thanks. Luanne! I think knowing our history is so important. I feel like I"m still just at the beginning of all this. Lots of good information on Ancestry, but still, not everything is online. And so many aspects of ordinary people's lives aren't recorded at all!
I agree. Some misinformation on Ancestry, too, as helpful as it is. The longer you search the more you should find, but it's a tedious process.
Kathryn, passing along that many states allow adopted children to request their original birth certificate after a specific number of years has passed. Some states allow health/medical information to be enclosed along with the original birth certificate. With Ancestry, you may connect with a closely connected relative who can provide the details of your birth family.
Thanks, Sheree! Yes, Rhode Island is one of those states, and I do have my original birth certificate, but it still contains misinformation because of the “putative father” rule. (A term I’ve only ever encountered in the F. Scott Fitzgerald story “Pat Hobby, Putative Father.”)
Beautifully written. Ancestry is so complex, and sometimes my own family history stories are so sad I wonder if I’d be better off ignorant (but, of course, the answer is always NO). I hope you can keep uncovering more information and stories!
Thanks, Marybeth. I’ve had the same feeling. All those infant deaths!
This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
This is fascinating; thank you for sharing this!!
Thanks, Jessica!
Excellent post, enjoyed reading it.
Thank you, Jeff!
Happy ancestors hunting. Terrific stories💙🧊🌷
Thanks, Lucinda! And many congrats, again, on your own ancestor-shaded book coming out.
💕⚜️💙🧿