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Archiver > APG > 2004-01 > 1074139337


From: "Cheri Casper" <>
Subject: RE: [APG] Re: RE: Is an adoption the end of the line?
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 20:02:27 -0800
In-Reply-To: <36.4f42f6e5.2d374290@aol.com>


Donn - You might want to look at GenBox. GenBox lets you define multiple
parent-child relationships. Output can include any or all of the following
relationships: biological, adoptive, foster, godparental, sealing,
relative, other, unknown. On boxed charts -- at the users discretion --
design can include "labels" on the connector lines that show the type of
relationship. As an example, my sister's biological children are shown in
the normal manner; her adoptive children are connected with a line that
clearly identifies the line as an adoptive line. It is the *only* program
that I am aware of that allows for such non-blood relationships in a clear,
unambiguous presentation without a bunch of workarounds or tweaks. It is
one of the things that attracted me to the program.

I have no monetary interest in the company, but I am a satisfied user. The
website for GenBox is www.genbox.com and a free trial period of the fully
functioning program is available. I think you will find that it satisfies
the criteria you want.

CheriC



-----Original Message-----
From: [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 5:11 PM
To:
Subject: [APG] Re: RE: Is an adoption the end of the line?


Barbara Brixey Wylie wrote:

> Identify it as an adoption and research either line or both. None of us
> spring from the womb with our education, socialization, ethics, and
values
> developed. The "family of nurture" guides that. When our natal family and
> our nurturing family are not the same--or when we have both--we need not
> exclude either of them.
>
> Some lineage societies do require a blood line. Those of us who strive to
> know the whole person in the context of his real-world experience only
limit
> ourselves to that if we need a kidney transplant!
>
I couldn't agree more. However, every genealogy program I've examined
forces
one to choose either the genetic link or the nurture link, be it adoptive or
informal, when reporting or displaying ancestral or descendant lines. You
can't have both simultaneously.

One person I know who has both relationships feels so strongly about it that
if he can't be shown as part of both his birth and adoptive parents'
families,
he doesn't want to be shown at all. The only answer I have found has been to
print to disk, separately ouput the omitted data, then with a word processor
manually insert, appropiately number, format and cross-reference the line
that
wasn''t selected for the original program output. When all the information
is
already present in a single database, there should be an easier way.

Does anyone know of a program that allows genetic, adoptive and foster lines
of ancestry or descent to be reported at the same time? I would like to see
at
least two options: (1) list all children in birth order, and (2) group
children by source of relationship--birth, parental marriage (stepchildren),
legal
adoption, and informal adoption or fosterage.. There should be a capability
to
list children in every family group with which they have one of these
relationships, ideally with cross-references to their presence in other
familly
groups. I wouldn't object to a capability for selecting fewer types of
these
relationships to display, similar to current programs, but that would
encourage
presentation of an incomplete view of the family structure.

Donn Devine, CG, CGI
Wilmington DE

CG, Certified Genealogist, CGI, and Certified Genealogical Instructor are
service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under
license
by board certificants after periodic evaluation, and the board name is
registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.


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