Genealogy Fact or Fiction

[Kezlyn]

My Dad was raised by his stepfather from the age of four. I have traced both that man's tree (whom I consider to be my "real" grandfather, regardless of blood) and the tree of the biological father. I think both are equally important. My father was raised as a member of his stepdad's family, lived their lifestyle, heard their history, was disciplined and loved and raised according to their tenets. He is much more like his stepdad's family than he is like the man who "fathered" him and only ever saw him once.

My guess is that maybe 10% of the links in my tree are not strictly biologically correct, but I will never know for sure. Mothers guess their child's father, lies are told, secrets kept. I'm not looking for perfection in my tree. I'll do the best I can, and as I said, I think who you are raised by is just as important, maybe moreso, than bloodlines.

I have really enjoyed tracing my biological grandfather's tree, though. Everything has been a big surprise, because I have no family history or stories to go from. I have come to a greater understanding of why my biological grandfather acted the way he did by discovering where he came from, the circumstances of his family, and the heriditary nature of the illness that decimated that family and eventually killed him.

Kez

[Bill749]

I like the old Govenment statistic that was supposed to stop us from drinking and driving back in the 70s.

It said that 30% of all fatal accidents were caused by drunken drivers.   

That means that 70% of fatal accidents were caused by drivers who were NOT drunk.   

Surely this only goes to prove that you are two and a half times safer driving when you are p****d!!   

Regards, Bill