"The Rules" which can be found at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, http://www.apgen.org and http://www.bcgcertification.org These are the standards that the professional genealogy community is required to adhere to. The reason these "rules" or more correctly, standards are in place is to prevent as much as possible people who invent genealogies and family histories and charge a fee to others for that purpose. The goal is to document all sources, and to use all available records to compile an accurate portrayal of a family.
As to your personal genealogy - it does not have to follow any particular format. It should contain accurate information and have facts that are not common knowledge documented with the source of that information. Any relationships that are not clearly defined should state how you arrived at your conclusion, hopefully by the examination of many documents and having that conclusion based on sound research and analysis. The information should be in a format that is easy to understand and easy to read. Stating that non blood relatives should not be included in a genealogy is not part of any of the genealogical standards of the above listed groups. All that those standards require is that these individuals are correctly listed within the family unit. If you are submitting applications to a lineage society or writing for one of the more scholarly genealogical journals, then precisely how you report the descendants of the adoptive and foster children becomes important. Stating that these individuals should not be included because somewhere down the line the integrity of the genealogy will become compromised due to omission of facts is not what quality genealogy is about. There is no guarantee that the blood relative's information will not be misquoted either. Just my 2 cents, as First Vice President of the North Carolina Genealogical Society. Linda Altman http://www.southerngenealogy.com Southern Genealogy uses Legacy Family Tree! This highly acclaimed genealogy program can be downloaded FREE at http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Index.asp?mid=6BL9QCi *** Give the gift of Legacy for the holidays! Order online at http://legacyfamilytree.com/Redirect/Store-Legacy.asp or call 1-800-753-3453. *** Legacy User Group guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ For online technical support, please visit http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
