Step Children

[Aussiebird]

Hi All
My problem, if you would call it that, is my brother has step children and I am not sure how to fit them in the tree. At the moment they are listed under their mother with a different spouse.

My query is: They have taken on my brothers surname and have been known by this name for most of their lives as they were babies when My brother met their mum. As far as I know they have not changed their names by deed poll.

They are now having children and are registering them under my brothers surname.Will make searching hard in years to come. :confused:

How do I list them?

Cheers

[michaelpipe]

If they are using the name of their step-father, then at some stage (passport application, marriage etc) they surely would have had to produce a birth cert. If the name was different, then they would have had to provide further documentation such as adoption papers / change of name papers to appease the governmental gods. So if they have got this far, there must have been an official change somewhere, surely.

As far as listing them is concerned, what I did in a similar circumstance was to put their birth name in the genealogy software followed by the 'new' name in brackets afterwards, (with a comment in the notes) and also attached to their actual father. That way they stay with their birth parents, but will obviously be in the same family group with their adoptive father - no different than a second marriage for their mother, except you are also indicating a name change.

Michael

[Aussiebird]

Thanks Michael

Other issue here is my brother has never married the mother and even though they are having children they have not married either.
So there has been no need for any proof.

Cheers

[michaelpipe]

Could get complicated, couldn't it? I guess one has to just enter them normally, mark them unmarried, and add whatever name they are registered under, with an addition in brackets.

[Aussiebird]

Thats what I have done, notes everywhere. Will have to check whether they did change their names legally or not.

Thanks for your input.

Cheers

[Guy Etchells]

How you list them on your family tree is up to you, it is your tree.

The conventional method is to list-
Women under their maiden name
Children under their father's name unless parents were unmarried then children should be listed under the mother's name.

This can get confusing where children are born to an unmarried couple who live together as man and wife. In such cases many treat the stable relationship as a marriage and list the children under the father's name.

Any good family history program should be able to deal with such relationships but perhaps an additional note may make the situation clear.
Cheers
Guy

[Aussiebird]

Thanks Guy

I have them listed under their mother with a note beside their names, saying they are known as my brothers surname.

Cheers