My grandfather was an orphan, does that mean if I do a geneology thing it will only go back 2 generations?

Question

Maybe my last name isn't really my last name...

Answer 1

IF you can NOT find a paper trail going on back, there is still DNA testing. Of course, since you would have 4 grandparents, hopefully you can trace the others a little farther back in time.  See below for websites for paper trails and DNA testing:

You should start by asking all your living relatives about family history.  Then, armed with that information, you can go to your public library and check to see if it has a genealogy department.  Most do nowadays; also, don't forget to check at community colleges, universities, etc.  Our public library has both www.ancestry.com and www.heritagequest.com free for anyone to use (no library card required).

Another place to check out is any of the Mormon's Family History Centers.  They allow people to search for their family history (and, NO, they don't try to convert you).

A third option is one of the following websites:

http://www.searchforancestors.com/...

http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=2739...

http://www.usgenweb.com/

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.rootsweb.com/

http://www.ukgenweb.com/

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/...

http://www.cyndislist.com/

http://www.geni.com/

Cyndi's has the most links to genealogy websites, whether ship's passenger lists, ancestors from Africa, ancestors from the Philippines, where ever and whatever.

Of course, you may be successful by googling: "john doe, born 1620, plimouth, massachusetts" as an example.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out this article on five great free genealogy websites:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Then there is the DNA test; if you decide you want to REALLY know where your ancestors came from opt for the DNA test. Besides all the mistakes that officials commonly make, from 10% to 20% of birth certificates list the father wrong; that is, mama was doing the hanky-panky and someone else was the REAL father. That won't show up on the internet or in books; it WILL show up in DNA.

I used www.familytreedna.com which works with the National Geographics Genotype Program.

Answer 2

That is hard to tell. He still had parents and so if you can find something like a birth certificate on him you might be able to go back more generations. And if someone adopted him...then I personally would consider his adoptive family to be his genealogy.

You are right though, the last name he may have been born with may have changed if he was adopted by a family. If he was raised in a orphanage, then his last name may have stayed the same. Also, sometimes families took in children when both parents died but, did not formally adopt them...it is a toss up in that case of if he kept his last name or not.

Is your Grandfather still alive? If so, I would interview him and try to get as much information out of him possible as to his birth parents names and where he was born as well as where he grew up and who took him in.

If not, then there are still records out there...they may be hard to find but you still may be able to go back more than 2 generations.

Answer 3

What about your other 3 grandparents? Also your genealogy can include adoptions. Families are made in all kinds of ways. The people  who adopted him had a kindness that deserves to be recognized.

Answer 4

Definition of an orphan is someone whose parents died.  Not someone who had no parents to begin with.  And those parents still had family/ ancestors.

The trick is that finding his information MIGHT be a bit more of a challenge.. not that it does not exist.  If he never was legally adopted, then the name he had, is probably the same he had at birth. If the parents died when he was 6 or 7, for example, that does not mean you won't find a record (maybe census, if he was born before 1930).  

As for your name.. your name is completely real and legal. For genealogy.. you are looking for PERSONS.  If grandpa was born a Smith and later became a Jones.. your goal is to find the Smith parents to know who they were. His name change is still valid.  Think about women, who change names at marriage, all the time. They still legally have the "right" last name, but the purpose of the birth name is to trace the right parents.

Your genealogy goes back as far as you are able to dig up the right information.  Even adoptions don't necessarily stop that.