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Archiver > TMG > 2002-03 > 1017594524


From: Terry Reigel <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] TMG out wedlock, adopted, guardians
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 12:09:24 -0500
References: <MABBJKJBONEFOGIDCJLOCENDCMAA.lmcinto@attglobal.net> <007701c1d841$30422680$48102c42@default>


Randy Dunbar wrote:

> I currently using PAF and thinking getting TMG.
> My biggest oncern is the way TMG would handle parents that are not
> bloodline. And the family tree has history of being guardians and
> adopting children. This confuses PAF when one prent is blood and
> ther other is not. All reports show child and parents (ones that
> raise the child) and mentions "child has other parents" Very
> confusing to folks that have seen some reports.

There have been a number of extended debates on this List about TMG's
handling of adopted children, and I was expecting one of those most
familiar with the issue to respond to you. But I haven't seen a response,
so I'll give it a try.

TMG allows a person to have any number of "parents" -- but only one pair
at a time can be marked as Primary, and thus control how relationships are
depicted in charts and reports. So you can mark adoptive parents as
Primary if you choose, in which case they will appear just as if they were
the biological parents.

You can also create "event" tags that can describe the adoption or other
sort of relationship in any narrative style reports. You can use those
instead of or in addition to creating parent-child links, which, depending
on just what you have in mind, may do what you want. Generally, I find,
making the adoptive parents primary (when both parents are adopting), and
explaining in a Tag, works well for Descendant reports. But if you do an
Ancestors report of the adopted child, this approach makes it look like
the adoptive parents were the birth parents, which is probably not what
you would want.

If one parent remarries, and the new spouse adopts, I find adding just an
event tag works well for Descendent reports that follow the birth parent.
For reports that follow the adoptive parent, if you want the adopted child
to show up you would need to also create a parent-child link to the
adoptive parent.

I'm not sure this really answers your questions, but maybe it gives you a
basis to ask more specific ones that we can help with.

> Can I assume that importing will go well?

Sorry, I can't help you with PAF imports - perhaps someone familiar with
that can help.

>
> What stores cary the program?

Until recently, TMG was available only from genealogy specialty stores,
but several general software houses now carry it. If you go to the Wholly
Genes website -- at http://www.whollygenes.com/ -- and use the dropdown
in the upper left corner to select "Dealers" you will find what I expect
is a current list, which includes both online and traditional outlets. I'm
not sure that all of them carry the Gold version, so if that's what you
want be sure to check.

Terry Reigel

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