Can anyone tell me how far back family trees go before they have people in them that are not your family?

Question

I am wondering because I am trying to expand my family tree.

Answer 1

The definition of family tree is persons who are related to you. That can include relatives by marriage, but that is still a connection. I think of genealogy as crossword puzzles that have no end.. since there is ALWAYS the prior generation to be found. (not always findable, but everyone had parents).
Now.. a database that HOLDS your family records is not limited. The joke around my house is don't walk within 15 feet, or I'll be tracing your ancestors for you. I collect any records that I can, since I often run into people who are looking for it. So,, if grandpa Fullingims brother, uncle Fullingim, married a Morris, and I keep record of who her parents and cousins were, they really aren't my "tree".
And by the way.. always keep an eye open for the neighbors in your research. Seriously. Those descendents have been known to keep family letters for 100 yrs, and just happen to mention my ancestors' wedding date. As the commercial says... true story.
Trace who you choose... friendly networking pays off.

Answer 2

Family trees, ahnentafel, continue back through time to the beginning of the human race. As to people that are not in your family, are you referring to in-laws? After all, in that case, it would be only one generation.
Don't forget that since ancestors double in each generation, you will be able to go back only 30 generations (600 years if you use government guesses; about 1200 years for most folks!) before the number of people in ONE GENERATION would exceed the total population of the entire human population now. Which means, people married cousins (and closer).

Answer 3

Before formal adoption laws,
any of the children,
might not have been biological.

I found this out by accident,
when reading a book about
tracing relatives by religion.

Seems that in early cultures,
the minister's family took in
homeless chidren
(per job description).

The children then would have to
petition the court to return to
birth name, when adults.

If anyone knows more about all that,
I sure am interested.

Answer 4

The term "immediate family", as in "free wine at the reception reception limited to immediate family" sometimes means your mother, father and siblings. Other times it means your spouse and children.

"Family" to us genealogists usually means as far back as we can reliably trace, plus the spouses. So, your 5th great grandfather Amos has a dozen kids by three wives (one after the other, unless he was an early Mormon pioneer). You usually record them and, if you can, who they married. There might be a dozen Amos McCorckles running around in a county in 1812, but just one married to an Alice Martin.

Answer 5

it goes back all the way to adam and eve.