As an adoptive parent, I absolutely include my adopted son in my family
tree, and also include other adopted relatives. This may not be
theologically correct depending on which branch of Judaism you subscribe to,
and it may not be technically correct if you are tracing lineage >from a
famous rebbe. However, to me, researching and recording family history is
about feeling a loving connection with my past, present, and future family.
Adopted children are most definitely part of that, and if you ask any
adoptive parent, the adoption itself is a huge historical event. It is also
a wonderful way for adoptive children to feel a larger connection to their
adoptive families. Adoptees often talk about the the hole they feel in their
lives not knowing about their birth families, so this is a way to help give
them a sense of history and connection. It would be a wonderful gift to
include them in you r family tree. Even if not "technically correct", it is
a gift of love and inclusion, and how can that be wrong?

Jessica Tropp
Northampton, MA
USA
Researching:
LEVIN(E), KARCHMER, SILVERMAN, RIVKIND >from Vilna
ENTE >from Przemysl, Poland
TROPP >from Galicia
GOLDNER >from Romania