I'm not actually new anymore (been here a month and a half now), but I only just found the instructions to introduce myself today, haha!
In any case, I'm a former foster child born to two adoptees, both of whom happen to have been a bit older at the time (my dad was about 49 and my mom was about 34). I have information on my mom's side of the family, because she was adopted within the family, but very little to go on as far as my father's bio family is concerned - only second-hand information that I may or may not ever be able to confirm.
I started doing genealogy when I was 16 (yes, right around 20 years ago) while trying to locate my birth mother and sister (who was also adopted, by the same people who adopted my mother - yes my sister and our mother are sisters by adoption).
Since I didn't grow up with my biological parents, and my father died while I was a child (and I've never really spent a great deal of time with my biological family since I was put into foster care around age 6), genealogy is about the only way I'll ever really get to truly know my parents (and, of course, everyone else in my family). So I take it very seriously and understand just how important it is. I also have three children, one of whom I placed for adoption, so I hope to pass on all of this information to them.
I've become quite the researcher, especially since internet genealogy wasn't really a thing when I started (or at least, I wasn't aware it was, as I didn't really have regular access to the internet at the time). Over the years, I've helped others with their research, even going so far as to reunite adoptees with their biological families. I think I'd like to do that here, at some point, once I've got my own house in order, so to speak ;)
Since I started, I've used many different programs and then sites - Geni, GenCircles, MyHeritage - and of course, Ancestry - but each of them was just missing something for me. I do currently do most of my research on Ancestry (for at least until my subscription runs out), but I think I've really found a home here on WikiTree for compiling and sharing purposes. I love that I am not tied to specific formats, and that even my family, with its odd circumstances, can fit here and I can link everyone together in the proper manner. (Also - I found this place because I was trying to figure out if I was the only one who thought it was a good idea to have a massive family tree that everyone could tie into, haha!)
I've already been chatting with some of you, and you've all been so kind - so thank you for being so welcoming! I hope to get to know you all very well and to work together for years :) Please be patient with me as I get all my profiles in order - I'm still getting used to the system and it's not quite as easy as Ancestry (which is both good and bad), which makes me move a little slower. Having a 2 & 4 year old to care for doesn't make me any quicker ;)
