Web Site Rules

As of October 12, 2001 (Go To Main Support Page)

FOSTER CHILDREN/STEP CHILDREN (Children born of a non-Giering or non-Giering descendant)

DEFINITION: Non-Giering Foster or step-children are defined as one or more children (listed on a worksheet) who are not the natural born children of the Principal Person for whom the worksheet is prepared.

GENERAL RULE: The basic requirement for continuing an offspring line is a LEGAL ADOPTION. Step and/or foster children will be listed (when known) on the worksheet, but, unless the child has been adopted by the principal person (the person in the direct GIERING line), no offspring lines will be carried forward.

Adopted Children that have been adopted, are considered to be part of the Giering line and, as such, will have their offspring line carried forward.

Special Consideration: It is noted that in earlier times, adoptions applied only to the Male head of the Family. Hence, when the Principal was a Female and there were adoptions, the principal MIGHT not be listed in the Legal Records. In this instance, if it appears the marriage was a continuing activity at the time of the Adoption, the Children so adopted will be considered part of the Giering line, even though the Principal was not listed in the legal adoption proceedings.

---

GIERING FOSTER or STEP CHILDREN (Children born of a Giering or Giering Descendant)

DEFINITION: Giering Foster or step-children are defined as one or more children (listed on a worksheet) who are the natural born children of a Giering or Giering Descendant.

Because of Death or Divorce/Separation, these children will have been placed or joined into a family with a different Surname. This rule applies whether or not the children have assumed the new surname.

GENERAL RULE: The basic requirement for continuing an offspring line is the consanguinity. All offspring of these children will be carried forward!

---

INTERMARRIAGE OF COUSINS

There are two cousin inter-marriage conditions and they are treated differently:

BOTH COUSINS IN THE GIERING LINE: In this instance, instead of a worksheet listing a principal and a spouse, they will both be listed as Principals (this includes the worksheet title).

NON-GIERING MARRYING A GIERING PRINCIPAL COUSIN: This occurs when a spouse of a Giering Principal marries again to a cousin (also a Giering Principal) of the original Giering Principal. The marriages will be listed as part of each principal's worksheet separately, but in the block identifying the non-Giering spouse, reference (and a link) will be made to the other marriage.

---

NAME VARIANCES

KNOWN BY VS. RECORDED: There are instances where a person (principal, spouse and/or children) is/was known by one or more names that differ. The officially recorded birth or Baptism name will be the preferred recorded name. APPLICATION Other variant names will be identified as "Also Known As" or AKA on the family worksheets. The offspring chart will, unless there is more than one child in an offspring list, record ONLY the birth or baptism name. Where there are multiple children with the same first name, middle or other names will be included to clarify. There is only one exception to this rule and it is covered under the subject: "JUNIORS AND SENIORS" below.

---

CONFLICT OF INFORMATION

USE OF SOURCE: Whenever information collected and/or furnished differs from other collected or furnished information. Both pieces of the information will be identified together with the source(s) thereof. It is left to the reader to determine which of the conflicting information is more acceptable.

---

ADDITIONAL SPOUSE OF A NON-PRINCIPAL:

CONDITION DEFINED: There are instances where a spouse of a Giering Principal Remarries (following a divorce or demise). Again there are two conditions:

NO CHILDREN INVOLVED: Where known, this information will be recorded ONLY as commentary.

GIERING CHILDREN: If the Giering Children are Adopted by the New Married Couple, the children will be recorded based on their adopted Surname unless the children themselves opt to "go by" the Giering surname. When the Giering Children are not adopted, (independent of whether they are raised as part of this new family unit and independent of the children's surname of choice), they will be recorded under both the Giering and the choice surname.

---

JUNIORS AND SENIORS

ROMAN NUMERALS:There are a number of instances where there are three or more generations with the same exact name. In "normal" social intercourse, the first generation is SENIOR; the next generation is JUNIOR. If, when the third generation person is born, the first generation person has died, the Father and new Son become Senior and Junior. When these multiple generations are recorded, however, this presents a problem. In this web site, when there is more than one generation with the same complete name, Roman numerals are ALWAYS used: John Jones I; John Jones II and John Jones, III, etc. This is the exception to the "Recorded Name" rule specified above.

---

Transition To the USA

EMIGRATION:As this web site has information on Family lines in more than one country, it is sometimes necessary to have both an English and a Foreign (German) language version of the worksheets. People born in Germany will have two worksheets: one in German and another in English with a reference (Link) on each to the other. When a person emigrates - in General - subsequent offspring will have worksheets ONLY in English - the person who emigrated being the last in the line that has both an English and German Version.

---

THE SPOUSE RULE

SPOUSE(S) - WHO AND WHAT: The Principal person for a given worksheet may be either a male or a female. Ergo, the mate for the Principal may be either Female (Wife) or Male (Husband). Additionally the Principal and the mate may or not be married. The information identifying the mate (especially when the mate is a parent of any children) is considered important. Because of the potential variances, the titles for the mate of the principal are labeled "Spouse". This term refers to all mates of the Principal, male or female and married or not.

---