I Keep the Family Tree — And I’m Flummoxed About Whom to Include.

Second, a woman married to a family member has asked me to include her offspring from her first marriage. Her kids have no biological or adoptive connection to my relative, so I have turned down this request. I am torn between two impulses: On the one hand, I feel that this decision is overly harsh. On the other, I believe that I am honoring the purpose of recording a family lineage.