The Cousin That Wasn’t a Cousin: Guardianship, Informal Adoption & Hidden Family Connections

Sometimes the people we grew up calling cousins, siblings, aunties, or grandparents were not biologically related at all. Long before formal adoptions became common, children were often “taken in” by relatives, neighbors, close family friends, and community members. Join genealogy librarian Danielle Pritchett as we explore guardianship records, probate files, census clues, and other hidden records that may uncover undocumented adoptions, unexpected caregivers, and family connections that were…