Knowing one’s history and genealogy is becoming more popular than ever. Many people, whether they are adopted or not, are fascinated with their family trees and want to learn more. That is why sites such as 23andme and ancestry.com are so popular right now.
But what if you are adopted and have little information about your biological family? That is where Eric Schubert can help.
Eric is a 16-year-old boy from New Jersey. As stated in a local news article, his love of history was the primary reason he became interested in genealogy when he was about 11 years old. He loves being able to “put the puzzle pieces” of families together and see their joy with that information. He has even created his own company: ES Genealogy.
People reach out to him when they need help searching and filling in the blanks of their family tree. He primarily uses online tools but also relies on the old-fashioned mail system to receive the requested information. Eric gathers the information a family has requested and presents it to them in a scrapbook. He stated his busiest times are around holidays, as many like to purchase these as gifts for other family members.
One of Eric’s favorite families he assisted was Kate DeSantis’. She always knew she was adopted, but with only her biological mother’s first name, she was not successful in her search and always ran into dead ends when trying to gather information. When New Jersey opened up adoption records, Eric was able to help Kate form a complete family tree and link her to many family members she had no idea existed, including four siblings.
Eric said it was very rewarding to be present when Kate met one of her biological sisters for the first time. Kate stated, “it’s unbelievable what he did.”
Eric compares his work to telling a story for a family; a great reward for him is seeing their joy when he can open the links for a family.
