Try and Make the Parents Clear

Biological, step, and adopted children may all be living in a household with a set of married adults who serve as their parents. For purposes of studying the family and obtaining as much information as possible all these individuals should be researched. But...try and keep the known biological relationships clear. Inheritances and some other records will distinguish among these types of parent-child relationships and if they've been all lumped together as "children" later researchers (including yourself) may become confused.