RootsChat.Com

I guess I am living proof that DNA is not bunkum or malaky. I researched for 14 years built a family tree of 13,500 people, went to a number of family reunions traveled thousands of miles to attend. I knew my tree back to front, people contacted from all over the world. I was proud of my Irish Heritage, traces my English heritage back to 1700's. I did an Ancestry DNA test and had an immediate very close match with a woman from an Italian family. After 6 months of trying to find how she fitted into my family I realised that out of all the other DNA matches I had, there were no surnames that I was familiar with in my extensive tree. That woman didn't belong in my extensive family tree at all. I was adopted and she was my sister. I was not Irish at all but half Italian. Yes we shared a father. I went further I divided my DNA matches into Italian and Non-Italian Matches figuring my mothers side was not Italian. I looked amogst the closest Non-Italian matches I had who had provided a public tree and looked for a common Ancestral name. I settled on an Ancestor and built a tree downwards like an umbrella and as I did I found more marriages and new surnames which I also found in my DNA shared matches. I knew I was in the right tree and if I found my mothers name she would belong in it (really didn't take me long to build, a matter of hrs really). At the same time I sent for an adoption certificate (not knowing if one existed or not) which arrived some six weeks after my discovery. A google search of my mothers maiden name and the Ancestral surname I had settled on revealed a brother, who had blogged on a family tree blog the names of his mother (our mother), grandmother and great grandfather. Immediately returning to the tree I built I found the Great Granfather, as I added the names of grandmother and mother under, i got ancestry hints, I realised my brother also had an ancestry account. found I had 3 brothers and 2 sisters on mothers side. I sent the brother a message and was talking to him the next evening and my birth mother for first time. So yes DNA is great tool, which I used along with some sound skills of building family trees for so long. But no I would never have discovered my adoption and the lies that had hid it for nearly 6 decades. I would not have been reunited with my mother, brothers and sisters on both sides 8 in total and numerous cousins. Yes it was a tragic but exiting discovery and I have no regrets about doing my DNA. Unfortunately it is too late to meet my father.