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Thread: DNA Testing & Surprise Sibling

  1. #11
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    My husband helped a first cousin who was adopted out (family had too many kids) find his full bio siblings. Both sides knew others existed but needed the DNA to do the tracking. They had a lovely reunion and now the adoptee has a whole family of siblings, nieces, nephews and all kinds of others. All the parents in this situation and deceased and the kids are in their 60s.

  2. #12
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    Interesting! My Dad was a captain in the Merchant Marines. He married Mom when he was 28, but she had told me long ago that he had some liaisons overseas before they were married . . .

  3. #13
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    I know of a few instances where DNA testing would be more of a curse then blessing. Also heard wondering about how many war time born people (pre baby boomers), were really due to some messing around while those were off to war. (the common ramblings were the postal carriers, milk men and ice delivery service)

    There are things we know about DNA, and there are things I think we are still studying/learning. I have my own fears about certain medical traits as well as if a tendency of criminal acts has a genetic as well as environment basis.

  4. #14
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    It is out of the bag now. There will be few if any secrets in the future.

  5. #15
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Meanwhile, we have been trying for years now to connect with Scottish relatives via gene testing and cannot. I suppose they are all wise enough to keep their genes out of the test pool because they know hoards of Americans, New Zealsnders, Aussies, snd Canadians will come at them when identified as family.

  6. #16
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    On the TV show "Long Lost Family" there are quite a few of these DNA-related matches. Historical records can sometimes only give a few clues, but DNA registries like ancestry.com or 23&me can confirm.
    One show featured a young woman whose (estranged) bio mom said she did not know who her daughter's father was. The show compared the young woman's DNA on ancestry.com and came up with a match for a bio dad. Turns out bio dad had recently registered with ancestry and submitted his DNA almost as a lark. He also had no idea he had fathered a child as a teenager. They were happy to find each other, so in that case everything worked out.

    I could see where these "reunions" could be fraught with all kinds of issues.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Sad Eyed Lady's Avatar
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    I have done the DNA but so far no surprises for me, but my cousin in MN found she had a 1/2 sister through the test. My cousin in white (her mom was Finnish), and the 1/2 sister turns out to be black. Or, actually 1/2 black and 1/2 Finnish. The thing is, despite the race difference, they look soooo much alike and both look like their mom. My cousin said her mom told her not long before she died that she had had a baby when she was 15 years old and was given her up for adoption. She also told her the baby's father was a black man. So my cousin was not totally shocked. But the neat thing is, the discovered sister had only known her adoptive family and was elated to then finally know some biological family and find out who her mom was. She had no info whatsoever. They have met, keep in touch etc. So in their case it was a good thing. I don't think the stories for some will always be happy ever after however.
    "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Leonard Cohen

  8. #18
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    I had no idea those kits could tell you such details, wow.

  9. #19
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    I also didn’t know DNA tests could find heretofore unknown siblings. I wouldn’t mind finding a long lost sibling but my parents were married at 16 and were married for 58 years until my father’s death at age 74. Most likely a sibling would come from my father being unfaithful to my mother and I would not be too good with that.

  10. #20
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    goldensmom: My parents were married for 61 years. After my mom's death, we found out Dad was her third husband. Yes, third. Total surprise to all the kids. She was only step mom to one child who is now 74 and we found him and he remembered my mom. Have a picture of first husband and both divorce decrees.

    Apparently the 1940s were pretty wild.

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