Ancestry

Julie Sue Dittmer Hart
born as Frances Irene Moore

My mom had her DNA tested at Ancestry.  I know what she was trying to do, she was hoping to uncover someone she was actually genetically related to.  I had mine tested too and over the last year plus it has paid off for me in my search for genetic relatives.

My mom diligently tried to create family trees based on my adoptive grandparents.  She admitted to me before she died that she just had to stop.  It wasn’t “real” to her.  I understand.

A little over a year ago, a writer’s guild friend quizzed me.  If the adoptive family is a good one (and both of my parents were thus blessed), why does it matter ?  And I explained to her the loss of heritage and knowing who and from where one’s roots are sourced.  She understood and continues to encourage me to get my book finished (and yes, I am working on one).

So it happened in the last week or so, my mom turned up on a family tree at Ancestry that made absolutely no sense to me.  So I reached out to the person responsible for it.  Just last night she cleared up the mystery and the connection for me – the “relationship” is with my dad’s adoptive mom.

Yet, what she wrote to me in conclusion (“Therefore I would be related to you. Unless you are adopted.”) had me opening up to her in reply.  “BOTH of my parents were adopted.  So in truth, you are NOT related to my dad either nor would I be” related to you.

It DOES matter.  I now know I have more than a bit of Scottish and Irish in me, quite a bit of Danish, a smidgen of Neanderthal and Ashkenazi Jew and though it is true that DNA testing (including at 23 and Me) has informed me about all of that, the VALUE goes beyond all that.  It is that when I match a genetic relative who would not know me from Adam, I have credibility now.