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Category: Finding Family

Congratulations New York!

January 16, 2020 thednageek 10d Comments

I want to share a quick story from R.S., who was born in New York City and adopted.  DNA easily…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: adoptee rights, DNA matches, mitochondrial DNA, original birth certificate, orphan train rider, unknown parentage

The Art of Reaching Out

December 13, 2019 thednageek 18d Comments

Reaching out to DNA matches is a necessity, and an art form.

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: adoptees, contact, unknown parentage

The Hicks Babies

September 17, 2019 thednageek 113d Comments

In the mid-1940s, Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks opened the Hicks Community Clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia, mere…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: adoptees, black-market adoption, Hicks Babies, unknown parentage

Emily

June 11, 2019 thednageek 7d Comments

Emily’s is a true story, but some given names and surnames have been changed to protect privacy. When Emily’s DNA…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: Ashkenazi Jewish, sperm donation, sperm donor, unknown father, unknown parentage

Quick Tip: Shared Matches at AncestryDNA

January 30, 2019 thednageek 26d Comments

When I get a new mystery DNA match—unknown connection, possibly no tree at all—the first thing I check is how…

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Posted in: Finding Family, Lagniappe Filed under: AncestryDNA, In Common With, quick tips, shared centimorgans, Shared Matches

DNA Quest: Free DNA Tests for Adoptees and Those Hoping to Find Them

March 5, 2018 thednageek 8d Comments

MyHeritage has a history of using their resources to benefit humanity, and they have just launched a new program to…

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Posted in: Finding Family

Julie’s Story

September 6, 2017 thednageek 7d Comments

In “Escape from the Overlap Zone“, I wrote about a way to distinguish between relationships for which the shared amount…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: adoptees, AncestryDNA Matching White Paper, overlap zone, probability, relationship prediction, Shared cM Project, simulations

Letter to a Birth Parent

July 19, 2017 thednageek 57d Comments

So, you’ve identified a potential birth parent and you’re ready to reach out. But how? What’s the best medium? Phone?…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: adoptees, contact, letter, unknown father

Getting Started in an Unknown Parentage Search

May 28, 2017 thednageek 33d Comments

This post has been updated. DNA has great power to connect adoptees and others with unknown parentage to their birth…

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Posted in: Finding Family Filed under: 23andMe, adoptees, AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage, professional genealogist, testing strategy, unknown father

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