BRANCH OFFICE
REVIEW: No Stone Unturned: A Remarkable Journey to Identity
by Nadean Stone, MBA, CLM (2021, published by Nadean Stone, 269 pages, $19.95; available on Amazon.com)
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etween 1945 and 1973, about 350,000 unmarried Canadian mothers were persuaded, coerced, or forced into placing their babies for adoption. Many babies were illegally given away, like a puppy at the pound, for a nominal donation to the church. On Christmas Eve, 1952 Nadean Stone was one of those babies. From the moment her grandmother shared the story of her adoption, her birthday wish every year was to find her mother. The current law in Ontario, Canada, only permits legally adopted persons to access their birth registration records. Persons who were simply given away or whose adoption records were not perfectly executed are denied access to their records. In 2013, Stone increased her search efforts with an intense focus on DNA which became her only source of hope. She tested with 23andMe and Ancestry. A DNA genetic genealogist, Olivia, found her post on a Canadian adoption website in February 2017 and offered to assist. Olivia downloaded Stone’s DNA information to Gedmatch, a website designed to assist adoptees. Olivia provided a quick primer on centimorgans, DNA, SNP’s, haplogroups, and how to review and understand the connections with new 3rd and 4th “cousins.” Many of Stone’s 150 “cousins” became invested in the search. Email addresses and telephone numbers, created a “Village of Cousins” to help “the baby find her mother.” Stone’s interesting and sometimes harrowing life story dominates the first part of the book. But beginning at Chapter 28 on page 181 the search is on where it chronicles the use of DNA to find Stone’s birth parents. In sharing What would you do if you were given away? her journey, Stone says her goal is to inspire readers to find faith, hope and the courage to persevere, despite the odds. To continue to dream. To never, ever give up! She created a Birth Search Directory on her website (www.nadeanstone.com) to assist adoptees in their search. In July 2018 she filed a petition with the UN Commission on the Rights of the Child illuminating numerous Articles of the UN Convention that the Province of Ontario has violated in its treatment of illegally adopted children. To access Birth Search Resources in Ontario, Canada, click here. Also see video! Reviewed by Edith Wagner, Editor of Reunions magazine
DNA Quest united adoptees with birth families
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yHeritage DNA Quest offered a pro bono project to reunite adoptees with their birth families using DNA testing. Melvin Gray found the daughter of his long-lost daughter and a brother who was living a 10-minute walk away. Melvin, 61, lives in Kansas. He was adopted when he was 4 by a woman who herself was adopted so he knew nothing about his roots. When he was 17, his girlfriend got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. He wanted to marry, but the girlfriend’s parents forced him to sign the adoption papers. Then he enlisted in the military and served many years in the Far East, the Middle East, Iraq twice, Kuwait twice and in Europe. He did eventually start a family and now has three wonderful children, four grandchildren, and a wife who made life mostly complete. However, there was a hole in his heart for the missing daughter. He left a note in his daughters’ adoption file but never heard from her. When he saw MyHeritage’s pro bono project to help adoptees, he decided he had nothing to lose. After he received the results, he
signed into the account and found a match with a granddaughter! It was clear this was the daughter of his daughter who was placed for adoption! He sent messages but it took a month until she saw them. They talked a lot and decided to meet. They lived about a 45-minute drive apart and met halfway at a coffee shop. The meeting was very exciting, one he had been waiting for for many years. There he learned his daughter had died several years earlier. This meeting has since become a strong bond between grandfather and granddaughter. They maintain a great relationship, meet and talk as often as they can, and have been celebrating every possible holiday together ever since.
One discovery leads to another Melvin’s daughter continued looking for information since he and his mother were both adopted. She discovered a brother he did not know about and sent him a message on social media. The brother lived just 8 blocks away. When they first met in person, the similarities were astonishing. The brothers have mutual friends and hung out in the same places. 2023 REUNION CELEBRATIONS! v REUNIONS 9