MATCHES
Alyson Johnson on right, with her brother (Chuck) on the left, birth mom, Donna, in back, and birth father, Ron, in front.
How DNA Can Help You Find Your Family By Alyson Johnson
A
dvances in DNA science and testing have weeks went by with no response. I exploded recently, with DNA being was going to visit my mom who utilized for previously raised me, so I mailed unthought-of situations—catchthem a postcard, samples of DNA from reference populations around ing criminals, identifying letting them know I the world and an estimate is made based on which remains, finding biological would be in town if they populations those segments most closely match. As family for adoptees, or wanted to meet me. Ten days later technology improves, your estimate will change. furthering genealogimy birth mother called and said 2 – Shared DNA is not an estimate! The unit cal research. Despite she’d love to meet me. of measurement for DNA is centiMorgan (cM). The these varying uses, Naturally, it was a very emo- more cMs you share with someone, the closer your the process of finding tional reunion. My birth mother relationship to them. Do not rely on the testing com“matches” is the same gave me medical information pany’s estimate of your relationship to a match. Use for all of them. for both sides of my family, and DNApainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4 to determine I started learning I discovered I had a full-blooded possible relationships based on the cMs you share. how to use DNA while brother 13 years younger than 3 – Use the information in your matches’ trees trying to find my birth me. He did not know about me, to get clues for your own tree. ALWAYS verify family. I have known I am and it took some time for them to information in other people’s trees. adopted for as long as I can tell him, but I got to meet my birth Adoptees will need to reverse engineer a tree remember. father and brother on my 53rd from a close match, meaning they need to idenbirthday. In February 2017, I went to tify the common direct-line ancestors of several Alyson Johnson in between her I have now found RootsTech in Salt Lake City with mom who raised her, Karin, on of their matches, then build their trees forward by the left, and her my birth mom, my new a friend who raved about DNA finding all the descendants of that couple. Having mission in testing. I bought a kit since they Donna, on the right. non-identifying birth background information will life—I am a were on sale, spit in a tube, and help adoptees to know when they have found the volunteer search angel and help sent it off. I was more interested in learning about “right” people. Photos by Chuck Chance my ethnicity than finding birth family, at first. How- other adoptees find their birth Those doing genealogy will look at the trees families. I also teach free DNA ever, when I got a list of people who shared DNA of more distant cousins for information that can classes in the community. with me I got very interested in figuring out the give them clues to investigate to extend their famWhen looking for “lost fampuzzle of my biological family. ily lines. ily”—whether search for people I spent time learning how to use DNA to find DNA testing has become a remarkable, accesseparated from family at birth or people, and figured out who my birth parents were sible, and reasonably priced tool for those trying to in July 2017. They lived 6.5 miles from the house I extending your family tree back further in time—here find and identify relatives. are some tips to help you in your research: grew up in. It took time to process the information 1 – Ethnicity estimates are just estimates! Segemotionally, so it was several weeks later that I sent ments of your DNA are compared by computers to them a letter (they married after I was born.) Six
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