Going to meet more family for the first time...

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Golly-gee, after growing up an orphan, not even knowing my father's name, when I turned 70 my life partner got me the Ancestry DNA kit for my birthday. Well, after I spit into the little tube and sent it off, I got a message saying, "Hi, I'm your great niece!"

Since then, in just the last 5 years, I have met dozens of members of my family, all on my father's side. He had 10 kids by 3 women, my mother had 8 by 4 men. I am the oldest among them all. I now know the names of all 16 of my half brothers and sisters, and have tracked down all but 1, who was given up in a "private adoption," which probably involved exchange of money. Two of my sisters and one of my brothers are now dead, and one (living in Texas) has stage 4 cancer in lungs and liver, and probably won't have long.

And now, in just a couple of weeks, I'm going to meet for the first another brother and two sisters, and their families, all from my mother's side. They're coming to Toronto from Abbotsford, B.C. Peterborough, and Philadelphia.

Oh, and I've traced over 150 ancestors back to fifth-great grandparents in the 1740s, which is bloody amazing!

Isn't life wonderful?

 

[Revoltingest]

Golly-gee, after growing up an orphan, not even knowing my father's name, when I turned 70 my life partner got me the Ancestry DNA kit for my birthday. Well, after I spit into the little tube and sent it off, I got a message saying, "Hi, I'm your great niece!"

She has a pretty high opinion of herself!

Since then, in just the last 5 years, I have met dozens of members of my family, all on my father's side. He had 10 kids by 3 women, my mother had 8 by 4 men. I am the oldest among them all. I now know the names of all 16 of my half brothers and sisters, and have tracked down all but 1, who was given up in a "private adoption," which probably involved exchange of money. Two of my sisters and one of my brothers are now dead, and one (living in Texas) has stage 4 cancer in lungs and liver, and probably won't have long.

And now, in just a couple of weeks, I'm going to meet for the first another brother and two sisters, and their families, all from my mother's side. They're coming to Toronto from Abbotsford, B.C. Peterborough, and Philadelphia.

Oh, and I've traced over 150 ancestors back to fifth-great grandparents in the 1740s, which is bloody amazing!

Isn't life wonderful?

If you'ure in anyone's will, & there's anything of value,
you might regret discovering their existence.
The only thing I inherited from my father that wasn't
fought over in court at great $$$ was a genetic disease.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Glad your ancestry explorations are positive and bringing you joy! I've been working on our (immediate family and associated significant others and spouses) genealogy. Finding where the roots go back to, and where the other branches have shot off to, is simply amazing to me.

It's also amazing that sometimes people appear from nowhere...or disappear without a trace...

My ex and my step-son were both adopted...and we've managed to in his case trace his mother's line and identify several candidates for being his father...in her case, I've narrowed it down to a few possible mothers and fathers...

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

She has a pretty high opinion of herself!

Ha, ha!

If you'ure in anyone's will, & there's anything of value,
you might regret discovering their existence.
The only thing I inherited from my father that wasn't
fought over in court at great $$$ was a genetic disease.

I'm in nobody's will, and my will is iron-clad with only one person in it -- my loving partner of these 30 years. I won't be changing that.

If that sounds stony-hearted, it really isn't. I'm liking many of my family that I'm meeting, but we never shared the back seat of the car, we never fought over the thousand things that kids do, we weren't there for each other's illnesses and triumphs, weddings or divorces, circumcisions or broken bones. I know that I'll never be able to truly create "family" out of what I'm learning of my relations -- I'm 76 and won't last long enough for that. But I can at least try to like who they are, hope they like me. But I don't want to be in their wills, and they won't be in mine.

 

[Revoltingest]

Ha, ha!

I'm in nobody's will, and my will is iron-clad with only one person in it -- my loving partner of these 30 years. I won't be changing that.

If that sounds stony-hearted, it really isn't. I'm liking many of my family that I'm meeting, but we never shared the back seat of the car, we never fought over the thousand things that kids do, we weren't there for each other's illnesses and triumphs, weddings or divorces, circumcisions or broken bones. I know that I'll never be able to truly create "family" out of what I'm learning of my relations -- I'm 76 and won't last long enough for that. But I can at least try to like who they are, hope they like me. But I don't want to be in their wills, and they won't be in mine.

Sounds like life is pretty good for you.
We're both lucky.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Sounds like life is pretty good for you.
We're both lucky.

Truth is, life is pretty good -- and I have no idea why. There were horrors, long ago, but they're forgotten, and I've not been forever damaged by them. I've suffered no serious illnesses, just the physical deterioration that somebody as old as I am should have. My immune system seems to be working as if I were much younger. I have, I am very thankful to say, nothing to complain about.

And I hope the same for you, thank you very much.

 

[Revoltingest]

Truth is, life is pretty good -- and I have no idea why. There were horrors, long ago, but they're forgotten, and I've not been forever damaged by them. I've suffered no serious illnesses, just the physical deterioration that somebody as old as I am should have. My immune system seems to be working as if I were much younger. I have, I am very thankful to say, nothing to complain about.

And I hope the same for you, thank you very much.

Modern medicine is keeping me healthy.