Carissa Does Ancestry DNA
I met my journalistic career idol today. My fiancé and I had dinner with a man named Rick and spent several hours learning about his impressive journalism and adventure filled past. As a journalist, I was in awe of his achievements and experiences of which he so humbly told us about as we dug for more and more information about the tall, deep voiced man from San Fransisco at a small booth in Nashville, TN.
The story of Rick actually began when our family got the coolest news of our lifetime! A new family member has magically surfaced in the McGinnis (Maternal) side of the family thanks to Ancestry DNA!
Sadly, my mother, who has early onset dementia, has no solid, explainable, memories of the past and has very few blood relatives left to tell any stories. Her male cousins are holding down the family name, and one named Tim has been gracious enough to act as the family historian over the last few years. In 2018, his research paid off when blood line branches led Rick to Tim on the online family tree website.
Tim called me and asked if I would be willing to test both myself and mother to find out the likeliness of my Grandpa Gerald (mom's dad) or Great Uncle Mike (Tim's dad) may have fathered a boy, Rick.
Results are in! Rick and my mother have a very high percentage match! So much so, that we immediately began celebrating a new sibling amongst the McGinnis family! Our guess is that mother's dad Gerald had a relationship while serving in the US Navy and left the area before learning of any child on the way. The baby boy, Rick, was born out of wedlock and gifted to a lovely couple in adoption upon birth.
Whether Rick was created by Grandpa Gerald or Great Uncle Mike, the resemblance in uncanny. My surprise uncle Rick is the coolest news of this aspiring journalists lifetime!
Rick flew into Nashville to meet my mother, his sister, for the 1st time May 2019. Although suffering from dementia, Momma Cathy seemed to connect with her sibling very naturally. We were amazed to see what appeared to be an understanding and comprehension during the explanation of this very exciting but complicated discovery. The moment was awe-inspiring and magical.
It's clear as day. Love is all you need.
The story of Rick actually began when our family got the coolest news of our lifetime! A new family member has magically surfaced in the McGinnis (Maternal) side of the family thanks to Ancestry DNA!
Sadly, my mother, who has early onset dementia, has no solid, explainable, memories of the past and has very few blood relatives left to tell any stories. Her male cousins are holding down the family name, and one named Tim has been gracious enough to act as the family historian over the last few years. In 2018, his research paid off when blood line branches led Rick to Tim on the online family tree website.
Tim called me and asked if I would be willing to test both myself and mother to find out the likeliness of my Grandpa Gerald (mom's dad) or Great Uncle Mike (Tim's dad) may have fathered a boy, Rick.
Results are in! Rick and my mother have a very high percentage match! So much so, that we immediately began celebrating a new sibling amongst the McGinnis family! Our guess is that mother's dad Gerald had a relationship while serving in the US Navy and left the area before learning of any child on the way. The baby boy, Rick, was born out of wedlock and gifted to a lovely couple in adoption upon birth.
Whether Rick was created by Grandpa Gerald or Great Uncle Mike, the resemblance in uncanny. My surprise uncle Rick is the coolest news of this aspiring journalists lifetime!
Rick flew into Nashville to meet my mother, his sister, for the 1st time May 2019. Although suffering from dementia, Momma Cathy seemed to connect with her sibling very naturally. We were amazed to see what appeared to be an understanding and comprehension during the explanation of this very exciting but complicated discovery. The moment was awe-inspiring and magical.
It's clear as day. Love is all you need.
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