The work of a Search Angel

The work of a Search Angel

It's 5 a.m. and I finally roll over and look at the time on my phone. My eyes water and I can't stop yawning. My email icon is lit up. This is how I start most of my days.  I know that I am needed and as soon as my brain waves start functioning correctly I begin my search.

I have 2 cases I'm working on today. I will match DNA with tree's and compare the centimorgans to evaluate possible living relatives. If the client is searching for birth parents and has done a DNA test I have all the puzzle pieces. I now begin to start piecing the puzzle together.

 

 A new case! This is how it begins. She goes into her history a bit, who she believes she is and where she is from. She says she was "baby herron" at the hospital. She has done a DNA test through ancestry invites me to look at her results. She has matches as close as first cousin. I think this will be an easy case and sigh with relief. The last of my cases have taken me a couple of months and I am very hard on myself when it takes that long.

 

First/second cousin match: I send a message, the account hasn't been active in over a year. I look them up on Facebook and message potential matches. No response. I Google them and find nothing of interest. I use a background search database and locate quite a few of them. I make some calls and leave messages, most of the people matching that name never respond. 

 

 First/second cousin match: (#2) The client messages me and tells me that they have been in contact with them and they know who their biological father is. I start from him and begin making a tree. I run into a problem. He is adopted as well. UGH! Now I need to find his biological parents. Start over.

         

Third cousin match: Now I'm dealing with great great grandparents of  two possible people who              may have created a child and given them up for adoption. This will be an adventure!

 I start building a tree with the people who match her DNA profiles trees. If there is a                               common ancestor I start there. I also use a Collins Leed chart to help me separate people who                 match each grandparent. (more on that in a later blog)  Wow! This tree is getting very big!  Wow,           that woman had 10 kids and each one of them is a potential great grandparent. Each of their kids             had at least 5 kids! Etc. Etc.

 By the time I look at the clock it's past dinnertime. My family has asked me several times "what do you want for dinner?" But I haven't heard them or responded. I am engrossed in this puzzle. I am fulfilling my calling. I am helping people get closure and open doors that were previously closed, sometimes locked and sealed along with their adoption records. 

 The case I mentioned above I solved and there was a happy reunion. I never found a                                mention anywhere in my research of "Baby Herron" again. This was a made up name.                              No one knows who made it up. Biological mother knows nothing about it. 

The most interesting fact about this case in particular is when I found out I was                                        actually a distant cousin. We had a good laugh, and I still consider her family and a                                  friend. You develop relationships with clients, even if you try to remain professional. 

Something happens when they share their story. It becomes your story also. You are                                connected by your gift and their need of it. You are about to change their life and they                              realize, that by reaching out to you, they are right on the verge of discovery.

                              Some of my favorite memories from this case...

                

To date I have solved 16 cases. Some were easy, most were not. All were rewarding in their own way. 

 

Tonight I will spend my evening sorting through DNA matches while watching TV with my husband.  My night will end falling asleep at my laptop. I may even dream of dates, numbers, and centimorgans. One thing I am sure of when my eyes close is              that I can rest well for a few hours, knowing when I wake I will help change lives.