When Science Meets Family Love: The Excitement of DNA Testing

By Carolyn Campbell

When I first chose this subject, I was excited to write about DNA testing because I thought people might want to know more about their ancestral heritage in foreign countries. I bought an Ancestry DNA test to deepen my experience on the subject. When my results came back, a notation stated that a first cousin of mine also took the test. There was a silhouette of a woman along with contact information. As someone who was adopted, I loved the idea of meeting a new first cousin. I wrote a friendly note to her, saying that it would be nice for the two of us to make contact. Two days later, I received a reply. I was thrilled to discover that it came from a familiar source. The note said, "Carolyn, this is Angela Presley. It's so good to hear from you." Tears came to my eyes. I wished I could reach through my computer and give Angela a hug.  

Years earlier, fifty-four Presleys took turns hugging me on the front steps of the family farm house in Batesville, Arkansas. Through my own research and the help of a Presley genealogist, I had found my birth father's family. My kids and I will never forget that on our first visit to Arkansas, our family photo was displayed prominently on a fireplace next to other family photos. The Presleys' instant, total acceptance was comforting and thrilling. We spent a week talking, eating, and getting acquainted. They knew things about me that I didn't know; that my face sweats the same as my aunt's and grandmother's and that my hand is shaped like my cousin's.

For almost 20 years, even though we live across the country from each other, the Presleys and I have enjoyed a warm and cordial relationship. We continue to share conversations, recipes, Christmas cards and an occasional visit. I tell them repeatedly how happy my life was with my adoptive parents, but how much their acceptance means. "Your parents did a great job with you, and we love them for that," they told me. "Give them a hug for us."

Now it felt warm and comforting to have my Presley family connection confirmed via DNA. Sandra Lacy, a Presley cousin, wrote to me, saying, "While I have never doubted that you are my cousin, this was somehow a validation that NO ONE can deny. Through my tears I exclaimed to Momma, ‘She really, really is ours!’"    

Michelle Ercanbrack, Family Historian at Ancestry agrees that my story is validating and establishes a critical point relating to my paternity. While it seemed unique and precious to me, she says that the Ancestry staff hears similar powerful personal stories every day. Through DNA testing, life-changing discoveries that people are hoping for happen all the time. "It's a highly emotional experience when a family story goes from being just a story to becoming the truth. It's a validation you can get no other way," she explains. She adds "Every person on my team has discovered a new truth through taking the Ancestry DNA test. It's been a rewarding journey of self-discovery for each of us."  

DNA testing is easy and enjoyable 

“Because people's previous experience with DNA is often limited to TV crime shows, they are pleasantly surprised that the Ancestry DNA testing experience is easy, interesting, enjoyable and positive,” says Ercanbrack. Saliva is one of the most accessible of our body's fluids, making saliva sample collection easy and non-invasive. All that is required is to simply release a few millimeters of saliva into a test tube until it reaches a specified line. The best time to take the test is first thing in the morning, before you eat, drink or brush your teeth. Screwing the test tube lid on tight releases a blue stabilizing solution that protects your DNA while it is mailed to the company. 

The usual wait time to receive test results ranges from 4-6 weeks, says Ercanbrack. Because the test packet arrives in the mail, it seems logical that results will be mailed, also. However, after an email that confirms results are available, results are retrieved online, utilizing the test code that came with the packet, along with the user name and password you establish prior to taking the test. 

DNA is a treasure of knowledge 

Before a child is born, each parent's DNA is like a deck of cards. "You take both decks and shuffle and cut them and 50% is passed on from each parent," Ercanbrack explains. "That is why siblings don't look like carbon copies—some of them get more 'hearts' from Mom or more 'spades' from Dad." With each generation, while specific DNA pieces are inherited and passed on, certain other pieces of ethnicity become diluted over time

My own birth mother's maiden name is distinctly German, and I always expected my DNA to reveal German ethnicity. It was a fun surprise that my Ancestry ethnicity estimate showed 73% Great Britain, 10% Ireland and 17% other regions. Ercanbrack explains that while my ancestry is probably culturally German, I was dealt more ethnic "cards" on the British side of the aisle. The two Genetic Communities I am a part of–early settlers of Northern Alabama and settlers of Central Georgia and Central Alabama—are located in the South, where I found my birth family.  

DNA testing is a time of discovery

A genealogical DNA test is a DNA-based test which looks at specific locations of a person's genome in order to determine ancestral ethnicity and genealogical relationships. Results give information about ethnic groups the test subject may be descended from and about other individuals that they may be related to. For example, The Ancestry.com DNA test looks at a person’s entire genome at over 700,000 locations across their DNA. The results then come in two parts. "The first is your ethnicity estimate, where we use your DNA to see what regions of the world your ancestors came from (11% Irish, 15% Cameroon/Congo, 20% Native American, etc.). explains Dallin Hatch, public relations manager at Ancestry. "This estimate is looking up to 1,000 years into your past, which means it often looks back further than physical records exist. For most, it’s a glimpse even further into their past than they’ve been able to go before through traditional methods."  

Relative matching is an exciting part of the fun

Now that more than 4 million people have taken the Ancestry DNA test, the average person will have more than 400+ fourth cousin matches or closer. Since you and your close and distant cousins share recent common ancestors, these cousins may be the key to fleshing out parts of your family tree that were previously unexplored. They may have documents, family heirlooms, and stories you can’t find any other way. Through the ancestry.com network, you can connect with these cousins to see what you can uncover together. Relative matching is what took place with me when I discovered a first cousin of mine had taken the test. Previously naive about the scope of Ancestry, I didn't realize that my birth family from across the country could possibly be part of the Ancestry network. Since then, I have also heard from a first cousin in my birth mother's family. We are now Facebook friends who communicate regularly. 

Each time I have looked at my DNA results, there are new cousins listed. I've had fun writing to an attorney in Chicago who I am related to on my birth mother's side, and to a distant cousin on my birth father's side, a descendant from my great aunt who had the enchanting first name of Eglantine, which I've discovered is another name for the sweetbriar plant. It's amazing what you can learn through family history.

DNA testing will appeal to your love of acquiring new knowledge 

When you pair the Ancestry DNA test with the largest online genealogical database – Ancestry.com – everyone’s sure to have a rich discovery experience, allowing users to discover, preserve, and share their family story in ways never before possible, says Hatch.  "You never know what you are going to find until you start looking," adds Ercanbrack. "Taking the Ancestry DNA test is an opportunity to discover something new, to take a piece of yourself and preserve it for future generations."

By learning something new, you can also connect with something old—your family history  

For almost 20 years, the Presleys and I had interacted as if we were family. We talked, remembered birthdays and holidays, shared stories and kept in touch. Although there was no concrete proof we were related, none of us mentioned the acronym of "DNA" to each other. When I took my own test as background for writing this article, I imagined possibly learning about relatives I'd never met before; I didn't think of relatives I already felt were mine. As much as I already loved the Presleys, I have to admit that our DNA match somehow cemented the deal. Before I took the test, I couldn't prove we were really related; now I can. There is confirming evidence that we share a biological connection. That reality didn't change the love we already shared, but it did change facts. There is nothing like the confirmation that science can bring to family love.