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| MOM @ Aunt Anne's wedding 1956 |
Finally something to smile about
Before I start the latest story, let's be clear, I have NOT found my mom - yet. The search is still on going, but some days I run out of steam. There is just so many dead end leads. On those days I try to focus on "New" searches, for other people besides my mom Lenora Anne Jennings. The strange thing is how often these Random searches result in some sort of success...and August 1st it happened again.
When I took my "ANCESTRY DNA test" I had over a Thousand matches. Most of course are third, fourth, fifth and sixth cousins. The ones I decided to pursue with a Passion was the close matches, up to and including second cousins. The one DNA match I was most interested in finding was my Highest "centimorgans" (1411 cMs) From all my Google searches, making contact with a close match takes some finess & low key conversation. Offer to Exchange information and don't give out how exactly HOW you think they may be connected to you. The idea is to NOT scare them off with TMI, let it sink in and give the person time to adjust to the possibilities and DNA evidence.
Plot and Follow your Course
So I sat down for a few evenings and wrote to my closest DNA matches....ALOT of them! I made little notes to myself on the Ancestry site, detailing what I had wrote, the date of the latest note and what if any reply I got. I wanted to be sure to space my letters apart to them so they didn't become alarmed.I was trying Not to write more than once a month It takes a ton of will power, NOT to scream in CAPITAL letters....you don't understand, you could be who I'm looking for, you might know my mom, you could change my life!!!
But of course I stayed the course. It seemed too important to take the chance someone would cut me off, when they had important information on mom.
( I once found a person who had my close relative on her Family Tree. When I gently approached her about any possible information, I was curtly told "I have that person on my Tree for the sake of my Children, I will not discuss this any further" - I complied and never bothered her again )
TRY, TRY, and TRY AGAIN!
The moral of this post is to "BECOME the Engine that Could, BE the Engine" I can't tell you haw many notes I have written. I continued to read tips on how to make contact....the latest one was to include an email address with any correspondance on Ancestry.ca and Finally it worked!
My Closest DNA match had only two initials as a User name. It was managed by someone else. I wrote to them four times, the last time was August 1st 2018. I tried to sound veri laid back and asking if we could perhaps Exchange information since we were such close matches. I included my email and Hoped for the best ....YES, YES, YES finally SUCCESS.
The lady who manages "S.C." DNA results, replied to my message. She asked me to tell her a bit about myself. I wrote mom's information as well as my sister and myself. I checked my email a million times that night....the next day she replied "omg I think you might be Steve's sister"
Well guess what....I "AM" Steve's sister....and it feel Wonderful!!!
