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Utilizing DNA testing to break through adoption roadblocks

From ISOGG Wiki

Personal DNA testing has revolutionized the process of finding biological family not just for adoptees and foundlings, but also for GI babies, descendants of children from orphan trains, Holocaust survivors, those sent to Australia, Home Children sent to Canada, donor conceived, and genealogists with puzzles among others. Many of these people are now able to discover their relatives and family roots by using genetic genealogy – the science of using DNA tests with genealogy.

DNA testing used in conjunction with traditional adoption search methods is the most effective approach for finding your family. If traditional search methods are not available to you, do not despair. Many have found their answers using just DNA tests and the help of a few newly found DNA relatives, some right away and some after many years.

ISOGG highly recommends that adoptees, orphans, foundlings and others with sensitive matters don't try to search on their own. There are fabulous communities that provide mentorship and guidance for free that are discussed later in this article.

OF SPECIAL NOTE: ISOGG highly recommends that anyone conducting an unknown parentage search using genetic genealogy should proceed slowly and with much consideration of the other parties involved. In particular it is recommended that everyone works with experienced search organizations for guidance and considerations of all the parties involved prior to making contact with biological families.

In the words of search angel Patty Drabing, President of DNA Adoption:

"No adoption occurs under pleasant circumstances. They all involve trauma.

All adoptions are sensitive issues. Some issues are more sensitive than others.”

The members of DNA Adoption estimate that about 2-3% of birth families decline contact. All searchers need to be prepared for that possibility and should respect the other person’s right to refuse contact if they so choose.

Beginning the search

To begin the search for your family, you will need to gather as much information as possible, including any documentation that you or your family have: amended birth certificate, order of adoption, reports from fertility labs, original birth certificate (if available). G’s Adoption Registry has wonderful beginner’s guidance here. Also for USA adoptions see the Adoptee Rights Coalition and the American Adoption Congress.

Keep a notebook of everything you were told about your unidentified family: ages, locations, family structure, and occupations. Interview willing family members about what they know.

Connect with the traditional adoption search communities about access to adoption records. Research your country's or state laws on access to adoption records and apply for whatever is legally available to you such as “non-identifying information,” original birth certificate, and adoption file. G’s has information on all US states and many countries in the lower left column on the home page.

Sign up for as many free resources as possible:

Sign up for the Internerational Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR), G’s Adoption Registry and the specific adoption lists that apply to you.

If you have names to search on (and are looking for people in the US) you may also try finding your family by searching the databases at various “people finder” sites such as: DOBsearch.com, Pipl.com, beenverified.com, Intelius.com and, of course, Google. Most people finder sites have free lookups but charge for additional information. Spokeo.com is a recommended pay site. Many of the adoption search communities such as DNAadoption.com and G’s adoption registry can help with this as well.

Join the most appropriate Search groups on Facebook and the web – there is a Search Squad and DNA Detectives and DNAadoption plus many country and US state-specific adoption and genealogy groups on Facebook which can be found on Katherine R. Willson's Genealogy on Facebook list.

Be aware that getting search help from more than one organization can result in a duplication of effort on the part of the volunteers who staff the groups. Please be considerate of those who offer search help. Tell them everything you’ve done so far and who else is helping you. Information may be shared off-group via phone, private message, or email exchanges.

If you were conceived from an egg/sperm donation, join the Donor Sibling Registry. See also the resources on the Wiki page for DNA testing for the donor conceived.

Utilizing DNA testing

Start learning all you can about DNA, the tools the companies offer, and third party tools (GEDmatch, DNAGEDcom, etc). There are several beginners guides that can be found at this link: Beginners' guides to genetic genealogy.

The DNA adoption site has many classes and resources, see the Getting started page on their website.

The following methods are focused on those with unknown biological families (adoptees, orphans, etc.). The principles for all the searches will largely be the same.

There are two paths that use the same methodology; however the starting points will be different.

For folks with no known parent or biological family

  1. Take an autosomal DNA test at all three major companies (AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, and 23andMe) if you can. Transfer at least one of those kits to GEDmatch.com (a free site supported by donations). Males can also do Y DNA testing at Family Tree DNA
  2. Starting from the closest match, build out that match’s tree at Ancestry.com (make it private and non-searchable) in order to use the AncestryDNA hint system.
  3. Identify the in common with (ICW) matches/shared matches with the match in step 2.
  4. Build the trees of the ICW/shared matches and find the common ancestors between these matches. NOTE: The closest match may be at any one of the three companies.
  5. Determine who is descended from all these common ancestors.
  6. Connect your AncestryDNA to these descendants; see if you get matches through all of the branches or only some of them.
  7. Repeat for each match working back through all your match lists.
  8. Eventually, you find the same people in the trees of your various matches. This will be pointing toward birth family. Remember to consider all the information that you collected during the preparation phase.


For folks with a known parent or known part of the tree (those working on a non-paternity event (NPE) in a branch or on a brick wall)

  1. Build your tree back on all other branches as far as you can... into the 1700s at least.
  2. Identify matches down all those known branches. Those are not the matches you are interested in.
  3. Identify the matches with unknown connections.
  4. Starting from the closest match that you can’t connect to your tree, build out that match’s tree at Ancestry.com in order to use the ancestry DNA hint system. NOTE: The closest match may be at any one of the three companies.
  5. Identify the ICW matches/shared matches with the match in step 4.
  6. Build the trees of the ICW/shared matches and find the common ancestors between these matches.
  7. Determine who is descended from all these common ancestors.
  8. Connect your AncestryDNA to these descendants; see if you get matches through all of the branches or only some of them.
  9. Repeat for each match working back through all your match lists.
  10. Eventually, you find the same people in the trees of your various matches. This will be pointing toward birth family. Remember to consider all the information that you collected during the preparation phase.


Consanguinity and endogamy will complicate these searches. Join the aforementioned Facebook or email groups for guidance in those cases.

The steps above are listed to help understand the overall concept. Each search case is different. Everyone is encouraged to utilize the appropriate resources to tailor your search to your circumstances.

Adoption success stories!

Click here for the story of how DNA helps find a 76-year-old Child Migrant's family after six decades of searching and here for how a family presumed lost in the Holocaust was found with DNA.

There are many more success stories on the DNAadoption web site and on genetic genealogist Cece Moore's site at Adoption DNA as well as at 23andMe (see the articles in the customer stories category not to mention the list of DNA success stories compiled by Louise Coakley.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following members of DNA Adoption for compiling this article: June Byrne, Kitty Cooper, Karin Corbeil, Mark Hyman, Jon Masterson, Gaye Tannenbaum, Robin Grantham, Barbara Rae-Venter, Barbara Taylor and Richard Weiss.

See also