Summer Reads: True Life Genealogy Mysteries

Last time we talked about DNA I pointed out the DNA Bibliography on the Genies blog.  I suggested one book there, Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA by Richard Hill.  Richard Hill gained prominence with this classic book because it was the first of its kind.  It’s dated somewhat because prior to DNA testing Hill searched for his birth father for many years, gathering clues from people who might have known his parents.  Partway through his search the Y-DNA test became available and he tested the descendants of five brothers who were on the scene at the right time.  Of course, searching for birth parents has changed considerably since those long-ago days.  It’s in the library.

Two recent books come to mind that have captivated our Genies.  

Tales of the first spiced up our meals at the Tacoma Seminar last spring.  Genie Sandy could not contain herself as episodes of The Foundling unfolded during mealtimes.  The full title The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me by Paul Joseph Fronczak draws you into the story of an infant kidnapped from a Chicago hospital, a toddler found abandoned in New Jersey, and a man whose DNA tells him he is not who he thought he was.  It’s in the library.

The Stranger in my Genes by Bill Griffeth has also made the rounds of the Genies. Bill Griffeth, a CNBC business anchor and longtime genealogy buff, takes a DNA test at the request of his cousin.  His cousin has to inform him that his father is not his father and Bill struggles emotionally with talking to his ninety-something mother. Bill undertakes to solve the mystery of his origins, a quest which will shake his sense of identity.  Also in the library.

Another book suggestion comes from a former Genie Anna S. She writes:

Recently I read an interesting book about genealogy. It is Daddy, We Hardly Knew You by Germaine Greer (best known as the author of "The Female Eunuch"). She grew up in Australia and traced the Greer name back to a line of ancient Scottish kings. After her father died she started searching for records of his birth, schooling, etc. and couldn't find anything based on what she remembered him saying about his birthplace and early childhood. Eventually she found out that he was actually born to an unmarried servant girl under one name, then adopted and raised under another name, and took the name Greer after leaving home as a young man.

Greer had a book deal, her publisher paid her a large cash advance to write about her family history, and she traveled the world looking for records of her father's birth and military service in WWII, so the story wanders a bit and covers a lot of territory. I found it interesting to learn that just tracing a person's name isn't enough, that you really have to look for original records to learn about family origins.

This book was written in 1991 and Anna found it in the discards pile at the Bellingham Library.  She has passed that copy on to the Genies and it currently resides on my nightstand.  I’ll bring it to our next meeting.

Another Genie Judy S. calls our attention to Gail Lukasik. She says “I listened to her story on YouTube and I made contact with her with my story--very similar to her story.  I was delighted she responded.”  The book White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing by Gail Lukasik is also in the library. The Washington Post named White Like Her one of the most inspiring stories of 2017.  Her website is  http://www.gaillukasik.com/

Judy also passes on to us a link to Medieval English Church records:  http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/guide/ecc.shtml

Happy Summer!  This should keep you busy.