Christian Z. from Germany didn’t know who his birth parents were for almost 50 years. He decided to take a MyHeritage DNA test — and not only did he find his biological parents very quickly, he gained 7 half-siblings from both sides!
This is his story.
I was adopted shortly after my birth in 1972. My adoptive mother already had a foster child who had lived with her for a number of years. She wanted to adopt this child, but his biological mother took him back. Therefore, although my adoption was completed in 1976, my mother always feared that a child might be taken from her again. My adoptive family was very loving and there was an aunt, a grandmother, and great-aunts. My mother got married a few years later, so I also had a stepfather and several stepsiblings.
Christian as a child. Photo enhanced by MyHeritage
Christian’s adoptive family
I grew up knowing that my adoptive family was not my birth family. But since I also knew how important it was to my mother to be my only mother, I did not look for my birth mother during her lifetime. I also only knew the name of my biological mother, a Turkish woman from the first generation of migrant workers. I also knew the name of her eldest son. At that time they lived in West Berlin. Nothing at all was known about the identity of my birth father, not even his nationality.
That was how It stayed like for almost 50 years.
In the meantime, I got married and had two children. My wife’s grandfather was a Bessarabian German and a passionate genealogist. He inspired me to get involved in genealogy, too. When he died, based on his findings, I first researched my wife’s family history and then my adoptive mother’s family history. I started out using the old-fashioned methods, and then I started using DNA — and I actually found out a lot of interesting connections. For example, my adoptive mother came from the ancient Zalto family of glassblowers. The family originally came from Venice and then moved to the Bohemian Forest. Fine glass is still produced in Austria today.
However, there was still a family connection missing. Would it also be worth learning more about it?
A double DNA test success
In 2020 my adoptive mother passed away at the age of 86. It was a great loss, we were always very close. But it encouraged me to take a DNA test through MyHeritage and start looking for my biological relatives.
As expected, the results showed Turkish ancestry and numerous Turkish relatives. It also quickly became apparent that my biological father must be Spaniard from the Malaga region. I wrote to some more distant relatives, some living in Spain and some being Cuban exiles now living in the United States. However, they knew nothing about a distant cousin who might have a biological son in Germany. They said they only had ancestors from the Malaga region.
On my mother’s side, however, the inquiry with the relatives was successful! According to a DNA test, a grandnephew was able to find out something about the whereabouts of my birth family. His mother knew that she had moved from Berlin to Munich. He made the connection. They also knew about me and were very happy when I contacted them. I visited her last April.
There are 4 older half-siblings in total. My birth mother had passed away a long time ago. I also met a cousin who happened to live in the same town as me — and his daughter just down the street from me. His granddaughter had even played tennis with my daughter without knowing that they were closely related.
Christian with Zöhre, Yakup and Ali, 3 of his half-siblings.
But then there was a surprising twist on my father’s side as well.
A biological half-brother from Spain probably also had an interest in genealogical research and also submitted his DNA to MyHeritage. Of course, that put him at the top of the DNA Matches! We exchanged ideas via the messaging system, and he was very surprised because he didn’t know anything about me. However, he confirmed to me that his father, who also died young, had been living in Germany at the time. So I now have three half-siblings in Spain.
So the DNA test was a double success: Not only did I find the relatives on my mother’s side, I also discovered my father’s family. I now have 7 half-siblings! Thank you MyHeritage.
We would also like to thank Christian for sharing his wonderful story. We are very happy for him! Have you found your family thanks to MyHeritage, or would you like to share your own story? Please do using this form or by email to stories@myheritage.com.
The post I Found My Birth Parents and 7 Half-Siblings Thanks to a MyHeritage DNA Test appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.
Source: My Heritage
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