I continue to communicate with my genetic match on 23andMe. As you can see from the following letter, it’s getting me very close to making contact with my birth mother.

Dear Mike:

I spoke with my Mom today and then I saw your long email tonight. Everything you wrote (See Post #469) is parallel to what she told me. I’ve not yet met Bruce Banister, but he has done extensive work for many, if not all, of my Grandfather Freddie Banister’s family. He is on fb with many of my first cousins. Freddie had 8 kids, 35 grands, and I haven’t counted up all the great grands! I found you on Adoption Registry.

Not sure what you know, but your Grandfather is (Ivan Otis) aka Pete Banister, the oldest brother of 6 boys, by Lilly and Henry Banister. Ivan (1902), Joseph (1904), Freddie (1906), Lewis (1908), Clyde (1911), Ora (1913), twins died (1916). Your Grandmother is Ruby.

My Mom called Eva Joyce today, Edna’s sister. Mom has usually communicated with Eva Joyce or oldest sister Evelyn, now deceased. Mom is also 85. As far as she knows Edna’s health is normal . . . I don’t know where this will go but I hope you can meet your biological family soon. I have an address for Edna Faye but no phone number.

I love being connected to family, even though sometimes its the hardest thing in the world because of expectations or personalities. So I want to help you. Mom and one of my Uncle’s keeps up with marriages, births, deaths as best they can with so many. My Uncle is not an easy person, an understatement. And I am the most interested of the cousins in keeping up, but nothing to the extent of Bruce.

I’m going to attach photos. I hope my description carries with each photo and if not, I’ll go back and name people for you. Am sending my grandparents at their 25th anniversary, with their 8 who are first cousins to Edna Faye.

There are a few pics of Edna. I trust they are identified correctly, done over 15 years ago.

I hope she will be understanding and let you into their lives!

After this stunning news, here was my breathless response:

Thank you so much, Janine. I was so excited to get these pictures and share them with my wife. It took some digging on your part, so I appreciate the effort. At the very least, I now know that word will eventually get to Edna about my whereabouts – the rest is up to her. My wife still has a 96-year old mother back in Rochester, Indiana that we visit about every three months. On the last trip, I went to the Shelbyville library and looked through yearbooks, hoping to get some pictures of Edna, Evelyn, Eva, and the brothers. That was when I found out that the family moved to Mount Vernon before any of them were in high school. On our next trip, I planned to go to the Jennings County library and check their resources.

I’m grateful that you understand my curiosity and quest for information. I feel much better now that I’m not “stalking” potential relatives. It’s interesting that an “adoption angel” had misled me to an Edna Bannister in the Rome, Georgia area. You’re about three and a half hours away from there in Perry, as I understand. About 6 years ago I established a Facebook Page under my birth name of Jerry Lee Bannister (the adoption agency had all my paperwork with the double “n” spelling). I’m actually friends with Bruce Banister in Shelbyville and many other Bannisters throughout Georgia, as a result of this slight devious deception. I was hoping to find Edna as a result of some of these contacts that I thought might know her in Georgia without raising any suspicion. I also have my Michael Johnston Facebook page so I can wish myself a Happy Birthday every year with a bit of a chuckle.

I won’t bore you with any other details about my lifelong search, but I also felt a very strong sense of loving loyalty to my adoptive parents, who gave me everything I needed. I do have an adopted younger sister who successfully made contact with her birth mother many years ago. I was not as aggressive as she was in a search, and it’s really been other people that have done the legwork for me. Thanks again for your help, it will take some time to sort out all these Banister connections.

Best, Mike

We’ve now exchanged pictures and several letters, so things are suddenly moving fast. Decisions will have to be made on both sides, but Anonymous Janine has graciously put herself in the middle. It’s intriguing to me that after years of fishing for connections through adoption & legal paperwork, search angels, social media, newspaper obituaries, library visits, certified letters, and phone calls that a simple saliva sample led me to the right people.

I have to credit my sales manager at the radio station I recently retired from for initially encouraging me to do a DNA test and her recommendation of 23andMe. It led me to my communication with “Third to Fourth Cousin” Fred, who sent me the birth certificate and census report from my birth mother, and now “Second Cousin” Janine’s mom is regularly in touch with my birth mother’s sister. Best of all, I now know for sure that my birth mother is still alive.

The photos that were included in this e-mail of my birth mother shows her 15 years younger than the more recent photo posted on her son’s Facebook page. Until today, I could only speculate that was actually her picture. Now, I know for sure, because although her appearance has changed in that timeframe, it’s definitely the same woman! She’ll be 85 in 16 days, and this will be the first time in my 66 years that I will celebrate the day with her (whether she knows it or not.)