It takes a lot of amateur detective work to be a genealogist. There are sites like Ancestry, Genealogy, FamilySearch, About, AfriGeneas, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, BillionGraves, Chronicling America, Cyndi’s List, FamilyTree, Find A Grave, Findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, General Land Office Records, Google, Heritage Quest, JewishGen, MyHeritage, Mocavo, Allen County Public Library, Library of Congress, Olive Tree, RootsWeb, National Archives Resources, NewspaperArchive, USGenWeb, Webpages by Stephen P. Morse, World Vital Records, Archives, 23andMe, Geni, and National Geographic, just to name a few. Most of them have message boards and DNA tracking services, encouraging people around the world to hook-up.

I would assume that people who voluntarily search these sites and submit to DNA testing are interested in finding out more about themselves. I still find it surprising when messages are not returned promptly. This means that they’re not getting the message, they’re suspicious of your intentions, or they are involved with so many different sites that they don’t check back to see if there are such messages that require their attention.

I did my first DNA test through 23andMe, hoping to uncover the mysteries behind my adoption. I wasn’t really sure where it would lead, but I made a connection with a new cousin who was able to find my mother’s birth certificate. It also led me to another Banister who never responded to my message two years ago. Today, I got an out-of-the-blue notification from Bruce through Geni. After I had written a lengthy replay it would not let me send it, so I sent him a note through Messenger – it was my only discreet option. I had befriended him on Facebook years ago under the cover of my birth name, Jerry Lee Banister. It was not an attempt to be deceptive, but rather an effort to connect with other Banisters (or Bannisters) that might potentially related. As it turns out, he is related, but in an awkward position considering that his aunt will not admit to giving birth to me. That’s her prerogative, but I considered his response to be an indication that he might be willing to talk. We’ll see how that turns out!

At the same time, I was internally admonishing him for waiting so long to return my message, I discovered that I did the same thing to a third cousin that tried to message me a year-and-a-half ago.  I apparently never responded and really can’t explain how I overlooked her message. Her name is Lindsay Niccolai, and unbeknownst to me at that time, her connection would be through my yet-to-be-confirmed father. DNA shows me to be a half-sibling with his daughter (one of six). I am meeting with her and her four sisters in two weeks. I’m nervous yet excited.!

Hopefully, both Lindsay and Bruce will respond to my messages. I also have a couple of e-mails out there regarding another recent third-cousin DNA match on Ancestry, Larry Vaughn. I am already a match with Deb Banister Vaughn and I thought there might be a connection that I have yet to identify. However, with the holidays approaching, it’s difficult enough to stay in touch with life-long relatives let alone new ones. While most of us would prefer to not have as many relatives, I’ve managed to add to my list. Sherlock Holmes would be proud of me!