With all the excitement surrounding the discovery of my birth mother, I needed to send a thank you note to my 23andMe source. According to genetic testing that we both did through the site, we share .96% of our DNA, putting us as close as third cousins. He’s searching for the exact nature of our connection, and in the process we’ve been exchanging information. I wanted him to know of my recent breakthrough, in hopes that it helps us solve some additional mysteries about our roots. This was the note that I just sent him:

Hi Terry – I’ve been remiss in thanking you for the information that you sent. It got me on the right track. The Edna Faye Banister of Shelbyville, Indiana birth certificate that you forwarded, combined with the 1940 Census, matched all 7 of her siblings (including twins one year older) and their ages exactly with the generic information that I received from the adoption agency. This extends right down to the railroad guard employment connections. I then discovered that she was married 5 years later to Charles Poole of Seymour, Indiana. They had a son that they named Jerry Lee (the same name that she gave me at birth through the Suemma Coleman adoption agency in Indianapolis).

The name Jerry Lee Bannister (or Banister) is on all the official court records that I also have in my possession. I was next able to get a White Pages address for Jerry Lee Poole and sent him a certified letter with many of the same documents you sent me. The certified letter was signed for last week and I’m hoping for a reply, once the initial shock wears off. If he decides to share it with his mother? I’m not sure of her health at age 84, but I was able to see recent pictures of her on his Facebook page. There is a resemblance. I apparently had two other younger step brothers through a second marriage that both tragically passed. Furthermore, I sent a note to the son of one of her twin brothers that maintains the Banister family tree through Ancestry.com. I bought a trial membership and entered all my new connections as the Jerry Lee Bannister Family Tree. Thanks to you I now have solved the most important piece of the puzzle, and perhaps can help you if I can get information on the Marine father. I’ll continue to stay in touch, as I get more details – but once again, I can’t thank you enough!

I sent this message through the 23andMe website, hoping that he will share my enthusiasm. As you can probably tell, I am totally consumed in this investigation, and have felt the need to express myself through this blog. It’s definitely personal therapy for me, as I face this touchy situation alone. I promise to share what I know, and to try not to dwell on this subject.