Hill - Finding family: my search for roots and the secrets in my DNA

Copyright 2012 Richard Hill.

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1475190832

ISBN 13: 9781475190830

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62345-804-1

This book is dedicated to my wife, Pat. If she had not pushed me, I would never have started this search. And without her unwavering support, I could never have finished it.

No discussion of an adoptees personal history can be complete without a careful investigation into whom his or her biological parents were and why he or she was given up for adoption.

There are at least seven million adopted children and adults in the US today. Knowing that a number of diseases are at least partly genetic, many of those children pass into adulthood wondering what health risks they inherited.

Consciously or not, adoptees also deal with many more emotionally charged questions. What is my ethnic background? Do I have brothers or sisters? Do they look like me? What were their lives like? Are they aware that I exist? And if so, might they or my birth parents now be searching for me?

In this fascinating, inspirational, and highly personal account, Richard Hill brings all these issues front and center. I found myself wondering what new facts would be found on the next paragraph and page of this personal odyssey to find the truth surrounding the circumstances of his birth and adoption.

Combining conventional genealogy, DNA analysis, and good old-fashioned gumshoe detective work, Richard has weaved his personal story into a thrilling saga that should serve as a roadmap for anyone seeking the who and why of an adoptees birth.

Although Richards quest was ultimately successful, youll see the journey was neither easy nor quick. Dogged persistence trumps luck when searching for an adoptees biological family and this journey is filled with moments of euphoria separated by weeks, months, and years of frustration.

Written in an easy-to-read style, Richard Hills book is a guide for adoptees seeking answers to questions that have been covered (purposely or otherwise) by the sands of time. He has demonstrated that persistence and patience are the best tools for the adoptee looking to uncover the secrets to his or her biological beginnings.

As the president of Family Tree DNA, the world largest genealogical site employing DNA to prove connections, I see many adoptees every week struggling with the same questions that Richard has worked to answer in this book. My hope is that by reading about his journey, other adoptees also will obtain the closure that Richard sought, and found, after more than thirty years of investigation.

B ENNETT G REENSPAN
P RESIDENT
F AMILY T REE DNA

This is a true story. The names, places, and dates are all real. The people responsible for my successful outcome are too numerous to list. But you will meet them on the following pages.

Without their individual contributions, the many mysteries surrounding my birth never would have been completely solved.

For adoptees and countless others uncertain of their parentage, this book can be an essential guidebook of tips and techniques.

The early part of my search predated the Internet. And genetic genealogy DNA tests only became available in the later stages of my story. But the many human factors involved in a successful search for lost family members are timeless.

Science buffs and social scientists should be intrigued at the way DNA testing has opened doors for adoptees and others to overcome sealed records and decades-old family secrets.

Finally, anyone who enjoys a good mystery or human-interest story is invited to accompany me on the roller coaster ride of my life.

R ICHARD H ILL
Grand Rapids, Michigan

To know who you are, you have to know where you came from.
W HO D O Y OU T HINK Y OU A RE?
T ELEVISION SERIES

All families have secrets, some bigger than others.

My familys secret leaked out in 1964, the year I graduated from high school. The place was Ionia, Michigan, a small town halfway between Lansing and Grand Rapids.

It was late August and a strange pain in my chest was keeping me awake at night. Since our longtime family doctor had retired, I made an appointment with Dr. Campbell, who now had my medical file.

He quickly identified my problem as acid reflux. Heartburn. Thinking stress was the cause, he began to question me about my life.

Ionia is a small town and Dr. Campbell had seen my picture in the local newspaper. Remembering that I graduated second in my class, he asked if I felt pressure to perform well in school.

No, I replied honestly.

He asked if I was nervous about going away to college.

Again, I said No. Living on campus would be a new adventure and I looked forward to it with genuine eagerness.

As Dr. Campbell thumbed through my medical file, I wondered what his next question would be. There was no way for me to guessor to be prepared forwhat he asked me next.

How do you feel about being adopted?

My heart skipped a beat.

Excuse me? I asked. I must have misheard him. Or maybe he had me confused with someone else. Im Richard Hill, son of Harold and Thelma Hill. Surely, he must have someone elses file in his hands.

When Dr. Campbell saw my stunned reaction, he looked mortified.

Im sorry. II just assumed you knew, he stammered. The expression on his face suggested he was now the one feeling a jolt of stomach acid. He had inadvertently let slip what we both knew was a life-altering secret.

My mind raced.

Why hadnt my parents told me? They loved me. Of that, I had no doubt. Yet, why did they intentionally withhold a piece of information this crucial?

We talked it over for a few minutes. Dr. Campbell tried to assure me that my parents chose to adopt me and would love me like any parents love their child. I said I understood. But I didnt. Not really. I wondered why they had kept me in the dark about this.

Nevertheless, I was on break from my summer job at Hub Shoe Store and had to get back to work. There wasnt time for a lengthy analysis. So he wrote a prescription to help with my heartburn. Then he made me promise to call him if my symptoms did not improve or if I just needed to talk. I knew he was worried about how I would react.

In a daze, I walked the short block back to the store. Fortunately, it was a Friday and I would be working until 9 p.m. I had a lot of time to reflect on this revelation before going home to face my parents.

As I half-heartedly waited on customers, my mind picked up pieces from the bombshell that had exploded in the doctors office.

My old family doctor must have been part of a conspiracy that included my parents and others. The secret only slipped out because my medical records fell into the hands of an outsider. Had my old doctor not retired when he did, I never would have discovered the truth.

In another week, this window of opportunity would have closed forever. I would have been living on campus where health center doctors could not browse my childhood medical file.

Adopted? Me?

I began to search for clues I must have missed. No, I didnt look out of place in my family. My parents and I all had dark-brown hair. In fact, my Dad and I both had hair so dark it was nearly black.