For almost half of his life, Paul Gilgen has pondered a family mystery. In the late 1980s, Paul’s nephew Kim Eisenhut shared news of a long-held family secret, one that had tumbled out of hiding while family …
Tag: DNA
Two Family Mysteries and their Journeys Toward the Truth
The search for a grandfather Mike Holloway, of Willshire, Ohio, is a man on a mission—a genealogical mission, that is. In recent years, his interest in a long-time family mystery found him taking up the search …
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Lessons Learned . . . And the moral of the story
(DNA Sleuth column - March 2025) For the past month, I’ve been neck-deep in a writing project that has claimed much of the time I usually spend burrowed deep in search angel mode. I’m still popping into …
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“What? Mom’s adopted?!”
In my pursuit to share the wonderful world of DNA with folks far and near, I’m always looking for opportunities to present DNA-themed programs. The Heritage Room at the Berne Public Library has hosted several such presentations, …
The Mystery of the Abandoned Hotel Baby
Thursday, March 16, 1918 . . . Richmond, Indiana. A weeks-old baby boy found alone and crying in a room at the Kelly Hotel. Hotel employees cannot locate parents who may have used a fictious name at …
Meeting the Bio Family: Chapter 9.5 – Hovering in between
“Mrs. Steury, do you have a sister?” In typical kill-some-time-in-study-hall fashion, a high school student tossed me a random question. “No, I don’t,” came my fast reply. Breath. “Wait, wait. YES, I have a sister.” I now …
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