My mother grew up in the Dr. Barnardo’s care system for orphans, a mixed-race girl, in predominantly white 1940’s England. As far as we knew, she was given up at birth and alone, with no discernible blood relatives, except for me, her only daughter.
Almost eighty years later, and some of the puzzle pieces of her entrance into the world have been finally put together. What’s more, mum isn’t alone. She’s part of a rich, beautiful, and inspiring tapestry of people, families, and cultures.
You can follow the full storyline via the link if you wish —
My DNA Identity Journey. Ambiguous heritage to proudly… | by T Leigh | Medium
In February of 2021, I’d not even received my DNA test results back from Ancestry, when some exciting news landed in my inbox.
“I’m going to give you a call but thought you would like to see this attached copy of birth certificate first” stated Sally, the genealogist helping me.
“You’ll see that Phyllis was your mother’s birth mother. I’m in the process of finding more about Phyllis because I have two schools of thought. I would say that whilst her husband was in the military during WWII, she became pregnant by an (African) American GI…
