Donna and John getting acquainted. 

A free Public Service announcement for Ancestry DNA.

20 years ago this month we began a search to find John's birth family.  We found his mother in 2003 and they got to spend time together before she died in 2004.  Going on the information from his mother we searched the wrong name up until an Ancestry DNA test last December.  It took me awhile to believe the evidence but then I started to look at a family in Oklahoma.  I have had help from members of the family who had DNA matches.  But this large family were not close to each other.   It took me a while to get over the fear of contacting the close relatives who did not have DNA tests.  A few weeks ago we found a first cousin who answered some questions.  Long story short on Sunday August 6 we were contacted by a half sister.  This weekend she was here in Iowa and a reunion happened.  What a fun time we had catching up on 70+ years of family history and sharing life stories

Thank you to the people who helped us along the way,  both fellow adoptees online and distant cousins who answered my ancestry messages and inquiries.  Thank you for our friends and relatives who encouraged us while we searched.   Blessings on all of you.  Thank you to John's maternal half siblings who have welcomed us into the family.

Thanks to our son and family who let us use their beautiful new house for our reunion while they are away.  

John's birth mother Mildred

John's birth mother Mildred

John with his half brother Ray on the day they met in 2003. 

 This was one of the few photos I could find with him smiling. 

      Sherman High School 1959

This photo is from out 50th anniversary in 2013.  From right to left
David, Ty, John, Susan, Eric with Miles and Guinevere McIntyre

A common ancestry tree

One more common ancestor tree.

John's birth mother lived in Oscar, Jefferson County, Oklahoma  in 1940.  According to the 1940 census the Clay family lived in Brown Township section of Jefferson County, Oklahoma.  The interesting thing is that there is no evidence of the census of the Oscar part of the county.  The Oklahoma historical society does not know why. 

John's DNA matches on Ancestry.com DNA . 

This is my husband, John Mark McIntyre.  He was born in 1941 at the Rest Cottage in Pilot Point, Texas.  This was a home for unwed mothers where many babies were adopted for many years.  His adoption record was opened for him in 1997, 20 years ago.  He found his birth mother in 2003.  He has spent the last 20 years searching for his birth father.  We would like to know any blood relatives that are still living and would love to have a medical history.