How do you prove who you are?

[Dennis]

Hi,

I am basing a LOT of my family tree based on what my mom told me; I have no documented proof. As told to me, my biological father, deceased & cremated, was mr. y and that they also produced a daughter, my alleged sister still living. Biological father had a sister, deceased, who produced one child, a son still living. My BC shows only me and my mom, sister's BC shows only her & my mom. Is there any way to validate my mom's claims?

cheers. dennis

[Ina]

Hi Dennis, Does your father have a brother or a son that you could test against. We all know that old saying.......your daddy is only who your mammy says he is. I have a similar problem in my own family right now.

Ina

[Dennis]

Hello Ina,

My biological dad had but 1 sibling, a sister who is long deceased. The son of the sister claims that his uncle never mentioned me or anything about my mom or my sister.

Hoping your issue is less convoluted:) dennis

[Ina]

Hi Dennis, I'm not sure that you could test against the son of your dad's sister. Maybe someone else on the board can answer that. In my case the suspected father is now dead and he had no sons.

[Tracey]

My gt grandmothers first child, had a daughter was born out of wedlock but the father was named on the birth certificate - sir name Donaldson. A few years later she had my grandfather born illegitimate with the sir name Gray. Later i.e school, army, marriage, death he had the name Donaldson.

So I often wonder if we are really Donaldson’s or have I been chasing a family line that isnt mine ? My theory is that as he was a Seaman and not married to my gt grandmother, he wasnt around at time of my grandfathers birth so possibly couldn't have been named on the bc ? There are strong pointers to suggest it is the correct line but I will never know 100% or if i should really be a Gray or Donaldson.

[LesleyB]

Hi Dennis

This is maybe not a great deal of help, but even if you were able to convince someone to help out with a DNA sample, from my own research into this some years ago, a "proof of father" DNA test is only really 100% reliable if the father is still around to give his DNA, then it is a clear yes/no situation. Otherwise, if the father is deceased, as far as I remember, it turns into a rather complex % game with x% chance you are related but the same result may turn up if, for example, your father's brother was giving the sample.... (I'm sure in the future, DNA testing will be more sophisticated for identifying fathers if they are not around, and able to give better answers to this kind of problem) Apart from any other consideration, these type of DNA tests at the time I was looking into it are very expensive, unlike the straightforward father/child ones which can be bought fairly cheaply.

The only other thing I can suggest, which can also be a complex and sometimes difficult route to follow in itself, depending on how helpful or accomodating folk are, is to track down photos of the father (if you do not already have access to some) and photos of as many of his extended family as you can locate - e.g. his parents, (his grandparents?) his siblings, his children, his nieces, nephews etc. Certainly in the case I was dealing with, the likeness to the father was definately there, but other aspects of likeness were clearly visible in the suspected father's own father and in his children, which when viewed altogether left a certainly of a sort that it was the correct man. Likenesses are funny things - they can skip generations, they can take a swift turn sideways and resurface in the most unexpected of places, thus the emphasis on collecting as much photographic evidence as you can. Also, if you can locate people who knew your father, you may find that you yourself have mannerisms or a tone of voice, a way of walking, or a laugh which to them is unmistakeably your father's. Good luck.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Ina]

Hi Lesley,

Maybe you can answer this question for me. A married woman has two children, a son and a daughter, supposedly with the same father. After the father dies there is some question as to whether the husband really is the father of the daughter........can the daughter and son have their DNA done to confirm that they have the same father?

Ina

[LesleyB]

Hi Ina

I'm no expert on the subject - I just did a lot of reading about it at the time on sites such as this:
http://www.cellmark.co.uk/dna_testing/s ... esting.php

It seemed at the time that some sites claimed it was possible to have a reliable result, whilst others went into a bit more depth and did state that a test without the father could not be as conclusive, as in the above link. As far as I remember too, it was a lot more conclusive if you were male and trying to prove paternity if there were other male children to the same man, but if you are female it is not so straightforward to prove a link to a father - it is more straightforward for females to establish a DNA link with their mothers evidenced by the mitochondrial dna which can trace us way back on the female line. There is no doubt in my mind that all the other genetic material is of course in us somewhere, but it seems to be the limitations of the currently available tests which cause the problems..... But as I say, I'm no expert and not a scientist - I was just looking for a way to find a reliable answer to a question.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Ina]

Hi Lesley,

Thanks for that site. I'll have a read at it. DNA certainly is very interesting. Several years ago I had my uncle do a DNA test for me, as I was trying to break down my brick wall on my Ferguson side. This uncle was the last surviving Ferguson in my family. So far I haven't been connected to any other Ferguson's. All I learned from the DNA was that we were not from the Irish Ferguson's that we were definitely Scottish.

Again thanks Lesley.

Ina