Have you ever considered getting a DNA test done to find out who you are related to? I was never interested. I have boxes of genealogical records that other family members compiled, and I'll probably never read them. But millions of people have taken commercial DNA tests that not only purport to identify your ethnic background, but will also connect you to others in their database who have some genetic relation to you. The news is not always good. An AskReddit thread had people sharing the stunning results of DNA tests and how they uncovered old secrets and rearranged families. Redditor theloneliestdonkey has a real horror story.
My grandfather did not die when my dad was 4 like we always thought. Instead, he faked his death, walked 1500km to the other end of the country, married a sixteen old girl and had 7 more children.
All the while leaving my grandmother to bring up the 6 children he had with her and his 2 children from an earlier marriage. Worst part was that he used the same names for the second batch of kids as his first lot.
She went on to tell us that the two families met and had a big barbecue that was quite awkward, since one side idolized their father, but hers did not. But sometimes there's a reasonable explanation, which doesn't reflect well on the company issuing the tests.
My parents and I all did dna tests and I manage their profiles- theirs were done before mine was available. They each got a panicked message from a woman on the other side of the world who had matched as their daughter. She was distraught, thinking her parents had lied to her for her entire life.
When I logged in to my account, it showed that I had no dna matches with my parents which I knew to be wrong, plus the fact my mum was a young child when this woman was born made it clear the company had swapped our results. Customer service just said ‘oh well’ and offered a new test. My family found it funny but that poor woman who had spent several days freaking out thinking her life was a lie before I got her messages and responded.
You can read many more wild stories in the reddit thread or peruse a list of the 27 best stories from it at Cracked.
(Image credit: Joo Nath)