In 2013, Simon Smith sent away his DNA for analysis. The results led him and his family to discover hundreds of branches in this family tree, all sharing the same roots at a pioneering fertility clinic in Second World War-era London.
DNA test reveals link to fertility clinic that likely used same donor hundreds of times from 1940s to 1960sAdrianne Smith, left, and Caryl Blumenthal discovered they were half-siblings and their biological father was Dr. Bertold Wiesner, who ran a fertility clinic with his wife, Dr. Mary Barton, in London during the Second World War.Since this story was originally published on Sept. 18, 2020, Adrianne Smith has discovered four new half-siblings: three in England and one in the U.S.
Wiesner clandestinely provided his own sperm to many of their clients, and is believed to be linked to up to 600 children born over the span of about two decades — including Simon's mother, Adrianne Smith. But then in December 2014, Simon received an email from Lyssa McGowan, a woman living in England who claimed to be his first cousin.
Her parents were Louis and Millicent Pitt. Louis asked Millicent on a date the night they met in London in 1934, and they married two years later. Millicent was a seamstress; Louis was a tailor. He died in his sixties after his third heart attack. "A secret family in England? You can't help your mind going there," she said. "But with a love story like my grandparents'?"Simon emailed back and forth with McGowan's family for months before Adrianne finally wrote to Blumenthal. Her email was a mix of emotions, family history, puns, and questions.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Toronto woman warns others of new scam using children to steal bank card infoTikTok has been serving as a great platform for residents of Toronto to warn one another about all sorts of news, including scams that they or some...
Read more »
Toronto school custodian charged in alleged sexual assault of studentA Toronto school custodian is facing nearly a dozen charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a student.
Read more »
UNB teams with Toronto Raptors all-star Pascal Siakam to fund new scholarshipFREDERICTON, N.B. — The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is partnering with all-star Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam to fund a new scholarship for ...
Read more »
Toronto school custodian facing nearly a dozen charges in alleged sexual assault of studentA Toronto school custodian is facing nearly a dozen charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a student.
Read more »
UNB teams with Toronto Raptors all-star Pascal Siakam to fund new scholarshipFREDERICTON, N.B. — The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is partnering with all-star Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam to fund a new scholarship for ...
Read more »