A family reunion . . .of sorts

Back in May, Ancestry.com had a promotion for their DNA testing kit. I had wanted to do this for some time; and, the price was as low as I had ever seen it. So, I took the plunge and ordered my kit. It came promptly and I sent in my sample. A few weeks later, my results arrived in an email. There were no surprises. I am who I always thought and been told I was. . .at least genetically. I leave the rest to your discretion. Not long afterwards, I received a message through Ancestry from a woman in Dublin who stated that we shared a significant amount of DNA. It turns out that she is related to my paternal great-grandmother, Mary Anderson, about whom we know almost nothing other than her name. Margaret and I exchanged more emails. Then, I mentioned that I would be in Ireland and did she want to meet. She did. Since I was flying in and out of Dublin on my way to and from Scandinavia, we agreed to meet there on my way back. Today was the day we were to meet.

Our meeting was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Bewley’s, an historic café on Grafton St. I had walked by the place the day before, just so I would know where it was. I checked out of my hotel room and left my luggage at the reception. I was somewhat nervous as I walked the few blocks to the café. I was a little early so I was still outside when I heard a voice say, “Paul?” I looked and there were three women, not just one. “Margaret?” I asked. And, of course, it was, along with Deirdre, her sister, and Esther, her sister-in-law.

We went inside and got a table. There was a lot of chatter as we perused the menus and placed our orders. We all introduced ourselves and told little bits and pieces of our life stories. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt. There were no obvious family resemblances, yet I felt an ease and comfort just from knowing that we were “family”. Then we began the work of exploring the connection. Deirdre was obviously the one who was doing most of the work. She brought out her laptop and I mine. My side of the story is much more straightforward. I, through the Lavelle side, am a direct descendant of Mary Anderson. Their maternal great-grandfather and my great-grandmother were brother and sister. According to Ancestry, we are 2^nd cousins, three times removed. (Whatever that means.)

Margaret, me, Deirdre and Patrick

At this point, our food arrived, as did their brother, Patrick. Patrick had contacted me, too, after I did the DNA test. I just didn’t realize that he was Margaret’s brother. Their family name is Conway. After Pat arrived, there was some renewed conversation about the family connections. The sisters were unfamiliar with both my surname and my mother’s, Lavelle. Pat, on the other hand, works with somebody named Lavelle and knows personally someone named Diveny. I mentioned that we have no idea where our ancestors come from. We know it is the west of Ireland, most likely Galway and/or Mayo. The DNA test bears that out. Still, we do not have any place names that connect us to our families. So, I have upped my subscriptions to both Ancestry and My Heritage in the hopes of turning up some additional information. I plan to use my time in Ireland to continue my research. Deirdre is also helping. But, now it was time to say goodbye. I had to leave for the airport to catch the bus back to Glenstal. We took our “family” photo. It was great meeting these long-lost cousins and I am grateful that we had this chance to get to know one another. I hope that our paths will cross again.

 In the small world department, one of their cousins* was a monk of Glenstal. I found his grave in the cemetery once I got back here and sent them a picture.

* Correction. It is not their cousin, but a friend's cousin. Deirdre corrected me!