Researching my family tree one relative at a time

Hey guys! I’m Sunni and I am an accidental genealogist. When I was born, 7 of my great-grandparents were still alive. And all of them were born in Florida. All of my grandparents were also born in Florida, as were my parents (weeeelllll…my dad was born on an Army base in Georgia, but otherwise, he WOULD have been born in Florida!). We had no ethnic identity other than “Floridian” and “southern.” I was always curious about how my family got to America and about my ethnic background.

In 2018, my kids got me a DNA test from Ancestry for Christmas. When registering my kit, the site encouraged me to “start a free tree.” Little did I know that I would be hooked in less than 15 minutes! I added my parents and my grandparents and what I remembered about my great-grandparents and I have never stopped! Other than those initial few weeks, I have never done genealogy without combining it with DNA. To me, they go hand-in-hand.

In 2020, I started volunteering as a Search Angel and I have LOVED the problem solving and research that goes into helping adoptees (as well as the children and grandchildren of adoptees) find out who their biological parents are/were. I have so many happy stories of hope and tears to share with you about these adventures. As well as a few stories about ethical dilemmas that I have encountered while on these cases.