Latest news with #MyHeritage
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
DNA site that helped woman find long-lost Japanese brother is now under £30
MyHeritage DNA kit is down to £29 from £79. A DNA testing site that connects people's family trees is currently running a special offer - bringing the price down to £29. MyHeritage has a history of connecting long-lost family members and boasts a whole host of resources to build out their family tree. A woman found her long lost brother through MyHeritage and described their reunion "as a miracle". Sharon Lovell found her lost Japanese brother, Akihiko, with the help of her cousin. "At first, I was in disbelief," Lovell says. "But the evidence seemed undeniable." She explained how her father had searched for years for the child - who he fathered while on military service in Japan - and believed he had been put up for adoption. Lovell recalled: "I saw my father cry many times throughout my life, because he couldn't find his child. His soul never found peace in this regard." Her father died in 2003, "still heartbroken" and "after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis", but many years later, in 2022, Lovell and her long lost sibling - a brother - found each other via her cousin, who had used MyHeritage. If anyone has ever been in the same position, or is curious about their roots, there has never been a better moment to act. For a very limited time, the MyHeritage DNA kit is just £29 down from £79 - giving users over 63% off, and it's the lowest price the brand has ever offered, using this link. People are raving about the test for a number of reasons. The process is simple, users just need to do a quick, painless cheek swab, pop it in the post using the pre-paid envelope and get their results securely online in just a few weeks. Once the DNA is processed, MyHeritage gives users a deep dive into their ancestry - from their ethnic origins to potential DNA matches with relatives they never knew they had. There is also a free 30-day trail of the MyHeritage Complete subscription, unlocking access to over 36 billion historical records, smart family free tools to build lineage and DNA matching to connect with distant relatives. For some other alternatives, shoppers could try Ancestry for prices as low as £79 and it gives detailed insights about family's origins and DNA matches. Another option is Living NDA which is said to be the most detailed ancestry test in the world with one simple cheek swab for £79. Lovell explains that when she met her brother for the first time at the airport, they 'ran to each other and hugged and kissed.' "The bond we built felt instant and profound. It's almost like we grew up together - it feels that way, because we're very close," she says. "It's all so incredible, so remarkable, how we found one another after seven decades of being apart - each one of us on the other side of the world. Thanks to MyHeritage being a global platform for family history research this was possible. You can find what you have been searching for in places you didn't think possible, even in Japan," she enthused, adding: "Every day there is so much bad news from around the world. And here we are giving hope, spreading good news to the world. I see our reunion as a miracle. We make a really good team, my brother and I." MyHeritage has a high 4 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot from over 67,000 reviews. One person said: "MyHeritage is easy to use, with lots of hints. I also have Ancestry tree as well, and I find they both complement each other." Another said: "My Heritage is loaded with information to access. Get a DNA test and a whole new ballpark comes into action!" Another said: "Trouble logging in to the system. Time delays of hours or 24 hours. Frustrating." "The rep that I spoke to was very knowledgeable about what I was interested in, and gave me a good deal," said another user.
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
How Scottish are you really? £29 DNA kit reveals your ancestry
Uncover your unique family story with a MyHeritage DNA kit | Canva This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Think you know your Scottish roots? This DNA kit could reveal a few surprises — and it's now just £29. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... If you've always thought of yourself as 100% Scottish, here's your chance to find out for sure — and maybe uncover a few surprises. For a very limited time, MyHeritage is offering its DNA kit for just £29 instead of £79, exclusively through this link. That's a huge 63% saving — but the deal won't last forever. The process is simple. Take a painless cheek swab, return it in the prepaid envelope, and in just a few weeks you'll receive a detailed online report revealing your ancestry. You might confirm family stories of Norse blood from Shetland and Orkney, or discover deep Gaelic roots tied to the Highlands and islands. Studies show that many Scots also carry traces of Norman and Irish lineage, reflecting centuries of movement across the British Isles. A MyHeritage DNA kit can help connect the stories behind old family photos to your true ancestry. | Canva But Scotland's history has always been more diverse than many realise. African and Asian seafarers settled in ports like Glasgow and Greenock in the 19th century, and Italian families put down roots in Edinburgh and Dundee — all contributing to the country's rich cultural fabric. Whether your family hails from Aberdeen, Inverness, Paisley, Perth or the Borders, or arrived more recently from further afield, this test helps everyone uncover their unique place in Scotland's story. Celebrate every part of your heritage and even connect with distant relatives you never knew you had. Order your MyHeritage DNA kit today for just £29 through this exclusive link. This article was produced with the support of AI tools to assist in sourcing and structuring information. All content has been reviewed, verified and completed by a National World journalist prior to publication. MySweetSmile Get wedding photo-ready with MySweetSmile's gentle teeth whitening range £ 20.99 Buy now Buy now Wedding season is here — and so are all the photos you'll treasure forever. Whether you're the bride, the groom or just a guest, you'll want a confident, glowing smile in every shot. That's where MySweetSmile comes in. This UK best-seller promises peroxide-free, gentle whitening that fits effortlessly into your routine. From their teeth whitening powder for brides to quick-fix strips for guests and a handy pen for grooms, you'll be ready for your close-up on the big day. Shop the full MySweetSmile wedding-ready range here.
Extra.ie
13-07-2025
- Extra.ie
'I suspected the priest in the old black and white photos was my real father'
The son of an Irish priest has called for a criminal investigation into the whereabouts of his father's assets and demanded: 'I want to know what happened to my father's fortune.' Aidan Wilson had always suspected that the local priest who baptised him as a baby in the UK was his father. The 'man in black' in a photograph in his house growing up was Fr Paddy Crowe, originally from Tuam, Co Galway, who worked and lived in England for much of his life before his death in 2000. But it was a full 22 years later before Mr Wilson, 57, was finally told by his brother Pat, who had three months to live at the time, that the priest who bore a close resemblance to him was indeed his father. Aidan Wilson had always suspected that the local priest who baptised him as a baby in the UK was his father. Pic: Supplied Over the past three years, Mr Wilson has been searching for answers about the man who fathered him, and what has become of the wealth he amassed during his lifetime. In an exclusive interview with Mr Wilson said the Catholic Church has many questions to answer, including if its members in England know what happened to the money his father allegedly amassed over his lifetime. He suspects that an Irish-based nun could hold the all-important information on Fr Crowe's fortune, but she has refused to speak to him about the matter. Attempts by to contact the nun were rebuffed by her order. A photograph published for the first time today shows Fr Crowe baptising Aidan at St John's Church in Norwich, knowing the baby was his own child. Pic: Supplied Mr Wilson said the nun was very close to Fr Crowe and would take holidays with him, and that she accompanied him to hospital for the surgery where he died on the operating table. Mr Wilson has spoken with the Bishop of Northampton, the Bishop of East Anglia, three of Fr Crowe's colleagues in Luton, as well as the head of the Columban fathers in the UK concerning the case. The police force in Bedfordshire, England, is also liaising with Mr Wilson after he tried to submit a criminal complaint regarding his father's missing money. He is now attempting to hire a UK-based solicitor to help him get answers. A photograph published for the first time today shows Fr Crowe baptising Aidan at St John's Church in Norwich, knowing the baby was his own child. Fr Crowne eventually settled in Luton. Pic: Getty Images Through DNA websites such as My Heritage and Aidan was able to determine that his first cousins were the children of Fr Paddy's siblings. A DNA test also proves his brother Pat is actually his half-brother. He now wants Fr Crowe's body to be exhumed to finally clear up any doubts about his parentage. Mr Wilson is also demanding that a 'proper investigation' is carried out into this father's missing fortune. But Mr Wilson insists it's not about the money, but about finding out the truth. 'I don't want people to read this and think, 'oh yeah, here we go, he's only after his money.' I was lied to for over 50 years of my life. I want the lies to stop, and I just want the truth.' Aidan's story begins in the 1960s, when Fr Crowe was a curate in Norwich, a historic cathedral city in the southeast of England. 'From a very, very young age, I always felt that my mum's husband, Bob, wasn't my dad,' he recalls. 'When I was very, very young, I questioned it. For a start, I never called him dad. I called him Bob. And I would say, 'Why do I call you Bob?' He said: 'Well, everyone calls me Bob.' And I said, 'well, I don't look like you' and he'd just say that I took after my mum. 'When I was young, I had a baby book and there were all things to do with the baby; locks of hair, pictures, what-have-you. But there's two pictures in that. One was a picture of a man in black holding a baby, which was me, and another picture was the man in black, my mum and me. And I would say to my mum, 'who is that man?' She'd say that was the priest who baptised you, and I'd say, 'he looks like me, mum', and then she'd change the subject.' Aidan said it was only when his mother was dying in 1999 that the subject of Fr Crowe and the family secret became more pronounced. Aidan has since gone on to say that had he been told the truth, he would have had the opportunity to meet Fr Crowe before his death. 'I always thought that that man in the picture was my dad, the man who baptised me. Anyway, this went on. I got nothing out of Mum and Bob, but when I was 12 years old, my big brother Pat, who is 17 years older than me, he and my mum had a massive falling out to the tune that they never spoke for 20 years until her deathbed. 'Pat disappeared, basically, for 20 years, but when mum was dying, I told Pat he had better go and see mum in Ireland, because she's dying, and he did so. 'So me and Pat got together for the first time in 20 years, and we went for a drink. We're still waiting for mum to be buried, and that's the first time I said to Pat: 'Is Bob my dad?' He was a bit taken aback about this because I said, 'I don't think he is. I never thought he was,' and he would lie and say, 'yeah, yeah, he is.'' Aidan said this 'went on for over two decades', in the early 2000s, when the brothers temporarily lived together, Pat hinted he had something to tell him. 'Sometimes, when he'd had a few, he nearly told me something. He almost told me a few things. 'He said he [priest] had to get out of Norwich quickly. Something happened.' Finally, after pressing the matter, Pat finally told his brother the truth while they were out having Christmas dinner in 2022. Pat was dying of cancer,' Aidan said. 'Pat only had a few months left to live, and I said to Pat at the table: 'Right, Pat. Same question I've been asking you for decades – is Bob my dad?' And he said, 'No, he's not. Your dad is Patrick Crowe. He's the bloke in the picture.' 'I said, I knew it all these years! You lied to me.' After that, Aidan said, 'Pat told me everything.' He told his brother Fr Crowe and their mother were always close, and that he was suspicious the pair were in a romantic relationship. He also recounted how Fr Crowe burst into the hairdressers where Pat was apprenticing at the time and announced to everyone: 'It's a boy! It's a boy! We have a boy!' Fr Crowe used to watch Pat play football every Thursday, but he began to notice that, shortly after the whistle blew, the priest would leave and head towards the Wilson household. Aidan said that one Thursday, Pat got himself subbed, went home early and 'caught mum and [Fr] Paddy naked having sex in the living room'. He told 'He [Pat] got himself into an altercation with Paddy. And mum was shouting at him, in the living room, to 'leave that man alone'. Anyway, Paddy grabbed his clothes, scurried out the house, putting them on, and ran out, and disappeared. And then mum was pregnant.' Aidan said his brother was scared for the future of his family as Fr Crowe continued to come around to the house. At one stage, Pat went to St John's Church in Norwich and told a senior priest Fr Crowe was the father of his little brother. Months later, after hearing nothing back, Pat returned to the church to demand that something be done. On this occasion, Aidan said his brother spoke with 'a more senior priest. He said: 'I want something done. Everyone knows what's going on here. Something needs to happen.'' Days later, Fr Crowe arrived at their family home and revealed he was being sent away. He never returned to the Wilson home but took up several new parishes, eventually settling in Luton. After Aidan finally discovered the truth about his father, he tried to get in touch with his relatives in Ireland. He said some were delighted to hear they had 'a piece of Paddy still alive', but others were less forthcoming. It was through Aidan's conversations with his new-found cousins that he heard of Fr Crowe 'fortune'. He said multiple people told him his late father was 'minted' and that he had always been successful when it came to money. This came as a surprise to Aidan, as he had heard that the only thing that was handed over after his death was Fr Crowe's car, which went to the priest's brother, Anthony. From this point, Aidan began carrying out his own investigations with the help of Vincent Doyle of Coping International – an organisation set up to help children of priests around the world. Through the organisation, attempts are now being made to find out exactly what happened to Fr Crowe's fortune.
Newsweek
06-07-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Woman Spends 71 Years Thinking She's an Only Child, Then She Gets an Email
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For 71 years, Sharon L., a retired nurse, believed she was an only child. Then, one day, she received an email that changed her life forever. The sender? Akihiko N., 73, a retired Japanese professor—and Sharon's brother. Both siblings had lived decades pondering their father's mysterious past, and now, the questions were answered. Sharon and Akihiko spoke to Newsweek about finding each other after so many years, and how they feel about completing a puzzle they thought they'd never solve. Sharon knew her father, John, who died in 2003, had always grieved a child he thought was put up for adoption in postwar Japan. Akihiko, on the other hand, spent his life feeling abandoned by his American father. Then, in 2022, a MyHeritage DNA test taken by his daughter in Tokyo connected them to a cousin in California, and everything changed. The journey to reunion began with a message from Sharon's cousin, Charlene, who had received notification of family in Japan. "She said that something very strange has happened," Sharon said. "'We've got some cousins in Japan.'" It turned out that Akihiko's daughter, Naima, was the one who took the MyHeritage DNA test, connecting with Charlene. Then, a DNA kit of Sharon's confirmed that Naima was indeed her niece. For Akihiko, the news was completely unexpected. "My elder daughter, Naima, had been researching our family history and looking for her ancestors, without my knowledge," he said. "It was a great surprise to me and hard to believe it was true, because I've not known about my birth father for about seven at the same time, I was deeply devastated because I learned my father is no longer with me." Akihiko sent an email to Sharon about the discovery, and their consequent reunion left the siblings reeling in unexpected joy and grief, all at once. (L) Akihiko and Sharon's father, John. (R) Akihiko and Sharon. (L) Akihiko and Sharon's father, John. (R) Akihiko and Sharon. Akihiko and Sharon/MyHeritage A Story of Misconceptions Their reunion brought to light decades of misunderstanding. Sharon said she had always known her father was deeply saddened by the child he couldn't find. Her father, a U.S. serviceman in Japan in the early 1950s, had fallen in love. While she was pregnant, he was shipped home to the United States. Later, he returned to Japan to find the woman, only to be told by her family that he had a daughter who had been given up for adoption. "Believing he had a daughter lost to the world, my father tried to search for her for years, fruitlessly," Sharon said. "I saw my father cry over that many times throughout my life, because he couldn't find his child." Akihiko's childhood was also marked by a false narrative. "My birth mother never talked about my biological father. She only told me he was an American and died later on," he said. He described the pain of growing up as a mixed-race child in postwar Japan, often bullied and called "gaijin," a derogatory term for foreigner. "I had always felt abandoned by my father ever since I was a little boy," he said. "He was in shock to hear the truth from me," Sharon added. "That my father searched for him, dreamed of finding him." Extraordinarily, their paths could have crossed several times throughout Akihiko's career as an academic. "I visited California many times for work from the 1980s to the 1990s," he said, noting he was likely "less than several hundreds of miles physically apart" from his father at times. "I could have met him if I had known him earlier. I had so many chances to meet my birth father in person there, and it's a real shame that I didn't get to do so." An Instant, Joyful Connection Despite the lost decades, the siblings' connection was immediate. "When we met at the airport, we ran to each other and just hugged each other and kissed each other like we'd known each other all our lives. It was an instant connection," Sharon said. She quickly noticed her brother's striking resemblance to their father. Akihiko has since embraced his new family, including his father's wife, who he said treats him like her own son. The siblings now email every day, making up for lost time. Akihiko has visited Sharon in California twice, staying for three months each time. "We've gotten the whole family dad's brother—he ran out to [Akihiko] and hugged him, and he said, 'It's like hugging my brother. You look just like him,'" Sharon said. "I'm closing an incredible circle for my father, our father, and for my brother as well... "I mean, being able to prove to him that what he thought was all wrong—that his father did want him. He wanted him and thought about him until his last days. I just wish my father could be here." Their story highlights the enduring impact of family secrets, as well as the power of technology to reconnect lost relationships. "You can find what you have been searching for in places you didn't think possible," Sharon said. "Every day there is so much bad news from around the world. And here we are giving hope, spreading good news to the world. I see our reunion as a miracle." The two long-lost siblings, separated by seven decades and an ocean, found each other—and they aren't letting go. "He calls me 'My Sharona,'" Sharon said. "I call him 'Big Brother.'"
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
My DNA Test Revealed Something So Shocking, It Changed My Life Forever
Journalist Heather Buckner was connected to Kimberly Moore Francis and other subjects through 'DNA Identity Surprise and This NPE Life,' a Facebook group that supports people who've discovered unexpected family connections through DNA testing. The community, founded by Army veteran and retired RN Alesia Weiss, who uncovered her own DNA surprise in 2014, is now 4,100 members strong. It's funny how some moments get seared into your brain. I was getting tires put on my car when I got my DNA results. I had always been told that my twin brothers and I had the same father, but according to my results, I had a different father and was half Italian. I was distraught. I called my brother, crying, and he said, 'You're still my sister.' Originally, it was my mom who wanted to learn our history. She had grown up in foster care, so we decided to work on her family tree. When she found out her mother had died, she lost interest. Then, in October of 2021, my mom died; I sent off my own test at the end of December. In February of 2022 I got a close match, but when I messaged the person, I never heard back. Then in February 2023 I got another close match on MyHeritage: my biological dad's cousin. I messaged his son, who managed his MyHeritage profile, and said, Hey, I don't know how we match. He didn't either. I am from Florida and live in Kentucky, while they live in Rome. But the next April, his father went to Sicily to meet with my Italian dad. One day he messaged me, We have confirmation on who your father is. After that, an aunt on my father's side found me on social media and started video-calling me. I don't speak Italian — I was at lunch, sitting in my car, and I thought, I can't answer this. I don't even know how we would communicate. I think she was just super excited. I learned about my mom's relationship with my dad through conversations with my aunt. She had photo albums and sent me pictures of my dad and my mom on an Italian ship with the Italian flag in the back. When she was younger, my mom had lived in Florida, and my dad had been an Italian soldier training in Jacksonville, though he was there for only a few months. He still has pictures of my mom and him together. After I was born, she wrote him a letter and told him about me, including my name, Kimberly Ann. He was all over the place once he left Jacksonville — back then, how would she have found him? Then my mother met my stepfather. I think she just got into taking care of kids and moved on. My dad looked for me, but we'd moved too, so he was never able to find me. I didn't hear his voice until September 2023; that was our first video chat, and everybody was on it: my aunt and uncle and he were together and had my other aunt on another phone, a different video chat. It was crazy. In November, two of my three sons and I went to see the relatives in Sicily. When we got there, they were all in my dad's apartment, waiting. When I walked in, it was as if time were standing still. In seeing people who looked like me — with my hands, my eye color — I felt at home. Now I knew why I had curly hair! His first words to me were, 'Where have you been?' One day we were out for a walk and my aunts were behind us, laughing because we were both walking with our right feet pointed inward. I feel as if my identity is concrete now. It was a lot to process, a lot of crying. My kids just think it's cool. Their father is Jamaican, so they're Jamaican, Italian, American — a hodgepodge of everything. My father is a feisty little man who likes to joke. He's the king of Italian hand gestures. He drives a 1980s Panda at about 10 miles an hour. I'm his only child, as far as we know. My dad speaks English, but a lot of people in Italy don't, so thank goodness for translation apps. I've been trying to learn Italian. We went back last year, and I'm planning on going this year. It's as if we're trying to cram 50 years into a week. He does not like my nose ring, but when he sees my face, he lights up like a Christmas tree. When we visit, he takes me around to see all his friends. I know it makes him so happy. He is just proud of me, proud that I'm in his life. He's 81, so I don't know how long we'll have, and it's not as if he lives down the street. He's not on my birth certificate, so Italian citizenship is not something I can obtain; I would love to move there and spend an extended amount of time with him, but it doesn't seem possible. I struggle with that — what I missed out on culturally. My Italian relatives are very connected — everything is about family, and I never had that. What would my life have been like if I'd had this man around? He is loving and caring; my mom was a provider, but she was not a huggy, kissy, I-love-you–type of person. I struggle with her decision not to tell me about my father, because I could have been looking for him earlier had I known about him. She was a strong woman to be able to do what she did on her own, but I had a right to know my history, and I'm so glad I finally do. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
