EPISODE 51: HOW DNA SOLVES FAMILY MYSTERIES AND FINDS LOST RELATIVES

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Episode 51: How DNA Solves Family Mysteries and Finds Lost Relatives

As we enter midlife, many of us find ourselves interested in our heritage. Whether you’re an adoptee wanting to locate about your birth parents, or someone curious as to what their family lineage looks like, knowing about where we came from can give us insight into our family’s past and how things came to be. Mary Eberle, founder of DNA Hunters, uses DNA samples to help people find answers about their heritage. Since 2015, DNA Hunters has been helping adoptees locate and identify biological family members as well as solve family mysteries. This week, we sat down with Mary to discuss the logistics of her work and how the whole process of researching heritage using DNA works. In today’s episode, we discuss DNA Hunters, finding information about your ancestors, how to find someone who hasn’t given a DNA sample, and uncovering family secrets.

Mary Eberle:

Mary Eberle, a full-time genetic genealogist, founded her company DNA Hunters in 2015. Having worked previously as a scientist and biotech patient attorney, Mary has always been familiar with the concept of genetics. After attending a DNA workshop in Dallas, she became inspired to form her own company, DNA Hunters. Through DNA Hunters, Mary utilizes information found from DNA to help clients in a myriad of ways, including finding biological family members for adoptees and solving family mysteries. Her background in science and law allows her to be able to properly understand and explain DNA results, making it easy for cliental to find the answers that they’re looking for.

DNA Hunters

Services
- 1:1 Client Research
  - Helps you understand your DNA results, decide who to test and which test to order, find your biological family (helps adoptees find birth parents, grandparents, distant relatives)
  - Premium Research Package
    - Includes everything in Advanced Research Package along with a few other perks
      - Hard-bound book summarizing research findings and includes available vital records
        
        Marriage records, census documents, photographs, list of relevant DNA matches
      - Recorded video conference with you where the results are explained
  - Advanced Research Package
    - 6-month long package
    - Analyzes DNA test results
    - Good match for finding unknown parent, grandparent, other ancestor
    - Typically follows Basic Research Package
  - Basic Research Package
    - 5-hour package
    - Analyzes DNA test results
    - Good starting point for longer project and can also work for smaller project
- DNA Workshops
  - Genetic Geneology Basics (beginner level)
  - Digging Deeper into DNA Testing (beginner to intermediate level)
  - Adopted and Unknown Parentage (advanced level)
- DNA Hunters Society (coming soon)
  - A library of 17-hour-long videos with extensive handouts
  - Mini courses
  - Live Q&A calls with DNA expert Mary Eberle
  - Community forum
  - Member perks including discounts on services