Embarking on a Transcontinental Journey Using DNA Analysis to Discover My Birth Family

Sending DNA samples to genetic testing services in search of my birth family unexpectedly led to an adventure across three continents. I was adopted in California in 1961 and despite years of searching, sealed records and uncooperative officials had hindered my efforts. However, advancements in home DNA testing and online access to official records in the past decade have revolutionized the process.

I provided saliva samples for genetic testing with the two major companies in the US industry - 23andMe and Ancestry.com. I eagerly awaited the results and was shocked when I received the email in early 2022. Despite believing I was solely of White American descent, I discovered that only half of that was accurate. While my birth mother was from Iowa, it was revealed that my father had North African ancestry.

I attempted to contact anonymous DNA matches through 23andMe and Ancestry's messaging systems, but received no response. Following weeks of research using Ancestry.com and public records databases, I successfully identified both of my parents and obtained contact information for several of their close relatives.

It was revealed that my birth father was born in Casablanca in the mid-1930s, prompting romantic thoughts of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman's fictional escape from the Nazis.

Records indicated that he had immigrated to the United States in 1959 and settled in San Francisco. My mother had been brought up in San Diego and had also relocated to San Francisco immediately after graduating from high school. But what was the reason for his departure from Morocco? What had led her to San Francisco? I needed to uncover more information.

The author, center, with newfound family connections at a July 2022 party held in Paris in his honor.

Courtesy Tim Curran

First contact

After spending days envisioning the best and worst-case scenarios, I carefully wrote out scripts detailing what I would say to genetically related family members who were probably unaware of my existence. Then, with some trepidation, I decided to reach out to them.

I was relieved to find that both my mother's and father's families welcomed me with open arms, despite their initial shock at discovering my existence. It was disheartening to learn that both my biological parents had passed away, and I couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if I had searched for them sooner.

However, I found it exciting to learn that all of their siblings were still living.

From my new family, I managed to gather a basic outline of my parents' stories: They had clashed with their parents and left home as soon as they could, ending up in San Francisco, one of the most open-minded places on Earth, despite being on opposite sides of the world.

He was a floor installer in North Beach while she worked as a cocktail waitress and dancer. I imagine their paths crossing as he laid floors in the nightclub where she worked.

From all reports, their relationship must have been short-lived. My father was already living with a girlfriend, and my mother's sister claims she never mentioned my father. Aside from her sister and mother, no one else in her family knew she was pregnant. My father's family also insists they were never informed.

Other astonishing discoveries included the revelation that my mother had never had any more children or long-term relationships. Equally shocking was the news that I had a half-brother, half-sister, and numerous cousins in France and Morocco on my father's side. After getting an invite, I eagerly booked a trip to finally meet my father's large and hospitable family.

The author's extended family owns property on a rocky promontory in Dar Bouazza, a coastal community just west of Casablanca.

Tim Curran/CNN

I was warmly embraced

During my visit to Paris, my cousin hosted a lively party at her sunny suburban home, and I was warmly welcomed by the entire French side of the family. They shared insider tips tailored to my interests, steering me towards lesser-known destinations and activities.

On their advice, I explored the stunning Buttes-Chaumont park in eastern Paris and dined at a traditional French bouillon called Julien. This visit to Paris felt brand new, as I started to envision myself as an honorary member of the city.

Morocco was a truly different world for me. I had never been to a Muslim country or anywhere outside of Europe or the Americas. It was a unique and enchanting mix of foreign exploration and comfortable travel, thanks to the support of my family.

During the first six days, I stayed in the seaside resort town of Dar Bouazza, located about 45 minutes from Casablanca. My extensive Moroccan family owns a collection of neighboring summer homes just steps away from the beach. These houses were built on land that my grandfather purchased almost a century ago when it was considered worthless, as a retreat from the summer heat of Casablanca.

A photo of Fez at sunset, taken from the roof of a riad in the Moroccan city.

The family primarily speaks French, and my aunts and uncles are not fluent in English. While a younger cousin was usually there to translate, group conversations around the table or on the back deck were always in French, leaving me unable to join in. I made a resolution to learn conversational French before my next visit.

I made an effort to connect with each family member, from the strict uncle to the nurturing aunts and the playful cousin. Seeing their distinct personalities and quirks - their boisterousness, curiosity, and cunning - reflected in myself was eye-opening. During my stay, I indulged in mouthwatering Moroccan cuisine, including lamb tajine and pastilla, prepared and served by the household staff on seaside terraces.

Exploring a new homeland

Yet I wanted to see more of my fathers homeland, so I left on a tour of Fez and Marrakech arranged by a cousin and her husband, who happen to own a luxury travel company.

The two cities were stunning and mesmerizing, both foreign and strangely familiar. My experience of them was deeply personal and unique, all thanks to my DNA journey as the son of a father born just one generation before me in his homeland.

The professional guides tailored tours to suit my interests and the culture and history of my newfound family, even arranging a visit to our ancestral mausoleum in Fez.

I experienced the sights that my father may have witnessed while exploring the vibrant medinas (marketplaces) of the cities, where the guides introduced me to shopkeepers using my new family name. I admired beautiful mosques and stumbled upon unexpected treasures, like Marrakech's largest Jewish temple, Synagogue Lazama. I observed skilled craftsmen creating pottery, leather goods, and fabric in the same traditional methods that have been used for centuries.

The Roman ruins at Volubilis are remarkably pristine because of their isolation and the fact that they were unoccupied for nearly a thousand years.

Tim Curran/CNN

We made a side trip to the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis, between Fez and the Moroccan capital of Rabat, which was the highlight of the tour. The city was abandoned by Rome around the third century, but was not excavated until the early 20th century. Witnessing well-preserved walls, foundations, and floor mosaics on site - something that cannot be seen in the Americas - was a fantastic experience for a history enthusiast like myself.

The tour concluded with a hike in the High Atlas Mountains, where I spent an afternoon with a local family who gave me a Berber-style cooking lesson. They taught me how to stew lamb and vegetables in a traditional Moroccan tagine.

The patriarch graciously lent me a djellaba, a traditional Moroccan outer robe, for a photo op, which felt simultaneously unfamiliar and oddly reassuring - a flawless representation of the entire journey.

The author and his host sample the results of his Berber cooking lesson.

Courtesy Tim Curran

DNA traveler beware

Getting a home DNA test can launch you on your own great adventure - intended or not.

Samuel Burke, a former CNN correspondent, collaborated with CNN Philippines to produce a podcast series called "Suddenly Family," which explores the unexpected revelations that can arise from DNA analysis, both positive and negative.

Burke mentioned that for some individuals, the primary interest lies in understanding potential genetic health conditions they might carry. On the other hand, a larger number of people seek to gain insights into their ethnic background, wanting to uncover the extent of their Irish, Jewish, or Native American heritage. However, according to Burke, only a few people are aware that these testing services can also connect them with other individuals, sometimes in unexpected ways.

In Fez, Curran visited several workshops where fabrics, leather goods and ceramics are hand-crafted using ancient techniques and tools.

Tim Curran/CNN

No matter how much you think you know about your family background, there are always surprises waiting. These surprises could range from the shocking revelation of a parent's infidelity to the unexpected discovery that you are the result of artificial insemination. Another possibility is the realization that you are not biologically related to one of your parents. According to Burke, being prepared is essential in order to avoid some of the potential challenges.

The most valuable lesson from my adventure was not the places I visited, but the people I connected with - a new family who are both similar and unique. This story was initially released in January 2023 and reissued in December 2023.