Meet The Adoptee Who Pioneered DNA Family Search

In today's episode, we'll meet Richard Hill, the adoptee who was the first to use DNA testing to search for and discover the identity of his birth parents. This pioneer took his decades of searching and turned his story into an opportunity to teach and help others along their own paths.

Brianne, the host of DNA Clarity and Support, interviews Richard about the highlights of his search which are detailed in Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA. An experienced speaker, Richard continues to educate others around the world, often via webinars.

This episode contains details of Richard's story as well as descriptions of Y chromosome testing and autosomal DNA testing and how these two types of DNA are tools that help in different ways for someone on a search for biological family. It's great listening for the beginner just starting to learn about DNA and its connection to genealogy and biological family as well as the experienced searcher who might be wondering about how to guide others in the "what now" phase after family members are identified.

Richard speaks about the impact the late discovery of his adoption had on him as a young adult and how learning he had a biological brother he learned about was the trigger to start his search in earnest. The conversation wraps up with Richard sharing his insights into the best outcomes from advances in DNA testing and his forecast for the future.