DETROIT – At-home DNA testing is shedding a light on the ancestry of millions of Americans.
For the past decade Curt Cowan has been on ancestry.com building his family tree.
“I have over 756 people on my tree right now and it’s not even close to being finished,” Cowan said.
A couple years ago Cowan reached a dead end on his paternal side.
“So, I decided to put my DNA on ancestry.com just to find out whether I could make any connections,” Cowan said.
The connection he subsequently made led to stunning discovery. He had a daughter in California that he didn’t know existed.
Cowan said it dates back to a trip to San Diego in 1973.
“I met a woman in a bar and we had some drinks ... And I never saw or heard or thought of her again,” Cowan said.
That brief encounter led to the birth of a baby girl named Sage. For decades, Sage and her mother thought a different man was her biological father.
Cowan and Sage finally met when Sage flew to Florida for a Cowan family thanksgiving.
“It’s nice, actually. I don’t have a lot of family back in California so I don’t do too much holiday with family so this is a nice change,” Sage said.
With their connection, Cowan’s family has expanded to include Sage’s children. He now has two granddaughters who are 23 and 16 years old. He also has a 17-year-old grandson.