By Josephine Latimer (NEWSWEEK)
Josephine Latimer (L & R) discovered that she is one of 43 siblings after taking a DNA test out of curiosity.
I was helping a friend search for her biological son by looking up various colleges. This meant a lot to her, as she was also adopted.
Her son's adoptive parents had worked in Las Vegas for two years, but unfortunately, we were unable to find any leads that would link back to my friends' son.
I recalled that earlier on in my life, my mother had told me that the man who raised me was not my biological father, and that my real father was two decades older than her and extremely tall at 6 feet 6 inches.
When she had told me this, I was only five or six years old, so it didn't register, as I had a father who was raising me at the time.
But after helping my friend look for her son, I became curious. After discussing with a friend the idea of sending in my DNA to My Heritage, I decided to go ahead with it, as everyone was supportive of my decision.
I was shocked by my matches, especially since my mother was an only child. These matches, including those of my nephews in Maryland and Los Angeles, ultimately led me to discover my biological father and his many children.
After I received my results, I connected with my DNA matches through phone calls and direct messages. One of my DNA matches, a cousin who studies genealogy, helped me connect the dots. This cousin encouraged me to also send my DNA to Ancestry to find more close relatives.
After finding my biological father, everything added up. He matched the description I had been given by my mother. After doing more research and speaking to other members of my family, I learned that my biological father has 35 children.
My mother has eight children on her side—me being the seventh. So, in total, I have 42 siblings—I'm one of 43.
I felt so excited and relieved after discovering this. I didn't have any bad blood towards my mother because she had always been honest with me about my father, after telling me about him at the age of six.
My oldest sister, who was 16 at the time I discovered my 35 siblings, had kept the fact that he had many children a secret. After finding my siblings, I called my oldest sister. She then revealed the truth—that she already knew my father and my siblings, as they had played together when she was younger.
Following that, many of my siblings on my dad's side reached out to me, and many of them—including my oldest brother and my father's youngest child from his first marriage—came to visit me at my business at various times. It's been years and they still do this to maintain a close connection with me and each other. I resemble them more than my mother's side of the family.
The Walter and Anna Jones Family reunions are unlike any others, having been held for over 54 years. They feature college funds for kids, lots of food, gifts, and many siblings, nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren—the list never ends.
We win all the trophies because my father, Orlean Jones Sr., had the most children. I was announced as an added sibling of Orlean Jones Sr., who was born in 1903. He owned a construction company and was a cousin to the legendary Lightnin' Hopkins, an American singer and storyteller, both from Two Mile, Texas.
Josephine (Josie) Latimer is a Licensed Esthetician and Key Makeup Artist in Houston and San Francisco, California. She is also a SAG Eligible Actress featured in commercials and TV appearances, Voiceover, TV Show Host and an Author.
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