Finding Family One Piece at a Time: When AncestryDNA Opens New Puzzles

Picture yourself sitting down to work on a massive jigsaw puzzle. But instead of a box with the final image, all you have are pieces that might belong to several different puzzles, each representing a part of your family story. For Todd Godfrey, Vice President of Global Content at Ancestry, this wasn't just a metaphor – it was his reality. As an adoptee, he approached his family history journey the way many of us tackle a complex puzzle: one piece at a time, with patience, curiosity, and an openness to whatever picture might emerge.

The Power of Patience in Family Discovery

"I view it as snacking," Todd explains, describing how he gathered small pieces of information over time, allowing each discovery to settle before seeking the next. Like finding edge pieces before filling in the center of a puzzle, he started with what he knew – that he was adopted, that he was loved by his adoptive family, and that somewhere out there were more pieces to his story waiting to be discovered.

What made this methodical approach possible was the unwavering support of his adoptive family, particularly his mother. When Todd first mentioned his interest in searching for his biological mother, her response was immediate and generous.

"She just didn't skip a beat. She just said 'find her. I want to give her a hug and tell her thank you.'"

This foundation of unconditional love gave Todd the freedom to explore his biological heritage at his own pace, knowing his place in his adoptive family was secure.

When Records Tell More Than Facts

What makes Todd's story particularly fascinating is how his professional role intersects with his personal journey. As the person responsible for bringing billions of historical records to Ancestry, he found himself using those very collections to uncover his own story. A naturalization record revealed not just names and dates, but a family of German cabinet makers who crafted pianos - suddenly explaining his own love for piano playing.

The Whole Story

If you haven’t already heard it, listen to Todd’s story now:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• The delicate balance of honoring both biological and adoptive family connections
• How his adoptive mother responded to his search with unconditional support
• Todd's experience of seeing his biological mother's face in a yearbook photo
• The discovery of his German-Russian heritage through naturalization records
• His children's enthusiasm for exploring their expanded family history

The Power of One Story

Todd's journey illuminates a profound truth about family history: it's not just about collecting names and dates. It's about understanding how each discovery, whether through DNA or documents, adds another dimension to our family narrative. His story reminds us that family connections - both biological and chosen - create a rich tapestry of belonging that defies simple categorization.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Parents/Grandparents: "What physical features or talents run in our family? Which ancestor do you think started that pattern, and how has it shown up in different generations?"
2. For Siblings/Cousins: "When you look at old family photos, which relative do you think you most resemble? What stories have you heard about them that make you proud of that connection?"
3. For Multiple Generations: "Tell me about a time when our family grew in an unexpected way - through marriage, adoption, or discovering new relatives. How did everyone adapt, and what made that transition special?"

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. Create custom facts and MyTreeTags in your Ancestry tree to document significant life events beyond the standard birth-marriage-death dates. For adoptive families, consider adding both biological and adoptive relationships.
2. When reviewing your AncestryDNA matches, use the custom groups feature to organize matches into at least four distinct family groups. If you are looking for a biological parent or grandparent, this will help you quickly narrow in on which matches will be the most useful.
3. Use the yearbook collection on Ancestry to find photos of your relatives in their youth. Pay attention to physical features that might appear in multiple generations.

Whether you're adopted, have adoption in your family story, or are simply curious about your origins, Todd's journey reminds us that every family history discovery has its own perfect timing. Sometimes the most meaningful connections emerge not from rushing to uncover everything at once, but from allowing each piece of the puzzle to reveal itself in its own time.

Ready to explore more stories of family discovery? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode touched your heart, please leave us a rating and review - it helps other family story seekers find us.

© 2025 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.