From Adoption Mystery to Theater Legacy: A Remarkable DNA Discovery Story
Sometimes life writes stories more dramatic than anything we could imagine. This is one of them.
"It seemed cosmic, it seemed impossible... We're this theater family with this crazy theater grandma who always dreamed that her biological mom was a famous actress." (Will Swenson)
A Theatrical Mystery Begins
Ruth Hale was a force of nature. At 90 years old, she would still tap dance her way into the kitchen each morning, greeting the day with theatrical flair. As the matriarch of a prominent Utah family of thespians and founder of multiple successful theaters, Ruth's passion for performing arts seemed to come from nowhere. Or did it?
Adopted as an infant by a proper British family of farmers in West Valley, Utah, Ruth always wondered about her biological parents. The question of where her boundless creative energy came from haunted her throughout her life. She even wrote a play about it, imagining that perhaps her birth mother had been a famous actress. It was a dreamy speculation.
Sometimes our deepest instincts about who we are are written in our DNA.
The Promise of DNA
When my producer, Lisa Elzey, first approached her friend, Will about taking an AncestryDNA test, none of us could have predicted how things would unfold. Will Swenson, Ruth’s grandson and a Tony-nominated Broadway actor, was eager to get his DNA results. We also wanted to get as many of his family members tested as possible. This would give us more of Grandma Hale’s DNA to work with to solve this mystery.
“I think we always wanted to know who Grandma’s parents were. It was just such a mystery because it was so clear that Grandma came from something vibrant .. and by all accounts, the parents that raised her in West Valley City were very far from that sort of energy.” (Will Swenson)
The initial results were puzzling – small amounts of shared DNA with distant matches, two seemingly unconnected family lines (one British, one from Tennessee), and no clear path to Utah where Ruth was born.
For five years, Lisa and I pieced together clues, built out family trees, and followed leads. We worked late into the night, poring over newspaper archives and DNA matches, refusing to give up on Ruth's story.
Want to know the key that unlocked everything?
The Whole Story
Take a moment to listen to Lisa, Will, and I tell the whole story:
Prefer audio only? Click here to listenon your favorite podcast app: [Links to podcast platforms]
🎧Listen to the full episode to experience:
- The breakthrough moment that changed everything
- A shocking 1913 headline that made national news
- The theatrical connection that left an entire family speechless
- How persistence (and the ever growing AncestryDNA network) finally solved the mystery
- A grandson's emotional reaction to discovering his theatrical heritage
The Power of One Story
What makes this story particularly powerful isn't just its dramatic revelation – though believe me, it's worthy of Broadway. It demonstrates how our deepest instincts about who we are can transcend time and circumstance. Ruth's passion for theater, which seemed to come from nowhere, actually came from somewhere very specific. Sometimes the stories written in our DNA are more true than we could ever imagine.
That night in Will's New York apartment, surrounded by family both in person and through various screens, we watched as generations of questions were answered and a grandmother's intuition was validated. It was a moment where past and present collided in the most remarkable way.
Your Story
Every family has its mysteries waiting to be solved, its connections waiting to be discovered. Sometimes they are hidden in DNA results, sometimes in old newspaper clippings, and sometimes in the talents and passions that seem to come from nowhere. The key is to start looking.
As your family grows and changes, these mysteries become opportunities to understand not just where you came from, but who you truly are.
Story Seeds 🌱
Want to uncover similar stories in your own family tree? Here are some questions to explore:
- Are there talents or passions in your family that seem to come "out of nowhere"?
- Do you have family members who showed interests dramatically different from their upbringing?
- Are there adoption stories in your family waiting to be explored?
- Have certain careers or interests appeared repeatedly across generations of your family?
Story Sparks🔑
Ready to start exploring your own family mysteries? Here are my top tips for beginning your journey:
- Start With an AncestryDNA Test
- Modern genetic genealogy can open doors that were previously sealed shut
- The growing database of DNA testers means new connections appear regularly
- Gather Family Stories
- Talk to your relatives about family mysteries
- Pay attention to patterns of talents and interests across generations
- Be Patient
- Sometimes the most amazing discoveries take years to unfold
- Keep revisiting your family tree. Dig in again as new records and new DNA matches become available
Ready to discover more incredible family stories? Subscribe to "Stories That Live In Us" wherever you get your podcasts, and join me each week as we uncover more remarkable family histories that show us just how deeply our ancestors' stories live within us.
