I didn’t even know my last name — then I met my brother

The family were reunited after 65 years (Picture: MyHeritage)

One of Bobbi Gambrell’s earliest memories is of her mother cradling her baby brother on their front lawn, as the car she was in drove further and further away from them.

It’s an image she held onto after being torn apart from her family, and placed into foster care, aged just four.

With little information about herself – she didn’t even know her surname – Bobbi spent 65 years searching for her family, with no results.

But now, thanks to a DNA test purchased online, Bobbi has finally been reunited with her long-lost siblings.

Bobbi, 69, said: ‘After all these years, to finally know that I belong, that other people in the world have got the same DNA, that’s something I never had before.’

Bobbi, from Louisiana USA, was placed into foster care in Florida, along with at least 14 of her siblings – although she isn’t sure of the total number. They all went through the care system, and were adopted across the country.

Bobbi, pictured here with daughter Mary Butler, was separated from her siblings aged four (Picture: MyHeritage)

She remembers the day she was taken from her home, when a man took her from her mother’s arms while they sat on the porch.

‘I thought maybe I might go back home, but I never did,’ she said. ‘I was alone in the world.’

Although Bobbi had managed to keep in touch with two of her sisters until she was 14, their contact fizzled out and she was left with very little information to go on: she didn’t even know her maiden name until she was 22 when she had her first child, and the hospital checked her records

In the six decades since she was taken from her home, Bobbi built a family of her own but always prayed for a miracle, that vivid memory of her mother and brother fading into the distance fuelling her search.

But it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that a MyHeritage DNA test helped give her the answers she’d wished for.

Bobbi, who went on to have eight children, 26 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, wasn’t the only person curious about their family history.

She had very little to go on – just a few pictures – when it came to finding her long-lost relatives (Picture: MyHeritage)

Her daughter, Mary Butler, who is in her 30s, learnt about her mum’s history after questioning why she never had any cousins, and knew of her mum’s hopes to one day discover more about her background.

So, Mary ordered a DNA test for herself. And while the results didn’t show any significant matches initially, a recent phone call changed everything.

On the other line, a man in his 50s named Randolph Mitchell told the astonished young woman: ‘It’s a little strange, I know, but I believe I’m your uncle.’

A retired policeman, Randolph had also done a MyHeritage DNA test. He used his detective skills after seeing Mary’s name as a DNA match on the MyHeritage data base, and ‘managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together’ to reach out to her.

Bobbi’s children and grandchildren wondered why they had no extended family (Picture: MyHeritage)

Randolph revealed that he was one of her mum’s 13 brothers, and that he’d been looking for his relatives all his life just like Bobbi. He had managed to locate three other sisters, with Bobbi being the fourth.

He then shared his birth certificate – which lists Bobbi’s parents as his own – along with pictures of himself and his daughter.

Mary helped her mother with the DNA test process (Picture: MyHeritage)

Mary, who owns her own body care business, was at work at the time of the call, and screamed when she heard the news. After stepping outside, the relatives chatted for 45 minutes, with Mary saying she ‘couldn’t wait to go home’ to tell her family.

Mary rushed over to her mother’s house to surprise her. In a video of the emotional moment, she said: ‘I talked to Randolph Mitchell today. He called me. Your little brother called me today.’

Seeing his pictures on a screen, Bobbi is clearly in shock, asking ‘For real?’

A call came in from Bobbi’s brother, Randolph, pictured here with his daughter (Picture: MyHeritage)

The clip shows Mary calling her uncle to let Bobbi and Randolph chat for the first time as adults.

After Bobbi hears her brother’s voice she she breaks down, saying: ‘I’m so sorry, I can’t talk right now. It’s too much right now.’

But after the initial shock wore off, she was overjoyed.

On Sunday, October 1, in Florida, Bobbi, Randolph, their older sister Lois, 77, and their younger brother Raymond, 60, reunited in person, joined by some of their kids and grandkids.

Coming together for the very first time, the families spent the day reminiscing, dancing, and creating cherished photos and videos.

Mary said: ‘I have cousins, like older cousins and younger cousins and they all look like me, we have the same nose.

‘Family is home and that’s the most important thing to us now, we are home.’

Mary was amazed to learn she had cousins (Picture: MyHeritage)

Bobbi was even more emotional, saying: ‘I ain’t gon’ have no more water left in my body with all this crying. Oh my god.’

Lois also added: ‘You know I’ve been looking for many, many years for my siblings and my family. And this is a dream come true’.

The siblings say they talk to each other ‘all the time’, and Raymond’s niece is now putting together another reunion for the whole family next summer.

In terms of advice for others searching for relatives, Bobbi said: ‘Never give up. And teach your children when you have them, who they are.’

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A DNA test ended a 65-year long search.