Humans have always pondered their own mortality and their heritage. It’s natural and it separates us from the other species living on this planet. The ancient Romans worshiped their ancestors and prayed to them before their conversion to Christianity some centuries later. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes in praying for one’s ancestors and where they may be on the other side.
A man’s life, legacy and the meaning of his time on Earth is a subject that can keep a person locked in thoughts ad infinitum. Likewise, knowing the past and where one comes from is important to our own story.
Such is the story of Dennis Wiggins. I’ve known Dennis since the 5th grade at Escambia County Middle School circa 1983. Those were good days. Reagan was President, denim jackets were the norm, and the music just seemed better than today.
Over the years, Dennis has searched in the quest to find his biological heritage. Now a father is far more than a genetic marker, indeed; a father is a lot different than just the person on a birth certificate. For Dennis, technology and its innovations led to some recent discoveries.
Dennis had searched for many years to find his personal heritage as to his father. Not much was known and many false starts led to a 23andMe.com DNA test which led to an Ancestry.com DNA test which ultimately matched him with Donald Lee Bolio of Keene, New Hampshire.
“My interest in this subject arose in the 12th Grade in Mrs. Williams’ class back at Escambia County High School in Atmore. Mrs. Williams had us prepare a family tree project back around 1991,” recounts Dennis.
Yet genealogical questions are seldom answered in one setting and may take years, or decades, to solve.
“Over the years I discovered a brother in Jacksonville, Florida that I had previously been unaware of his existence. He was born three years after me,” recounts Dennis.
“In October 2017, someone suggested I contact some people who I had been raised thinking were my first cousins via the man whose name is on my birth certificate. I did so, and thereafter we did a test on 23andme.com,” stated Dennis.
According to Dennis, DNA requires a bit of family knowledge. He states that the DNA percentages drop at every generation. Therefore, a person who does a DNA test will show an equal DNA match with, say an uncle and a grandfather. This means that a grandfather and a grandson will show a consistent DNA footprint with the uncle or nephew, and this is further diluted with every generation.
One of Dennis’ matches on AncestryDNA turned up a half-sister in Keene, New Hampshire. Naturally somewhat cautious, the half-sister and Dennis soon contacted one another. He learned that the father they shared suffered from lung cancer and was not expected to survive. The half-sister relayed Dennis’ theory of their relation, first, to an aunt in New Hampshire who knew the family history and was able to validate a lot of what Dennis had learned from different family members, including his mother who passed away almost a quarter century ago.
In mid-April of this year, the newly discovered half-sister talked with her dad. On Father’s Day of this year, Dennis, another half-sister - who he learned lived in Gulfport, Penny Bolio, -and Dennis’ daughter Kylie made the drive to Keene. I wasn’t on that road trip but I’m certain the conversation was interesting and new along the way.
Penny commented on meeting Dennis for the first time, “When I first heard about the connection, I didn’t believe it.”
Yet soon Penny could connect the dots after talking to other siblings. “My dad was in the Army in Germany and that’s where my dad met Dennis’ mother. When I learned that Dennis’ mother had lived in New Hampshire with my dad for awhile after his return from the Army, I knew it was true.”
“Dennis, his wife Trish and their daughter Kylie, made the drive to Gulfport. When we met it was like we had known each other forever. We found out we were a lot alike on the drive to Maine and I felt very comfortable around him,” stated Penny.
Mr. Bolio awaited them in New Hampshire. He was born May 30, 1951, and had been raised in New England. A mechanic by trade, he had worked in the New Hampshire area since his return from the US Army in the 1970s. He had married, raised three children and had lived a full life by the time Dennis arrived in June 2018.
When Dennis arrived, a frail but determined Donald Bolio rose from his chair and hugged his long unknown son. It was a moment of completion on a nearly life-long quest. Over the months to come, Dennis and Mr. Bolio spoke regularly and got to know one another, seemingly bridging the gap of generations and across the years.
Then came the call on September 28, 2018, that Mr. Bolio had passed, freed from his Earthly affliction and released from the bondage of the human condition. Dennis Wiggins believes it to have been a Divine Hand that brought them together at Bolio’s later chapter of his life and it filled a void for which Dennis had always searched.
His story, of finding a connection in this world in which we live, reinforces the value of family, genealogy and history.
Don’t miss the Claiborne Pilgrimage October 13-14, 2018. The event promises to give a rare glimpse into the settlement of the forgotten town of Claiborne, Alabama. This event will feature tours of stately antebellum homes, churches and historic sites along the Alabama River in Monroe and Clarke Counties. Ticket information is available through the Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville at 251 575 7433.
Shadows and Dust Volume III: Legacies is available for purchase in the amount of $30.00+$5.00 shipping and handling to PO Box 579 Atmore, AL 36502 or visit Lulu Publishing.com, Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles.com OR at the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville, Alabama, or by calling 251 294 0293.
