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Mary Eberle in green with a text that says Following the Branches

When parts of a family tree are missing, finding them often requires patience, vulnerability and a readiness for revelations. The advent of the internet and its growing genealogy and record databases has paved a modern path to the age-old answers many seek, but they often leave people with only pieces of the full story. For many seekers in Madison and beyond, that’s where the local “DNA Hunter” comes in.

M​​adison-based retired real estate developer Kate Stalker always knew she was adopted.

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With the help from DNA Hunters, Kate Salter was able to identify her maternal grandparents. (Courtesy of Kate Stalker)

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Kate Stalker with her youngest biological brother (Courtesy of Kate Stalker)

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Courtesy of Mary Eberle

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Lucinda Davis (Courtesy of Lucinda Davis)

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Earl Owens, Davis’ biological father (Courtesy of Lucinda Davis and Mary Eberle)

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Lucinda Davis’s parents who raised her (pictured right) were traveling entertainers who performed under the stage names Margarita and Ubaldo (original show flyer pictured left). Davis now speculates her biological father is someone her mother met while touring. (Courtesy of Lucinda Davis and Mary Eberle)

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Patrick Repovsch (Courtesy of Patrick Repovsch and Mary Eberle)

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Rita Repovsch (pictured with her biological son, Patrick) was adopted in Milwaukee in 1928 under the name Patsie Freeman. (Courtesy of Patrick Repovsch and Mary Eberle)

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DNA testing helped Bradley Grochocinski (left) learn that his biological father was not the dad who raised him, but an anonymous sperm donor. The discovery led him to find six new half-siblings, including a half-sister (right). (Courtesy of Bradley Grochocinski)