That’s where I get it from! The Incredible Moment When A 27-Year-Old Man Meets The Brother He Didn’t Know Existed After Taking A DNA Test For His Ancestors In A Search For His Birth Father Who Died Six Years Earlier
- Rhys Williams, 27, says he is overjoyed after discovering his older brother
- The Stoke-on-Trent tutor started tracing his family history ‘for fun’
- Brothers meet and say they look forward to seeing each other again
This is the heartwarming moment when a man met his brother he didn’t know existed for 27 years – after a search for his birth father revealed he had a sibling.
Rhys Williams, 27, was nine years old when his mother died and he discovered that the man who raised him was not his biological father.
After being told off by his cousins, Rhys continued to be raised by his stepfather and at the age of 18 tried to find out more about his long-lost family, but had no luck.
He used a DNA test for fun in January 2022 and uploaded his results to MyHeritage.com, only to learn heartbreakingly that his birth father had died six years earlier.
However, the results turned up something amazing – unbeknownst to him, Mr. Williams had a sibling, Chris Jones, 53.
Brothers Chris Jones, departed, and Rhys Williams finally met earlier this month
Rhys Williams used a DNA test to find his father – and found out he had a brother
Gwilym is depicted with his own father
After connecting and speaking on Zoom, Chris drove two and a half hours this month to surprise his brother Rhys.
Rhys thought his brother had arranged for a videographer to come to his house to interview him about his story.
But to Rhys’ surprise, Chris turned up in his living room.
Chris Jones surprised his brother after showing up on his doorstep in Stoke-on-Trent
Gwilym (pictured), the father of Rhys and Chris, had died six years before Rhys took a DNA test
Chris said: “I drove there and had to send the cameraman a secret message to tell him I was there.
“I texted him ‘I’ll deliver your camera batteries’ and then he came to the door and I went in to surprise Rhys.
“It was a beautiful moment.”
Rhys, a university lecturer, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: ‘It was a very different experience for me.
Rhys Williams and Chris Jones joked that they had “the same nose” and many common interests
“I had no idea Chris would surprise me, but looking back there were so many clues.”
He continued, “I went from finding out ‘here’s your biological father’ to finding out he passed away and realizing no one else will be like me.
“For me it was crazy to meet Chris who is my blood and older. I know that in about twenty years I will have a very good hairline.
Brothers Chris and Rhys say they look forward to meeting again next month
Chris and Rhys’ father, Gwilym – who died six years before Rhys took a DNA test for ancestry
“It feels like another piece of the puzzle is being filled in. The puzzle started as a big question mark, but is now being filled in.
“It feels like this is the time when it should have been and now it has.”
Chris, a global logistics buyer, from Longcot, Oxfordshire, said: ‘I always knew I was adopted.
“I grew up as an only child. I had very nice adoptive parents and a good upbringing.
“But it would have been nice to do all this about 20 years ago.
‘It’s nice how things have turned out now. I never had a younger brother. It’s a different experience.
‘We get along very well. After we met, we went out for dinner and had a great meal.’
The brothers plan to build on their relationship and meet again next month.