Marjory's Boys - Part 1

One of my favorite genealogy projects has been in the works for 22 years.  In 1997, we learned about Marjory Anne Steele, who was born in western Montana in 1931.  She grew up as the youngest in her family, with two brothers and one sister.  After high school, she worked in clerical positions in her town, and in 1952 she became pregnant.  Since she was not married, off she went to the unwed mother’s home in Spokane (from what family members have told us, this was not her choice – her parents insisted that she was not going to raise a baby on her own).

My sweet husband (hereafter referred to as MSH) was her first son.  He was adopted as an infant and raised in Spokane, which is where we met and married. 

We were able to have the adoption records opened in 1997, which gave us Marjory's name, family information, and – “surprise” – a half-brother!  We had no DNA testing at this time, but when these two boys got together, it was apparent that they were related.  This brother (BT) was raised in Montana, but moved his family to western Oregon before we met, which has made it convenient for the guys to occasionally see each other over the years.