After decades of looking, a search that spanned almost a century sees a light at the end of the tunnel.
One cannot stress the importance of family enough. Your family is your first safe refuge and the first relationships youâll build.
But not everyone gets to have that chance. Some grow up in abusive homes, some in broken ones, and then others never grew up with one.
90 years ago, a baby was left on a doorstep in one of the houses in the better area of town.
“In my opinion, somebody could not afford another mouth to feed and took my dad to a better area of town,â Maryland Haig, Jim Scottâs daughter, told FOX 29. âI think in hopes of finding a family that might be better able to care for him.”
Scott was just 12 days old by that time. At that age, he didn’t realize that the family heâd be waking up to is not his own.
He was named James Edward Broad.
The names were taken from the two police officers who took him to the hospital. His surname was taken from the place he was left â Broad Street.
Fortunately, his life turned when he was 2 years old. He was adopted and given a better chance at life. Then, he was forced to confront the truth about his origins when he tried to get into the Naval Air Cadets in 1953.
The birth certificate he was about to submit provided the first piece of the puzzle.
âUnder parents, it said âunknownâ,â Scott said. And it shouldnât have been âunknownâ because he knew a certain Walter Scott and Mary Cosgrove were his natural parents.
This revelation then led to a conversation about his origins. Scott was not upset or hurt, however, because through all those years he was well cared for.
He was loved. He was raised just like any other child.
However, it remained a puzzle that needed to be solved.
He finally embarked on the journey in 2016 when he wrote a letter titled âMy Christmas Wish.â In the letter, he shared the only thing he wanted â to find his real family.
Haig then went to work. She utilized Ancestry.com to find leads and connections. Scottâs family then provided DNA samples in hopes of unraveling the mystery.
It didnât take long before Scott learned about his biological family.
He was one of 15 siblings, and one can only imagine the challenges of raising a family that big. Fortunately for Scott, 8 of his siblings were still alive.
His family then met two of his brothers and a sister.
Haig also learned that she has 31 cousins.
One of Scottâs daughters also shared how heartwarming the reception was.
“These people welcomed us with open arms. We really dropped a bombshell, and they just welcomed us,” daughter Merry Cassidy said to FOX 29.
The family plans on having a reunion in Pittsburgh or Gettysburg.
They are also hoping to find the rest of their big family.
Click the video below to see their heartwarming reunion!
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