Everyone is dead and I’m left with the mystery
My grandpa-born in Ukraine in 1908. My grandma-born in a Ukrainian village on Polish border in 1920. My dad-born in August 1945 in a German refugee camp. Me-born in ‘88.
I know very little of my family on my dad’s side. He died when I was little. I had my grandma until I was 16yo but she was always secretive (she ran away when Soviet’s took over her family home) and she would only share so much and said she’d tell me the worst of it when I was old enough—that never happened.
I put my dna into myheritage and I had a strong match with a woman born in 1941 sharing 14% of our DNA. I share 6% with her daughter. Initially I thought I uncovered one of her family secrets, but after talking about dates, ages, and locations, we realized that my grandpa likely wasn’t my biological grandpa. This woman’s father (another Ukrainian) and my grandmother were both in the same refugee camp-Regensberg-but my dad would’ve been conceived before the camp opened. Sharing 14% dna shows her as either my first cousin (impossible) or my half aunt. The other woman’s father (my potential grandpa) was a known adulterer and abandoned his wife and daughter and left with another woman never to be seen again.
I have an aunt and uncle still alive (my dad’s brother and sister) but they’re… weird. My uncle is dying of lung cancer, hates my grandma to this day, and calls me drunk and says I’m a “hottie”. My aunt has always had no interest in knowing me and I think talking to either of them about this would do more harm than good.
With this much shared DNA is it likely she is my half aunt? And I should let it rest and accept it? Also if anyone knows a way to see marriage records for the displaced persons camps, that would be appreciated. I have my dad’s baptismal record and all of my family’s arolsen records. Just want to see when my grandparents were married (they were Greek catholic)—I’ve wondered if it was a marriage of convenience. Her being unwed and pregnant—both of them wanting to leave to the US or Canada.
Edit to add—I know the names and locations of both sets of my great-grandparents. My grandfather’s village was near possible grandpa’s village, but no shared surnames