TWO years ago Nicolette Yearde received confirmation through an AncestryDNA kit that she has another sister, and now she’s on a mission to find out if she has other siblings she has not met.

Born in Jamaica, but now living in the United States, Nicolette said she grew up being told she only had one sibling, her sister Michelle. However, she had always heard rumours that her father, Rendolph Yearde, may have had more children outside his marriage to her mother, but he has always denied the claims. Still, she said, the thought never left her.

Years later, in 1993, Nicolette — who said she is the spokesperson for the family — was introduced to a young woman by the name of Ann Yearde, who claimed to be her sister, but again her father denied it. Due to the expensive cost of DNA testing at the time, Nicolette said they had no choice but to accept their father’s words as true, but they still kept in touch with Ann.

In 2021, when DNA testing became more accessible and affordable through Ancestry.com, Nicolette said she bought a kit hoping to find a familial connection, but she did not. She said other members of her family also purchased kits to test the accuracy of the platform, and it confirmed their relation.

Two years later, in December of 2023, Nicolette said she reconnected with Ann on Facebook and purchased a DNA kit. In February of 2024, she said the test results revealed a 53-year-old secret: they were half-sisters.

Now in possession of more than 10 AncestryDNA test kits, Nicolette told the Jamaica Observer she is willing to provide free testing to any individual who reasonably believes they share the same father and are related to her.

“I do not know how many there may be or where they may now live. They could still be in Jamaica, or they may live elsewhere in the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or another part of the Jamaican Diaspora. Their children may know even less about the circumstances surrounding their family history. I want them to know that we are looking for them,” said Nicolette.

“If someone was told that Rendolph Yearde may be his or her biological father, or if a person’s mother had a relationship with him in Jamaica and questions remain about paternity, DNA testing now provides a way to seek an answer,” she added.

She told the Jamaica Observer that her father worked for many years at the Esso Kingston Refinery, later renamed Petrojam, on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston. According to Nicolette, their family roots are in Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine, particularly the Greenwich Farm area in Kingston.

She is asking individuals who believe they may be biologically connected to Rendolph or their branch of the Yearde family to contact her via the e-mail address: yeardedna@gmail.com.

“This search is about more than a surname. Knowing one’s biological family can affect identity, belonging, family relationships, and understanding of family medical history. People make decisions about their health based partly on what they believe about their parents, grandparents, siblings, and other biological relatives. Accurate family relationships matter when determining which medical history actually belongs to a person,” said Yearde.

Michelle Yearde (left), Ann Yearde (centre) and Nicolette Yearde (right) pose for a photo together in 1993 when they first heard rumours that they were sisters. Also pictured is Nicolette’s son, Kyle Yearde Grant.

She noted that while DNA testing cannot repair the years that families lose to secrecy or uncertainty, it can answer questions that previous generations sometimes could not.

“For Ann, it answered a question she had carried for most of her life. For me, it raised another one: Are there more of us? That is why I am continuing the search…No one has to accept a decades-old claim or denial without evidence. We can test, we can compare the DNA, and whatever the answer is, we can finally know,” she said.

Nicolette said that receiving confirmation that she has another sister was one of the best feelings in the world.

“I flew her down to Atlanta for the weekend, and we just had a ball. She got to see her nephew, we went to church, we went to dinner, and we cooked together. One of the things that really touched me while we were getting ready for church that morning is that my baby sister [Ann] came in the room and said, ‘Can you put on my make-up for me, please?’ Putting on her make-up, it was surreal just having that connection,” Nicolette told the Sunday Observer.

She said it pains her to know there might be other siblings out there she has yet to connect with, who probably have a lot of questions about their family that for years have gone unanswered.

“Every day I think about it. Even [now] Ann I have to be catching her up. The other day I shared with her the family tree, and I was telling her who her grandfather and grandmother were. It really hurts, because I grew up knowing [my father], but the lack of identity that these children out there might feel, not knowing, it bothers me, because I would not want that for myself,” said Nicolette.

“I feel so bad for these children. Some of these women may not have even used the name Yearde,” she added, noting the possibility of women who had a relationship with her father not listing him on their children’s birth certificate or refusing to use the last name Yearde because their children were denied.

Nicolette said infidelity has long been a part of Jamaica’s culture, with many individuals having secret families without considering the impact on the children who are products of their affairs. With this in mind, she said she intends to start a foundation in Jamaica that facilitates DNA testing for individuals seeking to get clarity on their family history and restore their sense of identity.

Until then, she will continue the mission to find her siblings.

“I don’t want anything from them; I just want them to know that they have a sister. I might be your eldest sister because my father had me when he was 21 years old. Maybe there is someone else who is a little older than me, too…Reach out. I am willing to pay for your DNA test. I just want to know my family,” she appealed.