"So far, we've tested over 335,000 DNA samples from the general public worldwide," he said. "We use the Y chromosome that only rarely changes from generation to generation."
Judy Brand's son, Carlton, agreed to provide a sample -- a swab of cells from inside his cheek. But the drama of the moment escaped him. "I pretty much did it for my mom," he said. "I felt nothing."
Mike Gordon, Jack's son, also provided a cheek swab.
This test, we hoped, would resolve another question too: whether Brand had fathered Jack, which he had denied.
Greenspan compared the samples to one another and to his broad database. While DNA testing at this degree of separation could never be considered definitive, he called the results "clear and unambiguous":
"The Gordons and Brands are close cousins who share the same Scottish ancestor."
L.C. Brand was of Scottish descent.
The DNA samples, Greenspan said, "are as close as I am to my brother."
--
History rewritten
The results quickly made their way to surviving relatives.
Even without the DNA, Lee's daughter, Cherie Gordon, had no doubt about the family history.
"When I walked into the Brand Library a few years ago and saw this portrait of Leslie Brand, it was like a rubber stamp of my father," she said.
It wasn't just their faces that looked so similar. L.C. Brand stood 5 feet tall; Lee, 5 foot 2; and Jack, 5 foot 3.
Cherie, who lives in Valley Springs, Calif., had been nervous about publicizing her father's likely connection to L.C. Brand. She said she sometimes wondered if she was infringing on her ancestors' privacy. "I don't think L.C. or Birdie would have wanted their connubial relationship printed in a newspaper. Perhaps it is something they took to their graves."
But once the DNA results were in, her misgivings evaporated. "Yesss! I knew it!" she exclaimed.
Judy Brand also feels triumphant.
When I told her the news, she said, "I told you so."
For me, it was just more proof of something I've learned over the years. Scratch the surface of almost any Los Angeles story, and you're bound to find another and another and another.
--
On latimes.com
L.A. Then and Now
Cecilia Rasmussen is retiring, but the L.A. Then and Now column will continue. To read some of Rasmussen's favorite columns or to comment on this article, go to latimes.com/ cecilia. She can be reached at metrodesk@latimes.com.
L.A. Then and Now will return to the Sunday California section at the beginning of May. Readers wanting a Southern California history fix during this hiatus can check out The Daily Mirror, The Times' blog focusing on the region's colorful past written by Larry Harnisch.
