Tracing recent past.

[gwenythgreen]

Hi Friends.

Some advice please. As some of you will know I have recently found that whilst my father was married to his first wife he fatherd seven children at least with a lodger who lived with him and his then wife. I have a feeling there may be more !! As he moved around a lot in the southern counties of England, how can I trace where he actualy lived from about 1930 onwards. The lady in question was named ? ? Grey. she has now died but to preserve her annonimity I have not put her Christian names. All but two of the children were addopted, My father was named as the purported father on the adoption papers of one child.

Thank you

Gwen

 

[gibbo]

Hi Gwen

My family history is similar to your except it was grandmother who had the children to her employer. I have often wondered if he may have fathered more kids before and after my grandmother worked for him but to date, like you i dont know how to find more recent records.
My grandmother gave my father to her parents to raise and fostered 2 kids out and never got them back, kept one and adopted one. When one of the kids applied and recieved her file from the childrens home she then found out about the other kids, she then searched for years finally found them all. Whether this employer had more kids to other employees we dont know and have no idea where or how to look. I would lilke to know as they would be my fathers half siblilngs. Im sorry i cant help any, but if i do find out how to look for them i will certainly let you know. Good luck

gibbo

 

[gwenythgreen]

Hi Gwen

My family history is similar to your except it was grandmother who had the children to her employer. I have often wondered if he may have fathered more kids before and after my grandmother worked for him but to date, like you i dont know how to find more recent records.
My grandmother gave my father to her parents to raise and fostered 2 kids out and never got them back, kept one and adopted one. When one of the kids applied and received her file from the children's home she then found out about the other kids, she then searched for years finally found them all. Whether this employer had more kids to other employees we dont know and have no idea where or how to look. I would like to know as they would be my fathers half siblings. Im sorry i cant help any, but if i do find out how to look for them i will certainly let you know. Good luck

gibbo

Hi Gibbo

Thanks for your reply, I only found out about the children when I contacted my cousin who told me of my fathers secret past, he seams on average over the period of twenty years to have had a child with this lady about every eighteen months with a few gaps of a longer time span, hence my belief there may be more. If I can trace his movements with the aid of registrations I may be able to trace them although of course I can never make direct contact but it would just be nice to know.
I do not think he had any more children after he divorced his first wife and married my mum, she by the way was his oldest sons fiancee

Gwen

 

[gibbo]

Hi Gwen
They certainly confused things didnt they? I only found out about all our stuff from when i started looking for who we were told was our grandfather, it turned out he wasnt unless it was a miracle conception. Then when i got my father's birth cert. it had my grandmothers address and where she worked so been a sticky beak i looked more into the area to see if the suposedly grandfather lived where she was living, and found out dad had the same name etc as the employer and there is so much other stuff we have found that it leaves no doubt in our mind what so ever. Every time my grandmother had a child she had been working and living with this fellow and most of the kids are named after him etc. etc. His name is not on any of the birth cert so beside DNA???? There is just so many coincidences and the evidence just keeps coming in. I did manage to get a picture of this fellow and my father is split image of him. If i come across anything that may help i will let you know.

gibbo

 

[leefer]

Blimey Gwen...did your mother know...how did you feel when you found out?

 

[gwenythgreen]

Blimey Gwen...did your mother know...how did you feel when you found out?

Hi Leefer

I'm not sure about my mum, maybe she does but chooses to pretend she does not, My Father died in 1990, mum is still alive but not in the best of health, so obviously I cant discuss it with her. My half brother from the first Marriage has said his mum knew about it, but had to put up with it until she went to live with him when he finished his National Service. I long suspected that my fathers behaviour was not as it should be, but it has its good side as after 52 years of being an 'only' child with two half brothers I now have a whole new family to get to know.

It just proves when you start to research our families you never know what you will find.

Gwen

 

[gibbo]

Hi Friends.

Some advice please. As some of you will know I have recently found that whilst my father was married to his first wife he fatherd seven children at least with a lodger who lived with him and his then wife. I have a feeling there may be more !! As he moved around a lot in the southern counties of England, how can I trace where he actualy lived from about 1930 onwards. The lady in question was named ? ? Grey. she has now died but to preserve her annonimity I have not put her Christian names. All but two of the children were addopted, My father was named as the purported father on the adoption papers of one child.

Thank you

Gwen

Hello gwen,

I have been thinking, would there be anyone in your father's side of the family that would know anything or at least know which counties or towns he had been to, if so this may narrow down the areas to look into. What about his work, is there anyway of finding out where he may have been with his type of work..... just a thought

gibbo

gibbo

 

[gwenythgreen]

Hello gwen,

I have been thinking, would there be anyone in your father's side of the family that would know anything or at least know which counties or towns he had been to, if so this may narrow down the areas to look into. What about his work, is there anyway of finding out where he may have been with his type of work..... just a thought

gibbo

gibbo

Hi Gibbo

I have gleaned as much as I can from the surviving half brother from the first marriage, During my fathers lifetime he fell out with his inlaws and close family, his first wife passed away several years ago as has the other son from that marriage, the other is in poor health I am planning a visit to him later this year, I have a feeling along with two of the sisters from his relationship that there are more children to find. he was a farm worker so I do not think he ever had a telephone, so phone directories are a non starter, as far as I know he lived in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Sussex, and maybe others in the south of England during his first marriage which finished 1959 when he married my mum, there may be more with other women since then I dont know.

Gwen

 

[leefer]

Hi Leefer

I'm not sure about my mum, maybe she does but chooses to pretend she does not, My Father died in 1990, mum is still alive but not in the best of health, so obviously I cant discuss it with her. My half brother from the first Marriage has said his mum knew about it, but had to put up with it until she went to live with him when he finished his National Service. I long suspected that my fathers behaviour was not as it should be, but it has its good side as after 52 years of being an 'only' child with two half brothers I now have a whole new family to get to know.

It just proves when you start to research our families you never know what you will find.

Gwen

Well good luck to you Gwen...hope your research helps you understand abit more about all your family...ive got alot of research to start on but was wondering for different reasons should i or not...maybe reading your story will help me push on....good luck with your research,Lee.

 

[benny1982]

Hi Gwen

Good luck with your research on this story. Yes, you never know what you may find in genealogy research.

Ben