Don't count your chickens...

This story would not be out of place in ‘The Secrets in My Family’ TV programme. It will show that you can never be too sure of an outcome, however good the odds seem to appear that you are on the right track.

A family member (I shall refer to him as ‘P’) was born out of wedlock in 1941 and the mother did not marry the father. He was given his mother's surname and she went on to marry someone else (as did the father) and 'P' was brought up in his mother’s new family and has maternal half siblings.

My task was to see if there were any half-siblings from his father’s marriage. It was made easy by the fact that the name of the father was known as was the area he lived in Birmingham. It was therefore comparatively simple to discover a marriage in 1945 and the name of his spouse.

I therefore sought children from an 'Eden-Williams' union, most likely in Birmingham, and found two that fitted perfectly. A boy ‘D’ in 1943 (yes before the marriage so nothing new there) and a girl ‘J’ (within marriage) 1948. The marriage took place in the same area of Birmingham and my early prediction for ‘P’ was that almost certainly he had two half siblings, a brother ‘D’ and a sister ‘J’.

I soon established that his father had died some years earlier, as had his wife. I also knew his mother and step-father were no longer alive. So ‘P’ was anxious to see if I could find out if either paternal sibling had married and, given they had family, whether there were any half-cousins still living.

It would take far too long to explain each obstacle encountered (multiple marriage candidates being the major problem) so I will cut to the chase and say in the end, as I knew his father had had a brother (‘P’’s Uncle), I switched to him… and that proved to be a good decision.

I discovered a marriage that was watertight and two children; also, a boy and a girl. Sadly, neither parent was alive, but I discovered a marriage partner for the daughter and two children; yet again a boy and a girl. By good use of Electoral Rolls, I was able to establish they lived in the West Midlands up to 2014 and that a son ‘G’ still did in 2016, whilst his parents had moved to Devon.

I provided ‘P’ with this information and after making his own phone enquiries arrange to meet ‘G’ and explain his quest to find his father’s family (‘G’s great uncle). As it turned out ‘G’ knew next to nothing but said he would contact his mother who would be sure to know more and get back to him.

Well she did know more and some of it came as a bombshell. She had last seen her Uncle & Aunt in 1970 at her own wedding but was certain her Uncle & Aunt did not (in fact could not) have children. As this went counter to my research (remember two children born to an Eden/Williams union, right time, right place) I persuaded ‘P’ to let me send for the two birth certificates. He opted for full copies rather than PDF and both duly arrived.

So, despite the odds being in favour of the Certificates supporting my research it showed the parents were in fact a quite separate Eden & Williams couple. Yes, still in the right time and place, but absolute proof that (to use an Opera metaphor) its not all over until the fat lady sings. Or perhaps better, not to count one’s chickens until hatched.

‘P’ has come to terms with the fact he has no paternal half-siblings but has been promised some photographs of his father which, although not really the outcome he sought, will be of some comfort I am sure.