I started to find out who my mother’s father was.

My grandmother had a relationship with a man from Birmingham and who supposedly worked for the GWR. He was seconded to Banbury in 1913/1914. My grandmother was from Middleton Cheney and lived with her father, a widower. When he remarried she did not get on with her stepmother and left to live in Banbury on North Bar Street possibly with the man from Birmingham at least some of the time. She worked as a sewing machinist at British Celanese. When she found out she was pregnant with my Mum, he told her he was already married with a wife and daughter in Birmingham, possibly in the Snowhill area. My Mum was born on 4 January 1915 in Banbury Workhouse although her birth cert says 144 Warwick Road. My gran decided to keep my Mum and was helped by a network of ladies who helped women with babies where the man had gone to war and not come back. My gran never claimed this to be the case with her. I have a photo of my grandfather taken at Crown Studios in the Bullring, Birmingham about 1913. It has a proof number on it but having contacted a photographic historian, I found that all records were destroyed. My gran married in 1922 and had two sons. She gave the first one the middle name Maurice and he was always known by this name. She told my aunt that this was the name of my Mum’s father but never told her husband why she gave him this name. I have traced my grandmother’s line back to the 1400s but still no luck with my grandfather.

 

Hello Barry, and welcome to the forum.

Have you checked the railway employment records at Ancestry? A quick look for employees at Banbury in 1913/14 shows a Maurice Fredk. Busby, date of birth 29/1/94, working for GWR at Banbury station (as a cleaner) from 27/10/1913. Could this by any chance be your grandfather? Do you know if he survived the war, as according to the railway records, this man was killed in action on 28/9/15.

Have you had your DNA tested? That may give you some leads if any members of your unknown grandfather's family have also tested.

 

Thanks Helen. I checked Maurice Busby but it looks like he was single and came from Hook Norton. I have done a DNA test with Ancestry and no matches with anyone connected to him. I don’t think my gran had any contact with the man in question after my Mum was born. I have looked for bastardy orders but couldn’t find anything. I have only recently upgraded my Ancestry sub and wasn’t aware railway records were on there, so thanks for that. I am going to look into anyone with the name Maurice in the GWR records. I had already contacted a Mr Combe by letter - he doesn’t do emails. He has a collection of GWR staff magazines but couldn’t find anything there.

 

Worth a look. Hopefully you'll find something.

I see Ancestry also have the GWR Magazine (1838-1943) - just transcriptions not images, but might be worth a look.