Your Stories
My Story 15th June 2007
Family History
My paternal grandmother was taken ill in 1948 and believed that she was going to die. Because of this, she confessed to my grandfather that she had had a long standing affair with a man who later committed suicide. She had bore three children from him, (one of them being my father), as well as three children from my grandfather, who were now all adults.
My grandfather obviously thought they were all his children. The affair was never spoke of again, and my grandmother didn't die until 1982, at the age of ninety.
My mother told me the story when I was twenty years old and I am now in my fiftys.
My father died eighteen months ago and last year I decided to try and find out if I had any living relatives from my biological grandfather.
I had a name, the town where he lived, and that he had committed suicide, as well as an estimated date of when he died. I searched genealogy sites but couldn't find anything, so I put into the Google the word 'suicide', and the name of the town.
A homepage came up from a genealogy site and in a branch of this family tree was my grandfathers name, the date and details of his suicide, and his brothers, sisters and parents going back to my great, great grandparents.
I was very excited and managed to get in touch by e-mail, then by phone, with the owner of the family tree, Brian. He was very intrigued when he heard my story- his grandmother was related to my 'new' great grandmother, and told me we are second cousins four times removed. He said where he had got his information from about my grandfather-a lady called Margaret. I also found out I have distant relations in Canada on my great grandmother's side.
I eventually got to e-mail Margaret, I was so pleased when she told me she knew all about the story of the affair between my grandmother and her great uncle. She also knew that children had been born from it, she even had photos of my grandmother whom had been best friends with her grandmother my biological grandfathers sister.
She was delighted that I had gotten in touch with her, I now have four new second cousins. She has told me all the information about my grandfather and his family and has sent me lots of photos.
I found out that my grandfather had been a bit of a 'Jack the lad', he was a gambling man and had pledged that when all his money ran out he would commit suicide. He also had built houses in his hometown with his father and brother, some of which are still standing. I have been to see the house that he built, lived and committed suicide in.
My great grandfather was a very Victorian and hard working man. Before he owned his building business, he worked down the mines and lost his arm, he had a hook for a hand.
My great grandmothers family line appears to date back to William the conqueror's time and in that time the family were Lords.
Margaret and I keep in touch via e-mail, she lives in London and I live in the north east of England.
My grandfather obviously thought they were all his children. The affair was never spoke of again, and my grandmother didn't die until 1982, at the age of ninety.
My mother told me the story when I was twenty years old and I am now in my fiftys.
My father died eighteen months ago and last year I decided to try and find out if I had any living relatives from my biological grandfather.
I had a name, the town where he lived, and that he had committed suicide, as well as an estimated date of when he died. I searched genealogy sites but couldn't find anything, so I put into the Google the word 'suicide', and the name of the town.
A homepage came up from a genealogy site and in a branch of this family tree was my grandfathers name, the date and details of his suicide, and his brothers, sisters and parents going back to my great, great grandparents.
I was very excited and managed to get in touch by e-mail, then by phone, with the owner of the family tree, Brian. He was very intrigued when he heard my story- his grandmother was related to my 'new' great grandmother, and told me we are second cousins four times removed. He said where he had got his information from about my grandfather-a lady called Margaret. I also found out I have distant relations in Canada on my great grandmother's side.
I eventually got to e-mail Margaret, I was so pleased when she told me she knew all about the story of the affair between my grandmother and her great uncle. She also knew that children had been born from it, she even had photos of my grandmother whom had been best friends with her grandmother my biological grandfathers sister.
She was delighted that I had gotten in touch with her, I now have four new second cousins. She has told me all the information about my grandfather and his family and has sent me lots of photos.
I found out that my grandfather had been a bit of a 'Jack the lad', he was a gambling man and had pledged that when all his money ran out he would commit suicide. He also had built houses in his hometown with his father and brother, some of which are still standing. I have been to see the house that he built, lived and committed suicide in.
My great grandfather was a very Victorian and hard working man. Before he owned his building business, he worked down the mines and lost his arm, he had a hook for a hand.
My great grandmothers family line appears to date back to William the conqueror's time and in that time the family were Lords.
Margaret and I keep in touch via e-mail, she lives in London and I live in the north east of England.
Sylvia Burn