I am looking for possible family?

Question

My mother Bettie Roberts who was a singer had an affair with a big band drummer called Pete Bray in 1951 and I was born on the 25th November 1951. Shortly after my mom found out she was pregnant she parted ways with Pete Bray and met another singer, Derick Johns Pollard. I got Dericks last name (Pollard) instead of Bray. Lita Roza (also passed away last Thursday 14th August 2008) who was the famous singer who sang "How much is that doggy in the window" once told my mom that Pete got married and had two children, a boy and a girl. This means that I have a brother and sister somewhere. I am my mothers only child. Since 2005 I posted messages on the internet but without a single reply.

Pete Bray must have been around 79 years old.

A couple of weeks ago I contacted the Musicians Union asking them if they knew Pete Bray and if they did could they please put us in touch with each other. The following morning I received an email from them informing me that they did know Pete Bray and that he had very recently (July 2008) passed away. Unfortunately she was not able to furnish me with any information as they have some law against issuing information.

Can anyone help me find my family? Please look at my company website. (www.pollardinternational.com). On the "Our Team" page you can read about me. All assistance will be highly appreciated. You may email me directly at [e-mail]

Please ask the elder members of your families if they remember Pete or anything about him.

Thank you. Martin

Answer 1

While the privacy laws don't protect the deceased there is also no law requiring a private organization to provide open access to their information or records. As a union they may implement their own policies against divulging information if they so chose.  You may have better luck searching public records or continuing with your internet search through reconnection sites like classmates.com.

Answer 2

Would the Musicians Union be willing to pass on a letter from you?

I traced an old friend of my husband's through a sporting association this way; while they would not give me any idea where to start looking, they were happy to send a stamped letter to him.  I left it unsealed and just enclosed the briefest details about us and where we were at the moment.  Couple of days later, a phone call from the friend.

Do you know if Peter Bray had a second initial?  That would narrow your search on www.192.com or Electoral Roll (there are 123 guys called Peter Bray listed on that) and even though he is now deceased, the records won't be changed till next year.

You could try searching for a Death Certificate of a Peter Bray d.July 2008 - there can't be many men with the same name in one month.

That would give you the area of the Country in which to concentrate your search.

Assuming he left a Will, once that has all been sorted, you will be able to obtain a copy which will probably mention children.

Do your Pollards originate in North Devon?

Answer 3

One thing I would do is write the Union back and say that if he is indead dead, then his right to privacy has ended.  

Here's a book about d**k Haymes and it mentions that Peter Bray was one of his best men at his wedding

http://books.google.com/books?id=q1YLv__...

You might contact the author and see if she has more information.

Also if you read the book about d**k Haymes, his wife remarried and just might still be alive. Since Pete was the best man at her wedding, she might have stayed in touch.

1956 touring:

VIC LEWIS ORCHESTRA (Touring)

Saxes: Ronnie Chamberlain, Vic Ash, Johnny Evans, Dennis Sykes, Jimmy Simmons. Trumpets: Bobby Benstead, Al Spooner, Dave Loban. Trombones: Brian Perrin, Laurie Monk. Piano: Don Riddell. Bass: Martin Gilboy. Drums: Pete Bray. Vocals: Jeri Carson, Roy Garnett, Dean Raymond.   Arrangers: Ken Thorne, Dave Lindup, Pete Moore, Johnny Evans.

http://www.jazzprofessional.com/Main/Ban...

This page also mentions Peter and might be a contact to find information.

http://www.jazzprofessional.com/CodaClub...

Answer 4

The Data Protection laws are not always understood, so organisations tend to err on the side of caution.  Try asking them to pass on a letter from you to the family or maybe just your contact details.

If they let you send a letter explain how you discovered the link.  So they can see you were already looking. That might make a difference to them.