How impossible does this sound?

Question

I'm trying to trace my family as far back as I can. Unfortunately, I keep getting stuck at my great grandpa.

My grandma never knew who her father was. Her mother became pregnant during WWI (it's assumed the father was a solider) and left England in disgrace. She settled in Canada, had my grandma, and never told anyone the father's name. On the birth certificate, it's blank.

When she became old and senile, she mumbled something about 'charlie' but we don't know if that's his name for sure.

Any suggestions at all?

Answer 1

I suppose it's possible too that she never even knew this guy's real name.

Seems strange doesn't it, you get pregnant and then travel with a bun in the oven to a foreign country, during a war? Or was it afterwards? Could civilians even travel easily during war time?

First I would try and find evidence that the story is true at all, it sounds romantic to be impregnated by a brave soldier but maybe the truth is more sordid?

You can't always believe what the relatives tell you, ours had a great story about how my gg- grandfather went to Scotland every year to toss the caber, I'm pretty sure that was a complete fabrication.

When she got to Canada where did she live and where did she give birth? Is there any possibility that she first went to live with some relation of the father? (The address where she gave birth is on the birth cert?)

If she had the baby in a public institution like a hospital or a workhouse, could they possibly have kept records of her situation?

Could she have got the baby christened, is it worth checking church records?

Answer 2

Sounds rather impossible, but perhaps there are other avenues you might travel.  Do you know where in England she was originally from?  If you do, might contact the local historical society (if one is present) see if someone there might have a clue as to a 'missing' girl around WWI. Someone might recall, you never know.  Other than that...I do wish you good luck.

Answer 3

This is going to be one of those road blocks that you will never solve.  I have a similar situation and have more details to go on than you do and I don't believe I will ever get it figured out.

Answer 4

coming at this from known historical background.. persons who were adults during WW I  would have been born ca 1900 or before.  I think it is highly unlikely anyone with immediate knowledge, would still be living.

Documentation wise.. you may be able to verify grandma's birth date against documents concerning gr grandma's actual date of migration. In other words.. if grandma was actually born 5 months after gr grandma arrived, the story is backed up that she became pregnant in England.  You MIGHT have the opportunity to communicate with relatives in England, whose parents (grandparents) were siblings to gr grandma, in hopes that someone knew the facts, AND the story was passed down.  A huge long shot, but I have had such things come down among relatives I know.

It is NOT IMPOSSIBLE that somewhere, someone kept letters, diaries, so forth, that would have remarks that would help.  I would not count on it..

Those are ways that you might get some leads.  Realistically, I would not expect that to happen.  Genealogists HATE closed doors.. but out of wedlock births are one instance where it does happen, and we have to accept that.

Answer 5

The only way to try and find a place to start is to ask people who knew her/were related to her at the time of her pregnancy and interview them/follow-up leads on "Charlie".  That's an expensive proposition in time and money.

Answer 6

Sending an unmarried mother away - far away - was not exactly standard procedure back then, but people who could afford to do so and were snooty did it.

I'd mark that line "Dead end" and concentrate on the others. "Charles" is one of the 10 most common male names in the English-speaking world. "Charlie" could have been her lover - or her puppy when she was 6.