ARC TBC Grandmother's paternity?! Advice needed

[Northern Lass]

So is Woolf who she marries?

what name did she use to marry?

was it Bick?

[BC Wench]

Have you seen all the information on the 1939 National Register for Alice Waters, Mary E Chapman and Kathleen (B) Woolf? If you have seen all the info, are you dismissing that this Kathleen is your grandmother?

It may be that Kathleen didn't join the ATS until at least WW2 was declared in September 1939, even though the ATS was formed in September 1938, so that could be her living with her mother, Alice.

On your mom's birth certificate, what is Kathleen's maiden name?

[sophiewilliams]

Hello B C Wench, thank you for helping me with this.

I just automatically assumed that Kathleen would be in the ATS straight away in September 1939. I can't find her on the 1939 register.

Kathleen married a George (another George!) Barrett. Her maiden name was Bick on both her marriage certificate to him and on my mum's birth certificate.....as Kathleen too wasn't married. In fact, I was the first legitimate baby since my great grandmother Alice on the direct maternal line. George adopted my mum straight away so she would be a Barrett too. I'm guessing this is because Kathleen knew how it felt to have a different name from her parents.

I do wonder if those ladies living with Alice might be worth investigating though .......

[sophiewilliams]

The ladies sharing a house with Alice on the 1939 census are all related and originate from London.

I'm assuming they've come up to the country to live while their husbands are in the war.

[BC Wench]

I was really hoping that the Kathleen (B) Woolf would have been your grandmother.

I have tried various ways of finding a birth for Kathleen, but sadly can't see anything that fits. Could it be that FreeBMD haven't transcribed it yet? - I don't know.

Couple of things which are puzzling though is you say - "A strange thing though....when Kathleen saw her passport she was surprised to see she was two years younger than she had always thought she was, she had convinced herself so much over the years that what she had told her employer was true!"

I wonder who confirmed her birth date when she had her passport?

When she was in service, surely she would have had to supply a copy of her birth certificate because of her National Insurance contribution!

I'm sorry that there are more questions than answers. It looks very much as though this is a brick wall unless somebody else on the forum has thoughts?

I have at least 3 illegitimate names in my direct line which I will never ever find out the names of the fathers.

[sophiewilliams]

Hello again BC Welch

Thank you for taking the time to help me. I don't think Alice registered Kathleen's birth from what my mum has been told....hence giving birth on her own apparently.

The person who provided the information for Kathleen's passport had known her since a baby and had to have known her for five consecutive years thereafter apparently.

I'm now wondering if sending off for Kathleen's service records for when she was in the ATS might reveal something?

It's interesting what you said about your family illegitimate members....it's frustrating isn't it because it's a whole segment of family tree you know nothing about and won't be able to know anything about .....

Thanks again.

[BC Wench]

Is this still a Brickwall, or have you solved it?

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