Thomas was brought to the orphanage by his father, after his mother passed away.
This information was verified to two outside sources, namely from the orphanage.
His name is written in the official ledger as Thomas Hopkins.
My dad spoke to a nun who was present when Thomas was brought into the room by his father.
Thomas vaguely remembers visitors in the early days at the home.
If he were illegitimate, he would have borne his mother's name and not his father's name.
If he were an infant, he would have been in another place until he was older.
Yes, 49 is old to be having children, but it is possible. Unlikely, sure, but possible.
I think I have an aunt who gave birth at 52. Surprised everyone.
What struck me about the death certificate was, the way they spelled her name and where Cathrine's birthplace was, Co. Roscommon. Usually, they list Ireland, as birthplace.
I've also never heard of hand cancer being a cause of death.
When I ran my dna, not knowing if I would match any Hopkins, in any of the 32 counties in Ireland, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. (I closed no doors until evidence led in another direction). My closest YDNA matches are in Co Mayo and Roscommon.
I have common European markers, R1b, but don't come close to matching any European Hopkins, or anyone else by any other surname. I match 4 Hopkins in the galtech area of Ireland.
The one Hopkins match, with the greatest distance from me genetically, had done some extensive testing. I too, tested deeper and more precisely. We match. We share a common dad in the distant past, (500-5000 years ago). Yet, we are both Hopkins today !
This has people scratching their heads.
Hope this helps.
I've been researching this for more than a few days.
