Humble apologies to all. I have now had a chat with the nephew of the Owen Connolly who was born in 1917 and died in 1998, and he has convinced me beyond doubt (but for reasons which have to remain confidential), that this Owen Connolly cannot be the father I am looking for even though the d.o.b is about right, the birth county is right and, at his death, he was living less than six miles from the address I have on the marriage certificate. So, I have reposted a request , with extra information, and left out the d.o.b.
I have been asked to find, if possible, the last resting place of Owen Connolly, the father of a friend of mine. He left the marital home when my friend was about 2 years old so she never knew him and bears no resentment but, at 60, she would like to know about him and to visit his grave to lay flowers there & say “Goodbye”.
The marriage certificate states that Owen Connolly married Kathleen Bridget McNally (my friend’s mother), 30 March 1957 in Wandsworth and that he was a Metal Factory Labourer whose father was Owen Connolly, Labourer. A witness was M Connolly. Coincidentally, the Owen Connolly who was born in 1917 also worked in a Metal Factory!
The vexed question of Owen’s d.o.b. is explained on today’s update.
My friend knows, from her mother’s sister, that Owen came from Virginia, Cavan, and that he had two sisters, Teresa & Bridget/Bridie who also came to England. My friend was born in September 1956 in St Pelagia’s Convent, her parents married in March 1957 but the birth of my friend was not registered until December 1957! The informant was Owen Eugene Connolly but he does not give his middle name on the marriage certificate or in any Electoral Register which I have found.
Kathleen was pregnant with her 2nd child just 3 months after the registration and about this time, or a few months later, Owen had left the marital home and later obtained a divorce, claiming custody of my friend but lost the case in court. I have spent many hours in the British Library, Boston Spa, searching local newspapers for announcements of the divorce or court case, without any success.
I can find no trace of the 2nd child and neither can the Salvation Army Family Tracing Service. A far as we can tell she did not go home with her mother from the hospital, no adoption is recorded on her birth certificate and we have not found any record of her death. Kinship care seems unlikely as her mother had only one sister and there is no father named on the birth certificate (which might be the reason for the divorce), issued 5 days after the birth. But this is not the purpose of my research.
I hope that this explains the reason for this 2nd posting and, as before, any help or advice would be very welcome & appreciated.