Can anyone help? How can I get hold of Employment records and hotel guest list?

[tracey01100]

We are searing for my brother's biological father. My mother met him when she worked at The Queens Hotel, Chester. I believe around 1958-1959. He was a Turkish man who was in the Turkish army. Our mother said he was also a gymnast. These are the only details we have. Our mother did not like to talk about it and would not give us any further information. My brother was born in 1960. Our mother met my father in 1965 and he adopted my brother. There is no father's information on my brother's birth certificate. I am trying to trace the employment records and the guest lists from the hotel. I have already contacted the hotel who were helpful but said the Trust house Group owned the hotel in those days. I have been unable to get a reply from the Trust house Group. Please help! I would appreciate any information. My brother has done a DNA test on Ancestry. He lives in Australia, but does not have a subscription. I live in the UK. I have been to Chester and looked through old newspapers, records etc but unable to find anything. Please would anyone have any ideas as to why a Turkish soldier would be in Chester in those days also? Many thanks Tracey 

[groom]

Was he also actually working in the hotel, if so he can't still have been a soldier? Unfortunately if the Trust House Group do still have records they may not be able to pass on the information due to confidentiality.

Are any of your mother's friends or family still alive and able to give any more clues?

[CaroleW]

Hi and welcome to Rootschat

It is very doubtful that a hotel guest list from 57/58yrs ago would still exist.  Even if it did - you are searching a period of approx 2yrs and there is the matter of confidentiality between the hotel and their clients so they would not divulge any information.

Although your mother worked there - do you know for certain he was a guest and not just somebody she met outside the hotel?  You know when your brother was born but if your mother had a longer term relationship from - say - 1958 - it would be unlikely he was a guest for that length of time

Being realistic - you don't even know his name so how would you determine which was the right person given he could have been one of many of that nationality who has used the hotel over that time
 

[barryd]

Some Hotel Guest Books do exist in the UK and Overseas and they proudly have kept ones that have for instance have Winston Churchill signing in. Not every hotel had well known people. Possibly the  guest books do not exist now. Your mother should be on Electoral Rolls of that time. Being not a Citizen your father should not be on the rolls but you never know. As for newspapers I would imagine that as they never married (?) he will not have any records in the marriages published by the newspaper and if he did not commit any crimes or anything worth publishing he would not be mentioned in the newspapers. As CaroleW states if you can give us his name if you think he is dead then it may be possible to trace him a bit further. 

[CaroleW]

Hi Barry

Please see opening post

Poster is trying to trace the unknown Turkish biological father of her brother - not her.    Brother is still alive and it's possible the Turkish man is as well given the brother was born 1960. 

[groom]

It also depends how old the Poster's mother was - the voting age wasn't lowered to 18 until 1969, so it is unlikely she would be on any electoral register.

[Bobby G]

A few years ago I posted an advert in an overseas newspaper looking for info about one of my relatives (from the 1940's and earlier). I wasn't even sure at that stage if the area was correct but had to keep trying.

As a result the stories came flooding in and the rest is history.

Just a suggestion to place an advert in the local community newspaper in Chester

[mazi]

This may seem facetious but I think it may be relevant, as a young man then I never thought of Turkish soldier and gymnast as a chat up line.

Mike

[ScouseBoy]

I wonder whether he was a con man?