Searching for Patricia

[josey]

Yes, thanks for updating us; hanging on for 1921 [not too long now!!]

Sometimes, even if a hospital record is within a 100 year rule, an archivist is willing to look a specific person's record up for you if you can provide good reason; this means that no-one else see the records of other people in the same record set.

[MonicaL]

Hi Jean

Really happy to hear that you have applied for further details. In particular, I am crossing my fingers that the adoption file will be found and contain the background information on Patricia and what happened with her around the adoption. Even if it doesn't help with who she was, your dad will get a sense of what was happening in her life at that time.

Monica

[ChrissieL]

Hello Jean. Thanks so much for the update. Hopefully the adoption papers will you some more information.  Let us know how you go on

Chris

[tweekymum63]

Hi Everyone

Sorry its been so long but I have an update.....

On embarking on this journey 15yrs ago I never thought that I would find my dad's father, believing that he was an American Serviceman, so concentrated my search on trying to find his mother, but, following the the results of a DNA test that I got him to do, several surprises have come to light,

Firstly, that he has no American DNA strain... his results show that he hails from Scotland and Northern England predominantly , and

Secondly, I have found his father ..... Allen Mellis, and several half siblings and half nieces and nephews, as well as many cousins, which as you can imagine, growing up as an only child, pleased my dad no end.

So a little background on my dad's now fairly large family....

Allen Mellis was born in Aberdeen Scotland 1901 , and had a brief stint in the army, after leaving the army he became a lorry driver and he met and married Winifred McFarlene, and they had 2 sons Allen jnr b 1922 and Isaac b 1924, but in 1927, he leaves the family home never to be seen or spoken of again and the 2 boys were sent to live independently of each other, with the two sets of grandparents, where they never had contact with each other , or their mother, again.

In November 1940, after being evacuated from London, Patricia, my dad's birth mother, is living in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, and crosses the path of Allen Mellis and ends up pregnant.

In 1942 Alexander Mitchell, meets and marries a lady called Florence and they have 3 daughters, Florence, Alice and Pauline, but in 1952, when Winifred, his 1st wife wants to declare Allen Mellis dead so she can marry her dying long-term partner, Alexander Mitchell, disappears.

There are no official records apart from a marriage certificate for Alexander Mitchell, and given the close DNA matches, and the fact that neither men was seen or spoken of again after he left the family home, I along with a newly found close cousin believe that , Allen and Alexander are the same man.

I am now in regular contact with Allen/Alexanders grandchildren from both family units and we are hoping to arrange a reunion in the new year so dad can meet his family.

Jean

[MonicaL]

What an amazing turn of events for you both!  Thank you for updating us all. There are certain posts that we so want to see a successful outcome....such as yours  Big surprise for you all I am sure!

Patricia is still a mystery I think? Hopefully the up and coming 1921 census might add a little more to her search.

Monica

[tweekymum63]

Yes Patricia is still a mystery but given the DNA results and the 1939 registry entry and that Harry Davenport her husband who was killed in the North Atlantic Convoy was from Burton-upon-Trent,  i strongly believe that she came from Lancashire or Yorkshire herself.
Yes i am very excited about the release of the 1921 census, infact I'm almost counting the days 😀

[brigidmac]

great news thanks for updating us ,
so good that  your search for Patricia ended up helping  families of the birth father too.
have you shared photos yet ..does your father see any family resemblances to himself ?

[tweekymum63]

Yes we have exchanged photographs and telephone calls and there most definitely is a family resemblance,  everything from hairline and colour through to everyone being of a similar height ( 4'9"- 5'7") and build, even down to the fact that my dad and Allen jnr had bowel cancer, dad survived but unfortunately Allen passed away from it in 2012.

[brigidmac]

thats amazing ..have your Allen /Alexander matches gor predominantly Scottish ethnicity ?

i cant remember what you said your fathers ethnicity is but its worth taking another look
if his Scottish half was definitely from the father the other aspects would all be from mother

the results are becoming more specific I know for instance that Isle of man and wirrel can be pinpointed as areas

have you started grouping dna  matches into fathers side and regions .
what is your highest match that does not match fathers side ? 

i presume your tree is linked to dna results you could add parents and grandparents as unknown or something like Yorkshire lady then great grandparents with a surname that is common to your matches SMITH if there is a particular candidate you could add to tree but with hypothesis tag ...thrulines may show up .

do any surnames jump out ?

i strongly disagree that ethnicity is only based on known ancestors ...adoptees ethnic matches can be a huge help