Electoral Rolls and Christenings.

[Maiden Stone]

He can also remember when very young a picture of a man in uniform and his Aunt (who he now knows was his mother but only found that out in the last couple of years and he is now 80)

Were any of his uncles in the forces?

[Maiden Stone]

I have been able to find her on the 1939 register and in her early life, but would like to try to find her after his birth in 1940.  Is it possible to access electoral rolls for that time period in the Brighton area online?

The next electoral register was 1945.
The mother may have done war work after her son was born. She might have gone or been sent anywhere.
How old was she in 1939?

[CaroleW]

Mother was 39 at the time of the birth & died in 1973 in Staffs.  She never married.  Her address after birth is unknown so ERs are of no use but are not available online for Sussex or Staffs anyway.

I have had pm contact with poster & suggested DNA.  Although the biological father will be long deceased - he may have descendants

[Ruskie]

I agree with Carole and strongly suggest that DNA is the way forward in this search. Your elderly friend will get matches (almost) guaranteed. Finding the link is likely to be the tricky part.

Thinking about how to determine which matches are from his maternal or paternal line …. I believe Ancestry have recently introduced a feature which splits matches into maternal and paternal lines. I don’t know how accurate this is - maybe those who have tested with Ancestry can advise?

As an alternative, it is usually recommended that another sibling or close relative also takes a test. As your friend is the only child of his mother, this is not possible, but if is he has cousins from his maternal line, it might help if they also take a dna test. Any mutual matches may not be close, but it may help work out which come from his paternal side.

[Cathymjp]

Thank you Maiden Stone, Carole W and Ruskie.

We know where the mother was living after she left Brighton but are not sure when she left Brighton.  My elderly friend thinks he moved around the age of 3 or 4 but it is a long time ago for him now so he cannot be certain.  He certainly lived in Brighton for about 3 years as he can just about remember it.

I think he may have some cousins still living but am not sure and I can ask him about this.  He has full knowledge of his mother's side of the family. I have suggested a DNA test to him and he is thinking about it.  I will also mention a cousin taking a test too.

Thank you all for your help. 

Cathy

[Ruskie]

It is good that your friend is considering taking a dna test. There are regular sales and special offers throughout the year. Someone may know when the next one is liley to be.

If he has maternal cousins and if he is willing to ask them to test as well, depending on how willing they are, he may need to explain that he only wants thieir dna tested to eliminate their common matches so he can concentrate on his paternal matches. The cousin/s taking a test will/should/may help him find his father. 

It’s not a deal breaker and I think your friend should take the test anyway. You never know, he might have strong matches which lead him in the right direction. I hope so. 

Good luck - let us know how it all pans out.

[Cathymjp]

H All,

Thank you for the suggestion about an Uncle being in the forces Maiden Stone, I had not thought of that.  He only had one Uncle on his maternal side, I will look into that.  Also on the birth certificate he was born in the Sussex Maternity Hospital, so I think the addresses where his mother was living were probably rented housing.

Many thanks to all for your hep.

Cathy

[Cathymjp]

H All,

Thank you for the suggestion about an Uncle being in the forces Maiden Stone, I had not thought of that.  He only had one Uncle on his maternal side, I will look into that.  Also on the birth certificate he was born in the Sussex Maternity Hospital, so I think the addresses where his mother was living were probably rented housing.

Many thanks to all for your help.

Cathy

Sorry posted twice in error.  Thought there might be a way to delete it but could not find how to do it.

[CaroleW]

Hi Cathy

Just click on the "modify" button - top right of your duplicate post.  That gives you access to edit for 24hrs from posting

Just delete everything then type in Removed & click on "Post"