Robert Bruce Wade

[ellieoates]

Hello!  I'm trying to track down my dads dad - my grandfather.  All I have is my dads birth certificate showing his name - Robert Bruce Wade, and a few bits of info gleamed from my research.  My grandmother used the last name Wade on the 1940 census, so it's likely they got married & Robert Bruce Wade died before 1940 as he is not on the 1940 census (but my father is not listed on the census either,  he was 2 years old) - and my grandmother remarried in 1943.  My parents 1964 wedding announcement confirms that he passed away, but did not have a date listed.

My Father: Robert Earl Wade Born 1/8/1938 South Palm Beach Florida
My Grandmother: Dorothy E Whitney 1918-2001 born in Vermont. in 1940 was in Mass.
My Grandfather: Robert Bruce Wade - unknown

I've pretty much looked everywhere I can online (ancestry, family search, newspaper sites, find a grave, and many more).  I'd love any suggestions you might have.  Thanks in advance!

[QueenoftheWest]

Welcome to RootsChat!

and my grandmother remarried in 1943.

Do you have a copy of her marriage certificate? Did she say she was a widow? Just because a woman takes a man's name does not necessarily mean she was legally married to him. If Dorothy and Robert had married, one would expect to find a marriage record.

I must ask whether you have considered taking a DNA test with Ancestry. With any luck, your dad's father had a few siblings whose descendants have tested. This should hopefully lead you to his birth date and place, which will massively assist you with your search.

Queenie 

[Neale1961]

ellieoates, Welcome to RootsChat
Just trying to understand this family. Can you confirm I am on track?
•   1930 census Dorothy Ellen WHITNEY is with family in Vermont
•   1940 census Watertown Massachusetts: Dorothy is with her mother who claims to be a widow, but is actually divorced. Dorothy is now WADE, claiming to be “married” but this is crossed out on the census record. This is also the case for her older sister
•   1950 census Boston Massachusetts:  Dorothy still with her mother. Now Dorothy is HEWITT and claims to be separated. She has a son Robert WADE 11, and a daughter S…. HEWITT 6.
•   When she died in 2001, Dorothy is now Dorothy Ellen WATT.

Do you have any marriage records for Dorothy? What information do they contain?

My initial thoughts are that Dorothy was never married to Robert Bruce WADE.

Is there an address on the birth certificate of Robert Wade 1938?

[mckha489]

On your father’s birth certificate, does RBW have an occupation?

[bbart]

Hi Ellie, and welcome!

As we cannot name living folks, I will just post a link in regard to the bolded person in Neale's quote followed by a link which may contain living folks.  Perhaps I am way off base how I understand this obit, and the relationship of deceased and your father....   Or the reporter got it really, really wrong...

•   1940 census Watertown Massachusetts: Dorothy is with her mother who claims to be a widow, but is actually divorced. Dorothy is now WADE, claiming to be “married” but this is crossed out on the census record. This is also the case for her older sister

This is a clipping, no need to be subscribed:

https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-emily-elizabeth-harringt/124021381/

Edit  In retrospect, I see from the 1962 wedding announcement of Robert Earl that he resided with his aunt/uncle Harrington, so perhaps she actually raised him and thought of him as a son?

[garstonite]

is this any use ?? do you know if Robert Bruce Wade was a twin - with William Wallace Wade ??
this Robert Bruce Wade died in 1932

https://gw.geneanet.org/harrisjoewallace1?n=wade&oc=&p=robert+bruce b 1855

added - apologies - wrong man / era -

[Neale1961]

 .... this Robert Bruce Wade died in 1932

He can't then be the father of a child born in 1938. 

[garstonite]

sorry Neale - it is early ...lol ..thanks

[bbart]

I will look further tomorrow, but this explains the sister Emily Whitney /Jessup name in the 1940 census.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brattleboro-reformer-emily-whitneyj/124025959/