Newbie help please - have hit a brick wall

[morganvj]

Update: my father has discovered that he already had a copy of Frances and Geoffrey’s marriage certificate.

On that, Frances is described as “Divorced wife of Daniel Cowin”.

Frances and Daniel both hail from Herefordshire. I’ve found a few bits and pieces about Daniel. He was older than Frances.

So, the name she put on Barbara’s birth certificate - Henry Cowan - was incorrect (deliberately misleading?).

Can’t find any divorce records for Frances and Daniel. Would this be not unusual?

The question now is: did Frances meet Geoffrey before leaving Daniel? Which of the men was Barbara’s father?

Frances married Daniel in 1912. Barbara born 1919. Frances married Geoffrey in 1922.

[bbart]

This doesn't help with the timeline for who is the father, but from the Western Mail 20 January 1922  (Cardiff, Wales) :

WIFE AND MARRIAGE TIE
BARRY DENTIST'S PETITION
UNDEFENDED

In the Divorce Division on Thursday
Daniel Cowin, dentist, of Park-road, Barry,
was granted a decree nisi on the grounds of
the misconduct of his wife, Fanny.  The
petition was undefended.
Petitioner deposed that the marriage took
place in August, 1912, in Herefordshire.
During the war he obtained a commission
in the Army, and respondent went into the
Air Force.  Petitioner was mostly abroad.
After demobilisation he went north, and his
wife subsequently said she had to return
to London on business.
Petitioner had never lived with her since
she wrote that she would not live with him
again, and when he protested she wrote
adhering to her decision, and said she
could not pretend to care for the marriage
tie.
Evidence was given that respondent lived
with a Lieutenant Lawrence in a flat in
Bloomsbury.

[LizzieL]

Barbara Esme was born on 11th October 1919, so she was conceived about mid-Jan 1919.

From reply #8 (service record of Geoffrey Lawrence)
"Born 6 Sep 1887 Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, enlisted in the RN on 26 Aug 1916
Entered with Seniority, Eng Sub Lt
Served in the Home Fleet until end of war. Last ship appointed to, 5 Apr 1919
Demobilised 19 Apr 1919"

Looks like he was unlikely to have been the father.

Maybe a third man - Henry (surname unknown) an electrical engineer. Frances used the surname Cowin for him because it was her legal surname at the time. Can't find Daniel's record to find when he was demobbed unfortunately.

[LizzieL]

Looking again at Geoffrey's record, he could have been shore based in early 1919
Home Fleet.. Greenwich addl for Norman ...Engnr Lieut for tempy service....15 June 1918
  "               Successor apptd                                          "                      ...11 Jan 1919
Home          "Research" addl for duties with yachts           "                         (no date)
   "                Trawlers and Drifters                                  "                       ... 17 Mar 1919

The trouble is no geographical location mentioned

[scotmum]

morganvj, coupled with the various finds on this thread, a DNA test could be helpful in determining possible further lines of research and/or may even point to the Lawrence chap as having possibly been the father of Barbara. Meantime, to keep options as wide as possible, now it is more clear that the Fanny/Daniel marriage was correct, it might also be worth checking whereabouts in timescale was, and what occupation had, Daniel's brother Henry.

[morganvj]

Thanks for the replies this morning. All very helpful.

I’d found records to suggest Daniel was a dentist, so that fits.

Next question 

How would the DNA test help? How would we establish the comparison test result to use with/against my result or that of my dad?

[LizzieL]

This may be Frances's birth reg. Only one in the quarter that matches her dob as given in 1939 and in area where she married Daniel

KNIGHT, Fanny       mmn SIMPSON 
1889  3rd Quarter  HEREFORD  district Volume 06A  Page 472

A Richard Knight and a Fannie Simpson appear on same page of marriage register a few years earlier in Hereford district

[morganvj]

This may be Frances's birth reg. Only one in the quarter that matches her dob as given in 1939 and in area where she married Daniel

KNIGHT, Fanny       mmn SIMPSON 
1889  3rd Quarter  HEREFORD  district Volume 06A  Page 472

A Richard Knight and a Fannie Simpson appear on same page of marriage register a few years earlier in Hereford district

Yes, sorry, should have mentioned my dad also a copy of Frances' birth certificate!

This is her.

[morganvj]

Would love to get to the bottom of what Frances got up to, and Barbara's true father, not least because, in later life, Frances and Geoffrey were very judgmental of Barbara's life choices. In fact, they cut off all ties and disinherited her (hence my dad's family knowledge being patchy).