EUREKA MOMENT
Margaret Robinson was unable to find details of her father’s birth until she remembered a request he made before he died. Jon Bauckham learns more
A long-lost memory helps Margaret Robinson locate her father’s birth record
How long have you been doing family history?
I started tracing my ancestors when I retired in 2011. I had wanted to start researching for a while and felt that would be the best time.
What had you managed to uncover before hitting your brick wall?
I knew that my father had been born Frederick Frank Munday in 1885 in East Grinstead, West Sussex. He had been in the Scots Guards during the First World War and had been awarded the Military Medal and Bar, serving at the battle of Passchendaele and the Somme. I searched online and found his service number and medal card, but not the citation.
I contacted the Scots Guards and they sent me all the information they held, which proved to be very useful. I discovered that my father had joined up when he was 18 and served for three years, before being put on the reserve list. He was called back at the beginning of the First World War.
Crucially, the material also confirmed the date of his first marriage and home address, as well as the names and birth dates of his two eldest daughters (my half sisters).
Although I had found out a lot of information about my father’s adult life, I couldn’t find any official records of his birth.
What was stopping you from progressing your research?
The biggest obstacle I faced was that my father had died when I was just eight years old, long before I could ask him any questions about his upbringing. In addition, frustratingly, I had also lost contact with my three half brothers and had never got to meet any of my half sisters. One emigrated to Canada when I was a baby, and the other two had cut off all ties with my father when he had married my mother, who was considerably younger than he was. By the time I eventually started researching my tree, most of my father’s family had died, as had my mother.
How had you tried to solve the mystery previously?
I knew that my father’s family had lived in Westhampnett, West Sussex, so I joined the Sussex Family History Group and put a request in their journal for any information. Nothing came of that, apart from being contacted by someone working on an intestacy case regarding one of my half brothers.
However, I also visited the West Sussex County Council website and found out that I could arrange to meet someone in their family history department. Having emailed across the information I already had, I travelled to West Sussex Record Office in Chichester and spent three hours with a researcher. This revealed the name of my paternal grandmother and other family members, but sadly the researcher was still unable to find any birth record for my father.
What was your ‘eureka’ moment?
The issue of my father’s missing birth record really niggled at me. However, one evening I remembered something my mother had once told me. She said that when my father was dying he said that if she ever remarried he wanted her to promise that my surname
would never be changed. I began to wonder if there was a strong personal reason for his request. Had his own surname been changed as a child?
I already knew my paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Hammond, so I searched the civil birth indexes for ‘Frederick Frank Hammond’ and there he was. I ordered a copy of his birth certificate, which confirmed that his mother had been unmarried at the time. No father was recorded – the boxes were left blank.
How did it solve the problem?
The certificate confirmed that the Fanny Hammond I had found with the help of the researcher was indeed my paternal grandmother. It also suggested that my father had not been happy with his name being changed once he discovered the true circumstances of his birth. I know it’s entirely possible that Fanny’s eventual husband Frank Munday was actually my father’s biological parent, but it seems strange that Fanny didn’t end up marrying him until my father was already two years old.
On the 1911 census, Fanny and Frank stated they had been married for 26 years, while my father’s age was recorded as 25. Although my father’s age was correct, the couple had actually been married for 23 years, suggesting that they were still covering up the truth all those years later.
How did you feel when you discovered the story?
I was delighted to have solved the brick wall, and it explained why my father was born in East Grinstead and not in Bosham like the rest of Fanny’s family. I imagine that she felt compelled to leave the area because she was pregnant and unmarried.
Did you learn anything else along the way?
During my research I learned that Fanny had a brother who was born in South Africa. I can find no information as to why the family were in South Africa, assuming that my great grandparents were the child’s natural parents. I’ve searched passenger lists to no avail and nor can I find any matching marriage record.
I also discovered that Fanny’s mother (my great grandmother) was originally born in Armagh, Ireland. Sadly, I don’t know her maiden name and I’ve come to realise that her records were probably destroyed in the Dublin Four Courts fire in 1922.
I may have broken down one brick wall, but I’ve found two more!
What would your advice be to other family historians who hit an obstacle on their tree?
Never give up. Explore every possible clue – you never know what information might arise. You should also be careful when checking against other people’s family trees posted online as these may contain mistakes and cause confusion.
His mother had been unmarried at the time. No father was recorded