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Looking for my paternal grandfathers true birth father, his mother was Ethel Stanley nee Harrison.

He was born in Cardiff Wales on the 19th of May 1916 under the name William Stanley, and Ethel gave birth to him at 12 Herwain Street Cardiff where he was born, apparently in a room above a corner shop.

But on his birth certificate the father column was left blank when he was registered

At the time of registration Ethel's husband was overseas in Australia with the British Army - was this the reason the fathers name was not put on the birth certificate.

He had been in Australia since October 1915, 7 months previous. so was my dads father really William Stanley or someone else?

Any help would be appreciated.
Many thanks
Wendy Woodford.

If the father was left blank then it wasn’t her husband

Even if he was away his name would be on the cert if he was the father

In the case of a married couple the husband is assumed to be the father unless otherwise stated

In this case mum was being honest and not giving her husband as the father

Unfortunately, you will never be able to find out who the father was. The only certainty is that it wasn’t William Stanley

What happened to Ethel after the birth .did she keep William

Did she stay with her husband

Is this the marriage

Jun 1907
HARRISON Ethel Dartford 2a 1164
STANLEY Thomas Dartford 2a 1164

Would that be Hirwain Street?...

Chris :)

Here she is on the 1911 census

Thomas Stanley
Age in 1911: 27
Estimated birth year: abt 1884
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Gravesend, Kent
Civil Parish: Stone
Search Photos: Search for 'Stone' in the UK City, Town and Village Photos collection
County/Island: Kent
Country: England
Street address: 3 Elm Road, Stone, Greenhithe
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Miller Cement Works
Registration district: Dartford
Registration District Number: 43
Sub-registration district: Dartford
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Household schedule number: 9
Piece: 3780
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Stanley 27
Ethel Stanley 27
James Denis Stanley 1

Married 3 years one child born

STANLEY, JAMES DENIS HARRISON
GRO Reference: 1909 S Quarter in DARTFORD Volume 02A Page 664

Another son

Dec 1911
STANLEY Thomas Harrison Dartford 2a 1141

Odd, to say the least, as the birth registration shows MMN Harrison

The GRO Index registration does indeed show the mother's maiden name .........

STANLEY, WILLIAM mmn HARRISON
GRO Reference: 1916 J Quarter in CARDIFF Volume 11A Page 825


so she really was being truthful in not naming the father.

Have you got Thomas Stanley's full service record?

He would not have been sent out to Australia right after enlisting, he would have gone through at least Basic Training, and possibly other service in the UK or Europe first. That means October 1915 might not have been the last time he saw his wife, but it had happened many months before that.


As for your grandfather being born in a room over a corner shop .................... it was very common at that time, and well in to the 1950s in some areas, for women not to go into hospital but to have their babies at home.

If there was some reason for that not to happen, she would go to the midwife's house, or to the place where there was a woman willing to help. She would stay there for up to a week after the birth.

I read about that staying at the midwife's house when reading James Herriot's books which were set in the 1930s to 1950s. It was the first time I had heard of the practice where the local midwife would have a spare room for her "mothers" to stay.

Wondering why she went to Wales as they lived in Kent to 1911

I was also wondering that, Shirley.

Were people evacuated in WW1?

Maybe she was trying to hide her pregnancy from friends and neighbours who would know that the child wasn't Thomas's ?

You don't say if he was adopted or not.
If he was, she could have made up some reason to be in Cardiff for a few months, and then returned home without a child, so nobody would know.


Or maybe she didn't return home?
Maybe she and Thomas separated, and she continued living in Wales?
Do you know any different, Wendy?


I don't see any of the family definitely in 1939.

James aged 11 and Thomas aged 9 went to Australia

James Denis
Last name Stanley
Title MASTER
Gender Male
Age 11
Birth year 1909
Departure year 1920
Departure day 31
Departure month 8
Departure port Tilbury
Destination port Australia
Destination AUSTRALIA
State Sea Ports
Country Australia
Destination country Australia
Ship name Wahehe
Ship official number 143170
Ship master's first name M
Ship master's last name MACFARLANE
Shipping line SHAW SAVILL & ALBION COY
Ship destination port AUSTRALIA
Ship destination country AUSTRALIA
Ship registered tonnage 7372
Number of passengers 364
Record set Passenger Lists Leaving Uk 1890-1960
Category Travel & migration
Subcategory Passenger Lists
Collections from Great Britain, England, Australasia
Transcriptions © brightsolid online publishing ltd


They are on their own so were they going to their father?

?

James D
Last name Stanley
Birth year 1909
Birth date ? ? 1909
Death year 1981
Death date ? ? 1981
Cemetery Allambe Memorial Park Cemetery and Crematorium
City Carrara
State Queensland
Country Australia
Image link http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/James-D-Stanley/18096847
Record set Australia Billion Graves Cemetery Index
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Deaths & Burials
Collections from Australasia
copyright BillionGraves http://www.billiongraves.com 2012

So what happened to Ethel and William ?

I thought of using the 1939 Register, but they could have moved anywhere!!

The names are not exactly unusual!

I looked at the image of that passenger list on FMP .................

they're mainly children, travelling 3 rd class. Some adults, but they don't seem to have the same surname(s) as any of the children

??????

Hi
The 'RYERSON INDEX' (on-line) has death record for James Denis Stanley - notice states 'late of Broadbeach' ….. in the 'Gold Coast Bulletin' 25 Nov 1981.

The 'QLD State Library' (on-line) has an 'Ask Us' librarian service - they will check the newspaper notice/s -for any further family info.

They will also check electoral rolls (past & present) for any family names.
(we ALL have to be 'on the rolls')

Valerie

This is another version of the shipping list, from FMP, giving a little more detail, for both James Denis and Thomas

Record Transcription:

First name(s) J D
Last name Stanley
Title MASTER
Gender Male
Age 11
Birth year 1909
Departure year 1920
Departure day 31
Departure month 8
Departure port Tilbury
Destination port Sydney
Destination SYDNEY
State New South Wales
Country Australia
Destination country Australia

Destination Port is Sydney

Thomas says he is 8 years old

and they intend to live permanently in Australia