To Find a Cuckoo Bird

Pandora's box begins to open

It didn't take long to work out how this "2nd cousin" DNA match related to me, her maiden name was the same as my Mum's!

Mum's Dad, my maternal grandad, was a man named Charlie born in 1926 Poole England, to a mother named Edith and no known father on the birth certificate - he took his mothers last name. Charlie and his slightly older sister Winifred went into care when they were very young, and believed their mother Edith to be dead all the way up until Charlie's death in 1989, and Winnie's in the 2010s.

Shockingly we found out through family trees, marriage and birth records that Edith was actually alive until the 1970s, got married to 2 different men and had 3 children after my grandad Charlie. But that's not everything - my "2nd cousin" match dug out her dads birth certificate, Edward born 1920 to the same Edith - Edward is my great uncle and she is my mums first cousin! More possible names have come out the woodwork for potential siblings of Charlie - at least 10! Edith's parents took in her first 2 children Edward and Maud, but most of the other children ended up in care except Edith's youngest son Percy.

Charlie's sister Maud, who grew up with their brother Edward and Edith's parents found out where Edith lived one day, some time in the 60s or 70s before she died. She knocked on her door and all Edith had to say was "I am married now". I'm not sure I'll ever understand why, but as a famous historian once said, and now I will badly paraphrase, you cannot judge the past by the morals and expectations of today. Maud was shocked to receive £100 in Edith's will, a lot of money in the 1970s, I don't believe any of her other children received a thing.

I would email my newfound cousin daily, it was wonderful. We found so much in common and didn't run out of subjects to talk about, the months went by in minutes.

Then one day, 10th June 2020 to be precise, I'm scrolling through my dna matches and I see something that shatters my heart into pieces...