I just wondered if this has ever happened to anyone on here.
I was looking for some info on my dad's sister who never really had any contact with my family. She married but she and her husband...a Mr. Y.... separated not long after they were married. They did not divorce as both of them were devout Roman Catholics. They never had any children which came as a surprise to me because I know that this aunt had two children. My older brother remembers them.
The thing is too that my mum always insisted that this aunt was married to a Mr X which I now know was a fabrication.
I have never met these two cousins. Their births were registered with their correct birth father (Mr X) but I know that they used and were known by their mother's married surname from her first marriage.
As I know now their father did not marry their mother so they are illegitimate. I'm not sure that they would be aware of this fact as my aunt clearly lied about her married name. She gave it as X. She even went back five or six years later and restated the information by way of a declaration. Pretty strange and confusing since her children were known by her first husband's surname.
Okay that's complicated enough but now it gets a bit more.
While trying find out something about them I discovered that their birth father (Mr X) was a bigamist. He had one legal wife with a child living. He subsequently over the years married two other women. With one of these women he had two more children.
So in total he had five children with three different women that I know about.
This is where I need some advice.
As a result of all my messing about I have now been in contact with two of these children...half sibs of my cousins. They would like me to track down my cousins and let them know they have half siblings.
They would prefer that I do it and break the news of their existence as I am a relative. A reasonable request I guess but I'm a complete stranger too if you think about it.
I should also say that I have also been in contact with the family of his last wife. All the parties involved in this situation are aware of each other and know the whole story except my cousins. Well that is an assumption on my part but if they have never done any research on their family tree they would likely not know the history.
The thing is I don't know whether I should do this or whether I should just leave it as it stands and mind my own business. I know...I should have done that in the first place...LOL My cousins and I have never met. Should I find them...if I can...and let them know about their father and their siblings?
I really have no idea what to do. Has this happened to anyone on here and what was the result?
I feel that I may be opening a huge can of worms and that it would be a huge mistake
mab
