Finding grandfathers illegitimate pos adopted child

[Laoise]

I'm not sure but I might be asking the impossible here.

My grandfather had a child outside of marriage in the 1930s or 40s. The only person alive now who knows the birth mothers name is refusing to say. After finding out about having a brother or sister two years ago my Dad would like to meet them, but without the birth mothers name is there no way to trace them?

[aghadowey]

It might depend on the circumstances and where the child was born/where the mother came from. I've traced the birth mothers of several children born during WWII but in each case the family was from a small farming community where everyone knew each other.

[Laoise]

Yes my grandfather was from a small town and apparently "everyone knew".

The small town is in Longford but quiet close to the bigger towns of Granard and Castlepollard in Westmeath, so the mother may be from one of them or from the small town as well.

The only person who knows now (that we know) is a cousin of my grandfather but she doesn't want to talk about it,  all other family are dead. Unless older people in the town still know but we wouldn't know who to ask, we don't have any family still living in that town. 

If the mother was from the town would the child have been baptised in the local church? Because we were at the church before we found out about the sibling and the priest was really helpful letting us look over the records to find my great grandparents. We could go back there to search for illegitimate children born in the timeframe.

Second question, if she was sent to a mother and baby home would she have been sent to Castlepollard or did they normally send the mothers further from their homes?

[Laoise]

I possibly have a lead. My grandfathers older brother and wife married when the were in their early fourties. They had one child in their late fourties. He's unfortunately now deceased, but I can't find a birth certificate for him online and I'm looking through his papers and he has the Certs for his parents baptism/marriage but not his own.

[hallmark]

"My grandfathers older brother and wife married when the were in their early fourties. They had one child in their late fourties. He's unfortunately now deceased,......"

Who is dead?  Grandfather's older brother or the child??

[Laoise]

"My grandfathers older brother and wife married when the were in their early fourties. They had one child in their late fourties. He's unfortunately now deceased,......"

Who is dead?  Grandfather's older brother or the child??

Both, the son more recently.

[hallmark]

So, what's on Death Cert for grandfather's older brother ?

[Laoise]

So, what's on Death Cert for grandfather's older brother ?

I don't understand what you mean. There's not much on Irish death Certs, location, age, cause of death, informant.


Anyway I think I can exclude the cousin being a half brother now. It seems he had his birth date wrong. I found a certificate under a slightly different name and year that is more than likely him. 


Back to having no leads.

[Cas (stallc)]

Could not you or your dad, write a letter to the cousin, stating the need for your father to know any information concerning his half sibling.

It may come better in a letter no pressure to them.  State it was a long time ago, the parents are no longer here to be put out.  As they are the only one with info your dad deserves to know any information concerning his kin.  Put in way of appeal.