I seem to have been more absent than present on here recently so I will recount a story of great achievement.....and a fair bit of luck!
Last weekend, whilst attempting to identify the people in my maternal grandparents' wedding photo (as you do), I sought light entertainment in the newspaper archives. As I have done a few times before, I entered "Pates and Biggleswade" as search terms and sat back to await the results....and found the name of my illegitimate great-grandmother!!!!!!
Much excitement ensued, along with a transcription of the article. It seems that greatx3 grandmother took the man to court and there it was in the Bedfordshire Times' Petty Sessions report: "Walter Roberts, labourer, Biggleswade, was charged by Mary Ann Pates, Biggleswade, with being the putative father of her illegitimate child. He admitted paternity, and was ordered to pay 1s 6d, per week and 12s 6d costs."
That's filled a very large gap in the tree! Now to sort out the puzzle of the great-grandmother's marriage....... that will take a very long time, not just the twenty-odd years it took to find her father.
More soon.
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