I have felt since I was a child that there were others out there who were related to me. I probably felt this way because we knew nothing, about dad's side of the family. Daddy insisted there was nothing to tell. My mom was very tight lipped. I can remember thinking on holidays, when we got together with my mother's family, that there must be other cousins out there on my dad's side.
In my researching the internet for information I would type dad's name into the searches on www.ancestry.com, www.genealogy.com, and others with nothing coming up except his birth certificate. One day there was a "note" posted next to the birth certificate. It was from someone who said, "my mother is Hays' sister. Please contact me at (and it gave an e-mail address and name)". I assumed it was a half sister fathered by my dad's father after he had divorced his wife. I e-mailed the person.... and the e-mail came back as "undeliverable." After spending several days calling every person of that last name I could find around the country it dawned on me that the incorrect e-mail address was an internet server somewhere. I typed the last part of the e-mail address (after the @ symbol) into google and it came up with a web site for the server in the state of Washington (they served 3 counties). I called the phone number that was listed on the web site but they would not give me any information. After thinking about it for several days it dawned on me that this half-cousin had to live in one of these counties and that real estate records are public records. I e-mailed each of the counties county recorder office and, voila, within a week someone wrote me back saying there was a person by that name who owned property at such and such an address. I looked up the phone number on www.anywho.com, called, left a message, and within 12 hours had a return phone call from this cousin.
It turns out though that Cindy is my full cousin...my dad's parents divorced in 1913, just before my dad was born. They had several children before my dad was born but all but one had died in infancy. There was one living brother when my dad was born but he died a couple years later. But the twist to the story is that 11 years later in 1924 my grandparent's got back together (for a one-nighter or whatever) and my grandmother ended up pregnant again. She put that baby up for adoption. My dad claimed he never knew about it (I have my thoughts on this as he was 11/12 years old but that's a whole different story).
After more research I found another half family in Minnesota...my grandfather remarried within a year after he left my grandmother the first time and had another son. That son died in the 70's I believe, but he had 3 children who are my half cousins. My cousin swears there are more out there of our grandfather's descendents but we have not been able to find any as of yet. He remembers stories from his childhood. The search will continue.
I have met my dad's sister and her husband (they are in their 80's and are a delightful addition to my family), their 3 children (my cousins) and their familes. I've also met two of the second familie's children and have e-mailed the other (these would be my half-cousins). I keep in touch with all of them by e-mail. This discovery was in 2002 (I believe). My parents had died in 1987 so daddy never got to meet his sister. Boy is she the spit and image of him though!
As a side note...my grandparents, as well as my great-grandmother were big-time in the movie industry in the early part of the 20th century. Grandma Bess and Granny Great (my great-grandmother) were both in the wardrobe department of what was then Sam Goldwyn Studios (now known as Metro Goldwyn Meyer or MGM). Granny Great was the one who designed and made all the gowns....I have pictures of her with many famous old time stars. My grandfather (who I don't really know a lot about except that he couldn't keep his zipper up!) was an actor...his son by his second wife was also an actor. They both have last names of Posts but I'm not sure if there was a different stage name or what. Clayton Post (my half-uncle) played with James Arness in Gunsmoke, but i'm not familiar with other TV shows/movies he might of been in.
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