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Too much of a coincidence?

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  • Too much of a coincidence?

    I am just wondering your opinion!

    I have written quite a few threads on here on my search to find my grandfather, and I think I have, but I am just wondering if there is a concrete way of knowing for sure that it is him, besides DNA. I think it is because him and my grandmother share so many similar aspects of life, and I would like your opinion on if all these things are TOO much of a coincidence... thank you!

    Let me preface this by saying that they never were married and I do not believe he knew of the birth of my mother. I am sure they cut off contact shortly after my grandmother found out she was pregnant.

    Via my mothers birth certificate, the fathers name is stated as JAMES JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM, aged 23 (as of Jan 1941) , born in Philadelphia. I found a match for a James FRANCIS Cunningham that matched age parameters and lived in close quarters to my grandmother. He lived in 1920 at 128 Dudley Street, and in 1930, he lived at 1909 South 2nd Street. (The corner over, basically moved less then a block). In 1940, he lived at 1834 South 2nd Street, just a bit more up the block. He is about two blocks from Dudley Street (a very small street, Philadelphia - wise) now in 1940. But, he had relatives living on Dudley Street on and past 1940, which would mean he was likely on Dudley Street often.

    My grandmother lived with her grandparents and parents across town in 1930. Her mother died in 1933, however, and they were living at 116 Dudley Street then, via her mothers death certificate. In 1940, I cannot find them in the census, but I assume they stayed at Dudley Street. Even if they moved between 1933 and 1940, I know that her father died in 1953 and was living 4 Blocks from Dudley Street, on Pierce Street.

    The only things that do not match are the middle name and the age. This match would have turned 24 about three months before my mothers birth, but, if they cut off contact when my grandmother knew she was pregnant, that would explain her saying he was 23 and not 24 on the birth certificate. Also, the birth certificate says James JOSEPH, not Francis, Cunningham. But, I read that often names were orally told by mothers to record keepers at the hospitals, and there was a lot of room for error. I do not even think James knew of my mothers birth / was at the hospital during her birth, so a mistaken middle name would make sense.

    They lived just houses away, and almost all the parameters match. What do you think? Is this too much of a coincidence?

  • #2
    Do you know if your mother was baptized? Do you have the baptismal certificate? Which church? Been able to locate the church and its records?

    Yes, IMO, it could have played out the way you've outlined - but there's no proof.

    Also, it would bother me a lot not to find the family in the 1940 census. Have you tried to find who was living in the house in the 1940, to eliminate both transcription error and enumerator error (e.g., strangely the house was missed?)? Steve Morse has a utility to look up by address:
    Last edited by PhotoFamily; 18-03-16, 22:09.

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    • #3
      This will give the links to (maybe most of) the other threads:



      If you want help, or even just opinion, it would be far better to keep all the information on one thread. Otherwise people will either end up reinventing the wheel or wander off.
      Caroline
      Caroline's Family History Pages
      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

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