Birth Mother Found, Now What?
When our mother, Kay, found her birth mother, we were thrilled the story turned out so well. She had a whole new, big, family of aunts, uncles, and cousins to get to know. Her mother, Rita Leggo, had left a string of clues, truths and half-truths, in her adoption papers. We knew very little about the father…would any of the clues lead to finding him?
What we knew
In the Hope Cottage intake interview, Rita (using the alias Barbara Marsh) said the father’s name was Edward Peterson, from Birmingham, Alabama. And that he was in the Navy.
From the records of Hope Cottage, Dallas, February, 19, 1945
Since we were conducting this search before the Internet, we got nowhere. It wasn’t until the advances of DNA that we had a breakthrough - a second cousin sent a message on Ancestry.com. Marlene Bennett, of Birmingham, Alabama, sent a message on February 24, 2015 (coincidentally, 70 years almost to the the day of the adoption intake interview papers of 1945).
The Race is On
Marlene Bennett, couldn’t figure out how she could match up with Kay, recognizing none of the names or places in her family tree. As soon as she was told about the adoption, she was thrilled to have new family, and - as any good genealogist - was excited to try and solve the mysterious connection. And once Cliff and I saw the name Marsh in her family tree, the race was on to figure out the riddle. A frenzy of emails back and forth, and we all came to the same conclusion.
The Clues Lead to Guss Marcus Marsh
Apart from the clues that Rita left about “Edward Peterson,” there was also the photo she had sent her family, during her time in San Francisco. Martin Leggo said it was the only photo she had ever sent home of a boyfriend. We all suspected it was the birth father.
To figure out a relationship of second cousin, we had to jump back a couple of generations, and take a look at the male offspring. As we narrowed it down, we got to this:
Second cousins are the offspring of cousins.
Collecting the Proof
The DNA, the photos, and the Navy Muster Roll were enough to convince us. The Navy record showed Guss Marsh in San Francisco during July, 1944 - the time period we were looking for. Moreover, Rita had some of the story close to true: Guss was born in October 1922/1923 (lying about age for enlistment purposes was common). Guss had two brothers, Earnest and Melvin. Guss’s father, Robert Melton Marsh died when he was 10. His mother Lillian Stone Marsh was living in the Birmingham area. Of course, it’s hard to know if Rita was obfuscating the truth, or merely relating half-truths Guss told her.
We could confirm nothing with Guss personally - unfortunately, he had died two years before we found him. The obituary we found online profiles a fascinating man.
“OCTOBER 12, 1923 – JUNE 30, 2013
Guss M. Marsh, age 89, of Quinton, Alabama was honored at a Celebration of Life service on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lillian Marsh; brothers, Earnest Marsh and Jim Marsh; and sisters, Nola Hitchcock, Reba Hitchcock and Mary Braden. Left to treasure his memory are his wife, Rose Marsh, son, Marcus Marsh; daughters, Kathy Ousley and Karen Lewis; grandchildren, Matthew Marsh, Bradley Marsh, Jonathan Ousley, Amanda Lewis, Tommy Lewis and Bart Lewis; and great-grandchild, Taylor Renee Marsh. He was a man of many talents, a man with many experiences: a farmer, a Navy coxswain, a coalminer, a WWII veteran, a cabinet maker, an Auburn graduate in Industrial Design, a sculptor, a painter, a skilled craftsman, a draftsman, an estimator, owner & boss of Marsh Industries - an architectural millwork plant, a president of AWI - Architectural Woodworking Institute, a pilot, a sailboat builder, a house builder, a furniture builder, a deepwater sailor (in fact, he, Rose, and a crew of two others sailed from Mobile, AL, through the Panama Canal, through the Pacific ocean, finally ending a several year voyage in New Zealand), an Auburn football scholarship donor, a loving husband, a Methodist, a lifelong weight lifter, a dedicated walker, a story teller, a Master Mason, and a gardener. And in all these endeavors, he did them with passion, with integrity, and with quality as his benchmark. Play for Guss included working outside, particularly in the yard & garden, walking the track behind Dora High School, working out with weights, particularly with friends - pushing them beyond their limits, whipping them into shape, building a sailboat and sailing to New Zealand, cooking a big country breakfast on Saturday mornings - eggs, bacon & sausage, biscuits & gravy, cantaloupe, NO grits.... he would always say “Breakfast is the best and most important meal of the day”, watching cowboy shows on TV, particularly Gunsmoke, reading, particularly Rick Bragg novels, spending time with Rose, going to Auburn football games, and telling stories with family and friends. He was a great storyteller and liked gospel music. He was cordial, but sometimes had a “short fuse” for too much idle chatter. Everyone who met Guss liked him and noticed something special about him. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, and he will be truly missed by all who love him.”
The Californian, Salinas, California, Friday, June 19, 1998 • Page 15
Another New Family
Finding cousin Marlene was just the beginning. While searching for Guss Marcus Marsh on the Internet, we found his son Marcus Marsh. Kay made contact with him, and he offered to take a DNA test - which came back as a positive match. For Marcus, an only child, it must have been a surprise to find a sibling at this stage in life. However, with the advent of DNA testing, many people across the world are making shocking discoveries about their family trees. Especially those in the WWII generation.
“These are boom times for consumer DNA tests. The number of people who have mailed in their saliva for genetic insights doubled during 2017, reaching a total of more than 12 million. Most people are curious where their ancestors came from. A few are interested in health. Some are adoptees or children conceived from sperm donation who are explicitly looking for their biological parents. DNA testing companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA regularly tout happy reunions on their websites.... The generation whose 50-year-old secrets are now being unearthed could not have imagined a world of $99 mail-in DNA kits. ”
Navy muster records show Guss was aboard the USS Cullman from January 25, 1945 until his discharge from the Navy on September 19, 1945. Two months later, he married Ida Lee Keenan on November 21, 1945 in Walker County, Alabama.
Kay was born March 13, 1945.
It’s Complicated
It would be easy, on my end, to look at Guss as a “bad guy” who walked away from responsibility. Or…maybe he didn’t know about the pregnancy. My mother would not - she’s much more forgiving - and is just happy to know where she came from, and thrilled with her new relatives. It was wartime, after all. However - IF Guss had married Rita, my mother would have been raised in Alabama or Pennsylvania, would not have met my father, and Cliff and I wouldn’t be here. My kids, and my nephews wouldn’t be here. You know, it’d be like Bedford Falls without George Bailey.
Marcus sent this photo to Kay, shortly after the DNA confirmation. He never knew who the woman in the photo was. Turns out, it was Rita. I like to think Guss kept it as a happy memory.
Guss, Rita, and unknown man