Was I lied to about my mother’s death? | DNA Family Secrets - BBC

"Have the family lied to me all these years?"

Jean was told her mother had died during World War Two. But since discovering more, she'd like to know if her mother died when she was told she did.

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Over 26 million of us have taken a DNA test in the past decade. This growing popularity of genetic testing has created worldwide databases that allow us to ask questions previously impossible to answer about our families, ancestry and health.

Stacey Dooley is meeting people across the UK who want to unlock mysteries hidden within their genetic code. Working with one of the UK’s leading geneticists, Professor Turi King, as well as genealogists, social workers and doctors, she uses the very latest DNA technology to reveal lost heritage, track down missing relatives and detect debilitating diseases before it is too late.

[oliverholdup]

Jean is my partner’s grandmother who I’ve met a number of times. She really is as sweet as she is on the program, and I can confirm that not only are they invited to her 92nd birthday, but are also coming down to meet the rest of the family in November. Great program, and I’m glad Jean and the others were provided closure for their stories x

[khills]

Jean seems lovely! Look at her relief to know her mom lived beyond the war! She smiled and was happy, even though it meant her mother didn’t return to her. That is amazing character.

[cathys]

How heartbreaking to know your mother abandoned you without a word. She is very kind to take the attitude of being glad her mother had a happy life.

[LauraBidingCitizen]

My goodness, what an emotional rollercoaster. It was such a different time back then. I’m so glad she got the answers she deserved & the closure she needed, as well as an entire new family to love & cherish x

[gudlisner]

As you age it’s more about answers and not about rage and score settling.

[cindycreateforlife]

Jean is so sharp, she is just adorable and it is wonderful that she gets to hear the true story and meet her nieces!💕🇨🇦

[gisellem]

The fact that she deep down didn’t believe her father says a lot. There were probably more reasons as to why her mother left that she probably realizes now.

[frankiechong]

Jean is very forgiving. Her mom leaving was really something else.

[lovesing]

Incredibly sad that her mother left her. I could never leave my babes behind. 😢
I’m glad she knows the truth though and has found more family.

[nikiTricoteuse]

What a lovely woman Jean seems to be. I'm glad she found some family. I wanted to say, it is quite possible that her mother never voluntarily gave her up. There was a documentary done a few years ago on some of the children who were evacuated to Australia during WWII and there were so many lies told. Many of those children were told that their parents had died or, even worse, that their parents no longer wanted them but, in an act of absolute cruelty many mothers/parents were told that their children had died. Some person took it upon themselves to decide that certain mothers and/or families were 'unfit' and remove their children from them. I know it happened not just to the children sent to Australia but, to other places too. I did a google search and the doco l saw was called "Oranges and Sunshine" but, so many others came up too. If anyone is curious about some of their stories, the search l did was;
What was the name of the documentary about the children evacuated to Australia and not returned to their parents?
Apparently 130, 000 children were removed from parents from the 1920s to the 1970s and there's an interesting article in the Guardian called "Britain's child migrant programme: why 130, 000 children were shipped abroad".

[saraanderson]

Women didn’t have a lot of rights back then. If she’d wanted divorce may not have been allowed custody of her daughter or allowed to see her.

[WeDilly]

Dont know why, i just want to give this woman the biggest hug

[organizersrus]

Such devastation and loveliness all in one story. ❤
I truly hope for updates on Jean.

[CarolynnMarkey]

in those days the mom could have left because she was being abused. or any other reason. it doesn't have to be abandonment. it could have been something else. world war 2 was crazy.

[blk]

What an immensely gracious woman!! Her mom leaves her and she's just glad her mom was happy. 😮 Wow! What a special lady to be so forgiving.

[californiadreamer]

We likely won't ever know what the truth is regarding how Jean's parents were. It was common in the past to invent "reasons" why one parent was absent.

[BobbiWallace-qjly]

I still wonder why her Mom left her? Did her Dad have anything to do with it. I'm glad she found her Niece 😊

[safiremorningstar]

Is the mother I keep wondering why her mother didn’t get at least somehow in touch with her, but I think that if her father was saying she was dead, then it was he who prevented their mother from getting in touch with her.

[CarolynMcPherson-rz]

What a beautiful story! I am so happy you had this happy event in your life. God bless you and your newly expanded family.--Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

[SaraMGodois]

Maybe she can be understanding because those were tuff times, but it must feel really...Betraying to know your family just lied to you about a mother's death...
At the same time, maybe it was impossible to find her mother back them and the father didn't wanted her to feel abandoned...