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| Jewish Museum, Berlin |
Perhaps
your ancestor was a “war child”; a descendant of a WWI or WWII soldier. Or
maybe you are the war-child of a Korean War of Vietnam War soldier who disappeared
once the war ended. many are dedicating their family search on US military men who fathered children overseas. Some are seeking living relatives; others
would like to know a bit more about their American family having no interest in
meeting them.
The
opportunity for a serviceman to become involved with a local woman was great.
Sure, some married, but many more left behind their DNA either not knowingly or
not acknowledging. It was war after-all. The local women were left in men-less towns. Take Germany for
example, most of the men were at war. The American soldier, likewise, was without
wife or girlfriend in a war tense foreign country.
In recent a3Genealogy cases a WWII paramour still living,
recounted the story of her West Samoan lover. This led to locating the Ohio veteran’s family. In
another tear jerker, a French war child found out her birth father died less
than 6 months of commissioning a researcher. But she did connect with her new
family. (Enough romanticizing for now).
Looking for Your
War-Child Father
Locating
the father of a war-child may be difficult but not impossible. Two parallel
researches must be completed. Family folklore may provide a soldier’s name, a
military base, maybe even a job position that will lead the researcher to a
regiment/company. But the unsuspecting family will need a lot more proof. Expect, at minimum, a DNA test. Matter fact, we usually have DNA test results in hand, as it is often the key tool to locating family. Coupled with proper genealogical
research, a DNA test may help uncover siblings, cousins, and extended family.
Research the Child. Begin
with the birth and place of the child. Are there any salvaged photos of the
mother and soldier? This is a case where a picture speaks louder than words. A photo
will bring a relationship to life. Know
that matching photos on both sides of the water help.
Were any gifts or mementos left behind? What happened to the mother after the
father left? Was the father of the child given to any authority? This occurred
often in Germany providing further proof closer to the event. Can others vouch
for the family story? In one case a younger cousin was able to identify the WWII
soldier in the photo since she too often went to the military base and knew him.
Research the Veteran. Define
the veteran’s military timeline. Through these details, you may also ascertain the
probability of him fathering a child. Was he in the right place at the right
time? It may be important to follow his company movement. Through analysis of
this detailed timeline it may be possible to determine if the father even had
knowledge of the child. When did the father leave the post?
Cultural
Ramifications
The exact number of war
children left behind is unknown. It is important to understand that there
was enough shame to pass around. The women often were tormented, disowned by
family, and even officially stripped of their country’s citizenship when a relationship
was known. To avoid such ridicule, the father of the child was kept a secret. Visit
The Human Problem: The
High Cost of War Paid by Women http://www.exulanten.com/humanloot.html
for more information.
Europe
Maria Hohn tells us in GIs and Fräuleins, that 66,000 German children
were born to soldiers of Allied forces in the period 1945–55. Over half, 36,334, had American fathers. The
number of war children continued to rise 10 years after the war.
Asia
Asian war children born of American soldiers
garnered a new word of classification. Amerasian are persons born in Asia, to a U.S. military father. Several Asian
countries - Japan, Thailand and So Korea, as well as islands in the Pacific
Ocean - have significant populations of Amerasians.
Of course Western Samoa and the Philippines have
notable populations of Amerasians. In
the Philippines the Pearl S. Buck International foundation estimates 52,000 Amerasians.
In the small region of Upolu , Western
Samoa, it is suggested that over 1200 children were fathered by American soldiers
(Stanner 1953, pg. 327).
Kathleen
Brandt
Genealogist and Licensed Private Investigator
Genealogist and Licensed Private Investigator
a3genealogy@gmail.com
This is very helpful! Thank you!
ReplyDeletePlease help! I am doing the opposite research. A female friend of mine believes that she may have been born to a woman from one of the islands in the South Pacific but was raised by her father; the WWII vet. He has passed away and the woman she has known as her mother brought out pictures of her father with an islander and stated that she looked like the woman in the picture. Her known mother treated her differently all of her life than her brothers. Where can I help her search? She looks different than all of her family. Her father was stationed in Guam in 1945 and 1946. My email is kcgilbert_1@hotmail.com. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI know today my Father married a German woman while stationed in Germany during the Korean War 1947 – 1957 and left her and a son and possibly a daughter behind he never divorced and went back to Maui where he married my mother I only recently found out I was told that my brother attempted to reach my mother and she told him never to call her again Well I would like to find this brother and I have no avenues to do this. Alfred Walter Fernandez Born December 25,1929 in Paia Maui and Died November 23, 2003. My sister and I have done 23 and me only to see we are only 49.7% sisters my 2 brothers have just completed the 23 and me I am hoping we can find any siblings in Germany That my father left behind He and his sister would have been born before my oldest Brother Alfred Walter Fernandez Jr born May 17 1957. Can anyone guide me in the right direction?
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I do not have your email. Please contact me at a3Genealogy@gmail.com. I would like to pursue this a bit further.
Deleteyvonnefernandez82@gmail.com
DeleteI have obtained photos of the young woman who is suppose to be the mother and her family
Delete