I’m engaged in writing a book , the story behind which is based on real life incidents in our family.
Whilst researching our family tree, I discovered that my mum( who died last year age 91, born 1927)and two of my Aunts ( born 1926 (died), and 1928 ( living) respectively) all arrived before my grandparents were married in 1931. My mother always complained she had grown up not feeling loved, rejected and resented,,and now this makes sense. She also said that my grandfather walked out on my Gran and his children, because his wife had not had a boy, which he desperately wanted . He did come back, but the more I discover, the more sense my family history makes. When my uncle was born in July 1931, my grandfather obviously saw fit to marry my gran in December 1931. So , my questions are ;
Do I tell my older sister this ?. I’m 48, she is 15 years older.
Do I tell my Aunt or my cousin this ? . I’m wondering if my mother or aunt actually knew that their parents were not married ?
I know that nowdays a situation like this is meaningless, but I m caught between including this in my book because it’s a pivotal part of the story, and not wanting to cause hurt to my family. When this happened my mother and my aunts illegitimate status would have been a point of shame. I don’t want my family to find out via my book About this, when I should have been the one to tell them. I am already a published author, so There is no question this book won’t be published. I’m in a real quandary over this…any advice would be welcomed