Hi Rachel: I replied to your post re looking for your grandfather's first wife, so I'm hoping that you will perhaps follow this post site too. I am the Patricia Stowe you are looking for. I took on the surname of Hughes from my Mother's second marriage. I hope that you reach me at:
pathughes27@gmail.com as I do not have a contract with Ancestry. I now live in Toronto, Canada. My mother, who is 89 this month, requested that I not try to reach my Dad years ago, when I moved here, and, not because of what she requested, but, because I felt that it might cause negative issues for his possible future family, I did not try, until now, to find out about him. I just decided to see if he was still around and I am sad to find he died 12 years ago, I also feel sorry that I never knew his family. I always figured that he did not want to claim me because I never heard from him, but now realize that communications were not that good years ago, and your note says that he did try to reach us. Who knows what happened there! My Mother is always reluctant to speak about my Dad and I don't know the reason for their split. We traveled to the US on the Queen Mary in April 1946. I always thought we traveled shortly after my birth of March 4, 1945, but I have found a post card given to passengers coming to live in the US wishing them "happiness and good fortune" in their new life. This card shows a picture of the Queen Mary and signature(printed) of the captain, C.M. Ford. I learned from the internet that many records of the ship sailing and passenger lists were destroyed in the 50's for government reasons, which is why you could not find our names. I do have a passenger list from the Queen Elizabeth, which was the ship we returned to England on. Interestingly, C. M. Ford was also the captain of this voyage. It is in a small book form, and was probably given to each passenger along with a commemorative post card. I am 70 and feel a part of history now knowing I actually sailed on these two retired liners. One of my earliest memories is of being on deck beside, what appeared huge to me then, a wooden deck chair, looking out over a mass of water. I have a photo of me taken at a studio in Toccoa, which according to my Mother showed me crying, but the photographer got rid of the tears and it looks like I am enjoying the whole adventure. My Mother did not have any photos of my Dad but my Grandmother gave me one of him in uniform, in which he looks good but solemn. I really hope that you receive my posts and can reach me as I would like to learn more about my Dad's family. Love and best wishes, Pat.