Boy, Grandma sure could pick 'em!

From what I can piece together from things my Mom told me (I still have a good memory) this is as close to the truth I can find, right now. Unless someone who knows, the torrid details, would tell me and you and I know, that isn't going to happen.

So, Mabel, my grandmother was an attractive woman - I believe she had some mental illness or something going on because she never lived with her first husband, Mr. Hasenstab. Or maybe she was just a royal bitch. Sometimes, I even wonder if they were ever really married. I have not been able to find marriage or divorce records. That's another tale. My mom told me many men used to want to date my Grandma - and some had it real bad for her. 

Grandma lived in Dayton Ohio. She had a thing for the military. My mom told me she at one time, she was a seamstress at a sewing factory and would occasionally sew a penny in the pocket of military uniforms. Heck, she could have even placed her home address in one of them for all I know, because in 1931. Charles Monroe Leach came to live in Dayton at the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (Central Branch) when he was 41 years old. I do not know at this time what his disability was. 

Married in 1913 - records show that Mrs. Leach was with "child" when they married and a son was born to them 5 months later! Charley was from a different town in Ohio - his family came from Jackson County, a good 100+ miles from Dayton. 

I am unable to find a census for 1930 or 1940 for him. I did find a Charles Leach (birthday was off by a couple of years) that was in prison, in Dayton Ohio. Still checking into that. On his WWII "Old Man's Draft" Registration Card, it showed in 1940, he was living at the National Hotel in Dayton. 

My mom had told me that one time when she revealed that Hasenstab wasn't her bio-dad, that she had met her father and he was nice. Of course then a few days later, she told me to forget about it and that it wasn't true. That Hasenstab was her father.  (Except she said his first name was Peter and he was a member of the IRA and he was wanted.)  WHATEVER, Mom. I don't know if her Mom told her that or what - just an all-around bizarre story. 

So in 1940, he was living in Dayton and my Mom was born in 1934. The connection is undeniably there. Unfortunately, he died in December 1949. I know, my mom said she worked as a candy striper at the Veterans Hospital in Dayton. 

I love being a super sleuth.

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A new family

It was back in August 2017, when I asked my cousin on my mom's side to do a DNA test for me. I was getting suspicious if Mr. Hasenstab was really my mom's father. You know, some people are really into keeping family secrets - I don't get them. Like really, who cares anymore? I really had to BEG him and he reluctantly agreed and made me promise that after he does this, he never wanted to hear from me again. 

Okay. There was no love lost - He grew up in Ohio and I was raised in California. I only saw him a couple of times in my life. No biggie. When someone says something that rude - I could have got all butt-hurt about it if I had sat down to really think about it.  I didn't. I had work to do. I had to find my new family. 

So, what I found is a family with the surname of Leach. Mom was half right. The DNA is there. This modern Leach family - just ignore this new revelation. So what else is new? But there is no doubt about it - Charles Monroe Leach was my mom's bio-father. DNA has proved it. 

I did connect with a cousin, who was adopted so she knows about as much as I do and of course, no one will connect with her. They would rather live in their own dream world rather than attempt to understand that life happens and sometimes babies are born because of it - and these fatherless children are raised by single mothers or adopted out. It's not like we want their family riches if there were any. We just want to be acknowledged. No apologies are necessary. All parties involved at this stage are dead and buried. 

I am piecing together a family I do not know - hate to say it - a pretty basic blah family except for the fact that one of the Leach men, had a moment of whatever it was, he had with my Grandma - and my mom was conceived. There does not seem to be an indication that there was any form of relationship. I am still researching. 

It does blow me away, that Mom did tell me his name was Peter Leech from Northern Ireland. I don't know if she made that up or if her Mom made that up to tell her. So many lies - so much deception. I am thankful for my good memory! 

I am so DONE with the Hasenstab family. Yeah, I wasted a lot of years researching, and while it did not benefit me - it did go on to benefit others in that family as I did break through a few brick walls for them. I also racked up some valuable experience. 

Where's Grandpa?

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