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The last year that I am aware of is 1948 when I was born. I was living with one of my Aunts on my Dad's side beginning in 1950 when my Dad reentered the Navy for the Korean Conflict. That tells me she was out of our lives sometime before that. Without getting into to many personal details, I have heard she may have moved to New York State . Waterbury could not find a marriage License.
As far as marriage records for Mildred for any time period, I have not found any. Possible marriage date for my Dad (Joseph L. Beausoleil) and Mildred as relayed to me by relatives as Feb. 4, 1947. No idea where or if this actually occurred.
Well, there is that Nov. 1959 record of travel from Cuba to NY with the Heckers (Esperanza and Nanette). So, the last person that we are aware of seeing/knowing your Mom is Nanette Hecker. (Given her birth date, Esperanza is likely no longer alive).
I think your next step should be sending a letter to Nanette, mentioning what you found. She was old enough in 1959 to have some recollection of traveling with your mother, especially as the travel was during a pretty dramatic time in Cuba. It could be a dead end, but you seem to have good luck with strangers helping you with your journey.
There is a record on Ancestry of a Mildred Galvin reentering the country thru port of New York from Havana, Cuba on November 9, 1959 as a US citizen returning and listing her residence as Windham, New York. The birth date matches my Moms exactly. It appears she may have been traveling with two other women who also listed their place of residence as Windham, New York. I have made one attempt today to contact the younger of the two women, left a message, and have not heard back. Not sure if the number was good as of yet. For a small town like Windham, NY what are the odds they were not traveling together? I will continue to pursue this avenue. Could not find a listing for Mildred Galvin in Windham, she might have been a renter or maybe even living with her fellow travelers.
Well, there is that Nov. 1959 record of travel from Cuba to NY with the Heckers (Esperanza and Nanette). So, the last person that we are aware of seeing/knowing your Mom is Nanette Hecker. (Given her birth date, Esperanza is likely no longer alive).
I think your next step should be sending a letter to Nanette, mentioning what you found. She was old enough in 1959 to have some recollection of traveling with your mother, especially as the travel was during a pretty dramatic time in Cuba. It could be a dead end, but you seem to have good luck with strangers helping you with your journey.
See my last post. We must have been typing at the same time. I will try sent out a few letters and see what comes back. Any Chance Mildred was living with them or renting a place from them?
Mr Skin, I'm wondering something. Did any of your new cousins mention the family's practicing religion? Were they practicing Catholics? Were you ever baptized in the Catholic Church, or another church? It's just a tidbit that may be worth asking about, just to give us ideas for sources of research.
See my last post. We must have been typing at the same time. I will try sent out a few letters and see what comes back. Any Chance Mildred was living with them or renting a place from them?
I don't know. My gut tells me that the time line with Castro's rise is important. As I mentioned earlier, it suggests that your mother wasn't just on a brief vacation in Cuba, but lived there for some time. I'm just talking out loud, but that *could* explain why you've been unable to find a trail for her in U.S. records.
The Heckers were back and forth between PR and NY in the 1950s, yet somehow ended up in Cuba at the same time. Somewhere along the way, they met your mother. Could be in NY, PR, or Cuba. The only person who *might* remember, is Nanette Hecker. Digging further into the PR and Cuba records might also lead to something, but, as I'm sure you've already discovered, those records are limited online.
MrBillM is great at finding current addresses for folks. You might send him a private message and ask if he could dig up a current address for Nanette for you (or perhaps he'll see this). Be sure he knows her birth date.
I have to say that you have done a WONDERFUL job of following your mother's trail. I can only imagine how frustrating it has been for you. You should, however, feel good at how much progress you have made. The idea of posting on the Waterbury facebook group was truly inspired! I was so glad that you were able to get a photo of your Mom with you as a baby. You're right; that is a treasure.
There is a record on Ancestry of a Mildred Galvin reentering the country thru port of New York from Havana, Cuba on November 9, 1959 as a US citizen returning and listing her residence as Windham, New York. The birth date matches my Moms exactly. It appears she may have been traveling with two other women who also listed their place of residence as Windham, New York. I have made one attempt today to contact the younger of the two women, left a message, and have not heard back. Not sure if the number was good as of yet. For a small town like Windham, NY what are the odds they were not traveling together? I will continue to pursue this avenue. Could not find a listing for Mildred Galvin in Windham, she might have been a renter or maybe even living with her fellow travelers.
I also haven't been able to find any record of Esperanza or Nanette Hecker in Windham. That could have just been a convenient address for them to use as they exited Cuba after Castro took over.
Mr Skin, I'm wondering something. Did any of your new cousins mention the family's practicing religion? Were they practicing Catholics? Were you ever baptized in the Catholic Church, or another church? It's just a tidbit that may be worth asking about, just to give us ideas for sources of research.
Mildred was Baptized at St. Peter and Paul's Church in Waterbury, CT. I do not know when. Waterbury Vital Statistics had made a notation on her birth cert. that they had received a copy of it and dated it June 27, 1944.
I was baptized, don't recall when. First Holy Communion was made in Michigan, as my dad and step-mom had moved there for work (Short time maybe three years) then back to Connecticut. My Confirmation was in Waterbury, CT.
The fact that Mildred was Baptized at a Catholic Church leads me to believe they were all raised Catholic although as I mentioned they were put in homes at a young age and may not have been raised that way.
Interesting side note: Handwritten notation on my Mom"s birth cert. copy indicates that a copy was mailed to New York on 10/29/59. Does not say where in New York. Timing relatively close to the Travel from Cuba. Interesting!
Something else I just realized is that even though she was out of the picture for about 10 years, Her name was still Galvin when she returned. I'm not saying that it is still Galvin.
Something else I just realized is that even though she was out of the picture for about 10 years, Her name was still Galvin when she returned. I'm not saying that it is still Galvin.
Yes, this is interesting and important as it tells us she probably wasn't married at that point.
Also interesting is the fact that she requested her birth certificate in 1959. What I noticed on that travel record is that she (and the heckers) did not have passport number on their visa document. I wonder if it was possible to travel into the U.S. with a birth certificate proving citizenship instead of a passport in the 1950s? Still, that doesn't mean she was in NY in October 1959. The birth certificate could have been mailed or delivered to her in Cuba.
My understanding is that after Castro took over, there was much hope that things would be OK, but then the situation in Cuba started quickly deteriorating. You might want to do some research on that time period (1959) in Cuba, and its effect on Americans living there. Did people continue to go for vacations in Cuba after Castro was named prime minister? Not sure, but worth learning about Cuba during that time as it is part of your Mom's story, even if she was only there for a few weeks.
Last edited by RosieSD; 10-29-2017 at 10:52 PM..
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