Jimmy K.

A family secret has recently been exposed, one that changed the lives of my cousins after it was revealed. It was after the death of their mother that they noticed a discrepancy in the dates of marriage and birth, navy discharge and relocation. My aunt had already given birth to the twins, and her marriage date was after her husband returned from his service overseas in 1945. This secret was held tight by my aunt, and until her sister shared it with other family members it would have stayed that way. The dates not lining up was not the real secret - it was the name of the birth father, Jimmy K., not Bill S., that left us all speechless.

While the secret is by today's standards no big deal, in the '40's and in a family that was pretty tight, this was a difficult situation to be in. As a mother, I understand that you put your children first, and do what you can to give them a stable and safe home. So I assume that when my aunt found she was pregnant, she expected Jimmy to step up. I guess he did not -either because he didn't want to, or from pressure from his family. The rumor is that his family was "well off" and wanted him to "stay away from that Bolles girl." Either way, and it may be that he didn't even know about his upcoming fatherhood, my aunt made the choice to marry Bill. And he was a real hero, marrying a woman (really just a girl, 19 at the time) with babies that were not his, and raising them as if they were. My cousins tell that he was a wonderful dad, and even though when they look back now they can recall things that gave hints as to the situation, he made every effort to be a great dad.

With the secret out, there is a new consideration: finding Jimmy K.