"My great grandmother Eliza was born in 1888 to labourer George Hale and his wife Harriett Seagrave. I found them in the 1881 census records, living in Burton upon Trent with three young children: George, Mary Ann and Caroline. Eliza would be born seven years later.
"Happy that George Hale was Eliza’s father, my parents and I went to visit cemeteries in Hampshire and Wiltshire connected with his branch. We spent time researching the Hales quite far back.
"A few years ago, I took another look at Eliza’s birth record and noticed that no father was listed, only her mother Harriett Hale. Having more experience of genealogy by then I realised that this meant Eliza was illegitimate. All of my previous knowledge of her was thrown into jeopardy.
"I decided to research other men who Harriett may have been connected with. I found her on the 1891 census, living in Burton upon Trent with her children George, Mary Ann and two-year-old Eliza. Tragically, Caroline had passed away in 1881.
"The family was boarding with a carter called James Harrison. Perhaps Harriett had left George Hale, or he had died. It’s a common name and there were too many candidates to research.
"On the census, Harriett was listed as married, not widowed, so perhaps the marriage had fallen apart. Sadly, she died in 1892 at the age of 35, leaving a young family behind. Eliza was sent to live with her aunt, Mary Hill.
"I felt confident that James Harrison was the most likely candidate to be Eliza’s natural father. He was born in 1860 in Stretton, Staffordshire, to John and Eliza Harrison. His mother’s name caught my attention for obvious reasons.
"James didn’t marry after Harriett died, and didn’t appear to have any more children. Could I prove that he was Eliza’s father?
"I took an AncestryDNA test in 2015, but no living relatives came up for George Hale. However, it was a different story for James Harrison. Several matches linked my dad and me to descendants of James’s aunt Selina, his maternal grandmother and his half-brother named Charles.
"Solving the mystery after so many years was really thrilling. But as I delved deeper into James’s life, the story became even more enthralling.
"While searching on Ancestry’s website, I was surprised to see James listed in the collection ‘UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846–1912’. I was able to obtain his patient notes from Staffordshire Record Office after proving that we were connected through our DNA.
"Initially, I thought that James must have been admitted for depression. By then, I’d discovered that Harriett and James had had another child, John, who was named after his paternal grandfather. Tragically baby John died two years before his mother, and the loss must have been unbearable.
"The detailed case notes revealed the true story. It was shocking to read that he had been admitted to the workhouse in Burton upon Trent in the 1890s after being kicked in the head by a horse
and suffering brain damage.
"The story became even more astonishing when I read that James was admitted to Burntwood Lunatic Asylum, Staffordshire, in 1897 for attempting to murder the master of the workhouse. He had acute mania which made him prone to violence, and he spent time in a padded room. As a result of the accident, James had gone deaf and struggled to communicate.
"He had no hobbies or interests, although the notes stated that he was 'useful on the asylum farm'. He kept himself to himself, and chanted about the Devil at times.
"Reading all of this made me cry. The records included a photograph of James as a middle-aged man. Seeing his face and noticing the physical resemblance to family members was very emotional.
"James was transferred to Cheddleton Mental Hospital, Staffordshire, in 1914 and later to a similar institution near Huddersfield, Storthes Hall. I’ve yet to discover his death record, but know he spent more than 35 years in mental hospitals.
"Instinct tells me that Eliza wasn’t told about James, because of the stigma of illegitimacy and mental illness. She named George Hale as her father on her marriage certificate, so she must never have known the truth.
"My living family didn’t know about James, but now he can take his rightful place on our tree. He would have been lost to us forever if my DNA test hadn’t proved our connection."