U.S. Soldier’s German Child (The Research)

More than 100,000 babies were born to unwed German mothers in the ten years following World War II. Their fathers, from Allied forces, left Germany without ever meeting them.

The children conceived during this time are nearing retirement and are still seeking answers. With the increased popularity of DNA testing, they have an avenue to explore their biological heritage. After all these years, with DNA detective skills, many will learn who their biological father was.

The War Babes Act

According to gitrace.org, “War Babes” was a British-based organization established in the 1980s.  They assisted adults born to American service members during World War II (or other relevant periods.)  In 1989, they took out a class-action suit against the American Defense Department for refusing to release information about GI fathers.  On November 16, 1990, the War Babes organization settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government.  The settlement included:

Many children were born to U.S. service members who knew nothing about their father. With the advancement of DNA technology and the popularity of DNA testing sites, these individuals will soon identify men who might be their fathers. GI Trace has made it possible for those children to obtain military records on their suspected fathers to see if the files match their history.

My Friend, A War Babe

My friend was one of these “war babes.” She was born in Germany in the 1960s. Her biological father was in the Army, and her birth mother was a German woman. The couple had a two-year affair, and my friend was their second daughter.  Her biological mother could not raise two children alone, so she placed my friend up for adoption.

Her biological mother was German, so it would probably be more challenging to find her.  We started researching her DNA on Ancestry.com, looking for information about her father.  Her closest matches lived in the United States and appeared to be Americans; thus, her paternal side.

There was a strong presence in Bradley, Tennessee, and somehow she was connected to the Epperson family. Although I was not sure this was her paternal surname, it was indeed a possibility.  Many of her DNA matches had links to several generations in the Epperson family.

As the weeks progressed, I narrowed her tree down quite a bit.  I created a family tree and added in her DNA matches (according to their trees), and pieced the family tree puzzle together, one person at a time.  There was one cousin match I couldn’t figure out. His family was from Roane County, Tennessee, and had the surname Cook. I looked at his tree and could not find the connection. I then searched his Cook tree for the name Epperson, and bingo! One of his aunts had married an Epperson.  If he was a Cook and not an Epperson, why did he share DNA with my friend?

His aunt (Daughter Cook) and her husband (Son Epperson) must have been the direct ancestors of my friend.  She had DNA from the Cook side and the Epperson side. I needed this hint because my friend matched the Cook side of his tree (his relatives) and the Epperson side of the tree (not his relatives.)  This match helped me figure out who my friend’s paternal grandparents were.

After studying her DNA matches and their family trees, she descended from Joseph Thompson and Mary Mercer from the mid-1800s. I was perplexed. On the paternal line, there can only be eight couples who are 2nd great-grandparents. I was confused because this tree already had eight teams who were 2nd great-grandparents. What was I missing?

The next morning I decided to go back to the tree and see what I was missing.

There it was! She had a 2nd great-grandmother named Elizabeth Thompson on the Epperson side, whose parents were unknown. I researched and discovered that Elizabeth Thompson’s brother was Joseph Thompson, who was married to Mary Mercer. His parents must have been Elizabeth Thompson’s parents.

When genealogists reach a dead-end with someone, it can be helpful to research a sibling, especially a brother, because men generally have more historical records available. I studied Joseph and found him in the census as a son of James W. Thompson. James was her 3rd great-grandfather. Not only was this a significant breakthrough for me, but other researchers had gone years without knowing who Elizabeth Thompson’s father was. Adding the Thompson relatives to the existing tree could be done without adding a new branch.

These breakthroughs left me knowing who my friend’s grandparents were. Her biological father had to be one of their sons. I began researching each of these children and discovered only one had been in the military during the 1960s. As I tracked down his information, I learned that he was married at the time and was the father of three children. This gentleman is deceased now (my friend’s father), but his children are living. Their mother is still living, so any “news” could be pretty upsetting to this family.

The man I believe is my friend’s biological father was Mr. Epperson. He was born in Tennessee in the early 1920s and died in Georgia before 2005. He was in the Army (out of Ft. Benning, Georgia) and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam as a Staff sergeant.  He was married and had three children at home.

My Friend’s Adoptive Parents

An American couple in their mid to late 40s adopted my friend. Her (adoptive) father served in the Army (out of Ft. Benning, Georgia) during World War II, in Korea, and in Vietnam.  During Vietnam, he was in Berlin, Germany. He served on MACV Team 100 and died at 48 in Gia Dinh, the Hồ Chí Minh Municipality.  My friend was only eight years old when her father died.

Her (adoptive) mother was very open and shared many details about her adoption.  She impressed upon my friend that her mother wanted to keep her, but finances prohibited it. My friend’s adoptive mother died in 2009.

Coincidences Between Biological and Adoptive Father

• Both men were in the Army
• Both men served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam
• Both men were out of Ft. Benning, Georgia
• Both men were serving in Vietnam and stationed in Berlin, Germany

Her German Mother

My friend recounted the stories her adoptive mother shared.  Her birth mother, Brigitte Lange, was German, slender, and petite.  She was in love with a U. S. Soldier stationed in Germany and had a multi-year relationship with him.  Their first daughter was born in 1959, and my friend was born in 1961.  When Brigette became pregnant with their second daughter, the relationship ended, leaving Brigette to care for both girls. According to the story, the German authorities would not allow a single mother to have two children and receive financial assistance. Ms. Lange decided to place her second daughter up for adoption.

My friend described the day her parents took her to court for the final adoption. Ms. Lange and her eldest daughter were present. Ms. Lange spoke about meeting another U. S. serviceman and was hoping to marry and move to the United States.

We had no idea what had become of Brigette or her daughter. I searched through many records but was unable to find them. My friend’s DNA matches yielded few clues. All we could do was wait.  We knew Susanne’s sister’s name was Martina Lange, but what happened to her?  We could only wonder.

My research yielded this interesting document.  This child, Martina Lange was the right age, she came over to the United States from Stuttgart, Germany. Had Martina come to the United States with her mother?  Now, we wait.