James Hayes was my biological great-grandfather. Essentially, he and his wife were the first common DNA ancestors I shared with another person (my second cousin) on my completely unknown-to-anyone (even himself) paternal grandfather's side.
This enabled me to then communicate to most of James' grandchildren and ask them to take DNA tests to see which one of their parents was my grandfather.
From the records available, James himself didn't seem to live an outrageous life. Like nearly all British men of his age, he served in the Great War. Though he was perhaps fortunate enough never to be deployed overseas, his willingness to fight and the years he sacrificed to learn how to do so
will be remembered.
His full story can be found here.
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