My grandparents split up in 1967.
Afterward, my grandfather was living with his girlfriend until 1973 when he had a stroke. She had left him either shortly before or after, and the stroke (though not utterly debilitating) forced him to move back home with my grandmother. He died two years later.
They were together from roughly 1964 to 1973, if not earlier. When they both worked at the World’s Fair in 1964-1965 together, she worked for Traveler’s Insurance. He would bring him gifts from her to my mother and siblings (although, of course, neither my grandma or them knew who they were from at the time). She also came to my aunt’s wedding in late 1972, though she kept a very low key (sat away from everyone) and only my aunt knew she was there (and didn’t get the chance to really talk to her anyway). She had a desire to know my mother and siblings but the opportunity never arose. Even after their breakup, my grandfather would pine for her openly to my mother, even in the months leading up to his death. He took a film of her at the World’s Fair, so I also know what she looked like.
I know the address they shared from at least 1967-1972. A basement apartment in a house in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, NY. I know the exact address.
I would like to try to find out her name, and if she is still alive, see if she has any stories to tell or any pictures/films of my grandfather. My grandmother doesn’t like to talk about him obviously, and she is the only person alive who would have known him well as a person. All his siblings are long dead. She has also blocked access to all vintage photographs, and even if she hadn’t, I don’t speak to her.
Would anyone like to help me solve the mystery identity of the woman?
Well, voters rolls from the period should show you who was living at the address in Sheepshead bay for the years concerned. That would at least give you a name.
No idea how it works in New York, I’m afraid. Local libraries? Some department of state or local government?
I’m pretty sure that consulting old records like this is meat and drink to genealogical/family history researchers, so if you hang out for a while in forums where such matteers get discussed, somebody will turn up who knows how to access them.
I’m just guessing, but it seems logical that local goverment would have property tax info about the property and its owners.
(But if they were just renting, and not the owners of the house, it may not help )
You could look up the death notices from when your grandfather died. She may have placed one or been mentioned in one.
You don’t mention if your mother or aunt are still alive, or your aunt’s husband or anyone else who knew them both and could tell you her name. Your grandfather’s sibling’s descendants would be a good point of contact. Asking the right question of the people you already know is likely to pay off more handsomely than searching for this lady. Look for your grandfather’s nieces and nephews, and check sources like Ancestry to see if you can find a historian who is working on the family tree. They might have photos.
Did they change the rules on accessing individual records from the census? ISTR that the household data from the 1940 census was made available earlier this decade*, and thought that they don’t release individual data until 70 years after the census. I believe the 70 years rule is meant to assure that most adults listed in the census would be dead by the time the data is released.
The census data is not organized all that well, but the 1940 data is organized by address; that is, you can put in an intersection and get the data from the households near there in a census division. I found my mother’s family this way. It was pretty cool seeing their info.
The most recent census that has been released is 1940. There is a 72 year delay. The 1970 data is just general data on the population as a group.
Marriage records should be a big help, and if they were divorced that would have a court record also. Unfortunately they are old enough they will probably not be online.
He doesn’t know her name. In addition, that index is not complete, as it is not an official publication from the SSA. My father, for instance, does not appear on that index even though all the information was given to the SSA.
Here is a link for the New York voter registers. Without a name to go by, the OP would probably have to hire a professional genealogist, but even then the information provided is very sparse. One source that may help would be a city directory for that year. City directories used to list a spouse and even an occupation, but I don’t know if more modern ones would provide that much info.
In the dark ages before Google and the Internet existed, the New York Public Library telephone reference desk was famous for helping people research obscure questions. Looking at the NYPL website, I don’t see that service still offered, but they do have a webform to ask them for help.
Are you near New York yourself? Go to a public library and ask the reference department for R. L. Polk and/or Haines Criss Cross street directories. You can look up the address and see what names were listed there for the years in question.
