I am searching for my grandfather John J. Ryan. The only definite info I have is his name.

Here's the story:

My family is from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada although when these events took place, Newfoundland was a Dominion and not part of Canada (which makes records more difficult to track down).

My grandmother Nellie (Helen) Ryan married John J. Ryan in the early 1930's and my father, John J. Ryan, was born in April, 1933. Unfortunately, 8 months later in December Nellie died from tuberculosis. Now I don't know where grandfather John was but while my grandmother was in hospital, Dad lived with his grandmother Warren.

I only have bits and pieces I've heard through the years.

1. The Warren family hated Dad's father John J Ryan.

2. He was supposedly American, from what I was told, from New York.

3. He must have been in the U.S. while Nellie was sick and that's why Dad lived with his grandmother Warren while Nellie was sick and after she passed.

4. When grandfather Ryan came back to Newfoundland, the Warrens refused to let him see Dad. My great aunt told me when grandfather Ryan came to the front door, they would sneak Dad out the back and hide him. I have no idea how long this went on.

5. Dad lived with his grandmother Warren until she died in 1942 and then with his aunt Mae. There were 2 Newfoundland censuses after Dad was born and he's not listed as a member of his grandmother's household on the first or in his aunt Mae's on either.

6. The Warrens raised Dad to hate his father and even though on his birth certificate his name is Ryan, all his life he went by John J. Warren.

7.When Dad was 15 or 16 his grandmother Ryan found him and tried to talk him into moving to the U.S. with her. This would have been 1947/48. He refused and told her he didn't want anything to do with her.

8. I found this out when my parents divorced when I was 18. My mother gave me 2 photos of Nellie and one of Nellie and John J. I also have her wedding ring and a pair of silver cufflinks she gave John for Christmas, 1932.

9. My father refused to talk about any of this. What little I know is what my mother was told by Dad's aunt who raised him after his grandmother Warren died.

There's no one alive here who can give my any further information. I have my father's birth certificate but it just gives his father's name as John Ryan without any place of residence. I need to track down Nellie and John's marriage certificate and hopefully his home will be listed on that.

Some ideas I've been considering:

Dad's grandmother Ryan came here just after WWII and I wonder if she did so because Dad's father died in the war. Maybe he never remarried and Dad was her only grandchild.

Grandfather John J. Ryan might have been a sailor. A lot of ships come through St. John's harbour and it would explain why he wasn't here during Nellie's illness. None of the Warrens would have tried to notify him and even if Nellie herself wrote him about it, it would have taken a long time for him to receive a letter if his ship was at sea.