COLUMBUS -- John Naylor said he now feels complete.
The 63 year old from Gloucester, England, has found family he never knew existed here in Nebraska.
For most of his life Naylor didn’t know about his American relations. But in 1993, after his mom, Mary, died, his aunt told him his birth father was an American soldier.
Surprised and shocked to learn the truth, Naylor tried to do a bit of research about John Rains, of Giltner, the only information he had about his birth father. He had no luck.
Naylor was going to let it go, but one of his three sons managed to find an address for a John Rains of Nebraska through an Internet census search earlier this year.
Naylor and his wife, Sue, wrote a letter to John Rains, assuming it was his birth father. It was actually John Rains Jr., Naylor’s brother.
Rains Jr., of Columbus, recalled receiving the letter on a Saturday morning.
“It was quite a surprise. I sat in my vehicle for about 15 minutes to let it sink in,” Rains Jr. said.
The letter explained who Naylor was and that he hoped for further contact with the Rains family, though Naylor would understand if the family wouldn’t be accepting of it.
Rains Jr. waited a while to share the letter with his family; he needed some time to let it sink in. He said he knew it was possible he could have a sibling in England because he father was stationed there during World War II. He first told his sister, Kathy, about it. They decided to let their other siblings and the rest of the family know as well.
It was three weeks after Naylor wrote the letter that he received one back. Naylor read that his father had died in 1999, but the Rains family, which consists of nine brothers and sisters, wanted to get to know him.
They shared correspondence through e-mail and set up a reunion where Naylor would be able to come to Columbus to meet his siblings and other members of his family. That reunion occurred Saturday.
The reception Naylor has received has been loving.
“When I wrote the letter, I didn’t know who existed. I didn’t want to upset anyone. I’ve had such a welcoming from the family,” he said.
His resemblance to John Rains Sr. has been pointed out by his American family members as well.
Though his existence was unknown to most, one person at the reunion did know about him. His aunt, Mabel Ruebsamen, of Grand Island, sister of John Rains Sr., was just a little girl when her older brother went to war.
Rains Sr. served for four years, and Ruebsamen remembers conversations her parents had about her brother and Mary, the woman he met and loved in England. Ruebsamen’s mother had even sent and received letters and photos from Mary.
Ruebsamen also knew about Naylor. But she kept it to herself, explaining things were different back then and some things just stayed in the family. That is why she never told anyone about Naylor. But that didn’t stop her from wondering about her nephew. “I often wondered, ‘Where is that little boy?’” Ruebsamen said.
Two months ago, after Naylor sent the letter, she stopped wondering.
On Saturday, “Auntie Mabel”, as Naylor loving calls her, sat across the table from her nephew. She said she never hesitated for a moment to welcome him into her life.
“He’s my blood,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Naylor said he had a wonderful family before meeting those in Nebraska. His mom and the man he thought was his birth dad were loving people. He also has three other brothers who live in the United Kingdom. But he is happy to have found the other half of his family.
“This whole week’s been awesome. I can’t put it into words,” he said.
Though he wasn’t able to meet his birth father, he has gotten to meet most of his siblings. Becky Leslie, one of John’s new siblings from Columbus, said she feels her father and a higher power had a part in uniting the family.
“I think he (my dad) would be very happy,” she said.
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