0:00:02 > 0:00:04Actress Christina Applegate is going on a quest to uncover
0:00:04 > 0:00:06what happened to the grandmother she never knew.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09What happened to you, Lavina? Where did you go?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12She finds a family's downward spiral...
0:00:12 > 0:00:15So they're really not doing well.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18..and a contentious battle over her father.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I'm just angry at these two people. I'm so angry at them.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Before her journey is over,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Christina discovers the truth about her grandmother's life...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Oh, my God. SHE GASPS
0:00:29 > 0:00:30...and her death.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34It's possible that everything my grandfather was saying was true.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Finally closing the book on her father's troubled childhood.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42To have a deeper understanding and a deeper love for my dad,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44that's why I'm here.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Born into a show business family, Emmy Award-winning actress
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and producer, Christina Applegate, began her career in commercials,
0:01:28 > 0:01:33films and television series, before landing the break-out part of
0:01:33 > 0:01:38ditzy bombshell Kelly Bundy in the hit comedy Married With Children.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The 11-year role catapulted Christina into superstardom.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And, more recently, she's found success on both big
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and small screens.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Christina and her husband, Martyne LeNoble,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54are parents to two-year-old Sadie, and live in Hollywood, California.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I was born here in Los Angeles.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01And I grew up in Laurel Canyon.
0:02:01 > 0:02:07My mom and dad separated when I was about five months old.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And he moved up to Big Sur.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11So, I grew up with my mom.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16My dad and mother split up when I was so young.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I didn't get to spend the kind of time with him
0:02:19 > 0:02:24that I think either he or I would have liked to have spent.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But since I've had Sadie, he's spent a lot more time down here,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29which has been really nice.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32You know, we're bonded because of blood,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34but we're also bonded because I'm part of him
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and part of his personality.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I know my grandfather's first name. His name is Paul, Paul Applegate.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Now, my grandmother, I never met.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45We know she died young.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49And my father never knew her.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I want to know why my grandmother couldn't take care of him.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Not just because of her age. There has to be another reason.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03He's heard rumours of how she died, and it's pretty awful.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07But I want to know if it's true.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09A couple years ago,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14my sister was able to locate my father's birth certificate.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16She was able to get it through records in New Jersey.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And on that, we learned his mother's name, Lavina.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Before that, my father did not know his mother's name if you asked him.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I think I want to go on this journey
0:03:27 > 0:03:30because I've watched my father be in a lot of pain of not knowing
0:03:30 > 0:03:34who he is, and having to make up stories in his mind in order
0:03:34 > 0:03:38to cope with whatever memories he's, he's pushing back.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Um... I don't know if it's great to live a life that long with not
0:03:43 > 0:03:45knowing who you are.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50'Today, my father's driving down from up north in northern California...'
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- Hey, Dad. - Hey, pumpkin. How are you?- Good.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00'..so that we can sort of discuss what he remembers so I can...'
0:04:00 > 0:04:06move forward and open up this book and close this book for him.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- So, all we have is this.- Yeah.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Believe it or not, this is my birth certificate.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Ah-ha.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18New Jersey Department of Health - Bureau of Vital Statistics.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24Wow. So it says here that you were born November 10th, 1942.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29- I know. And that amazes me. - Which would make you...71.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Yeah, something like that - 70, 71. But here's the confusion.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- I-I always thought I was older. And let me tell you why.- OK.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- I'll tell you a little story.- Wait. No, it would make you 70.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- 70, yeah.- Oh, my God, of course, cos I was born... I'm sorry.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- Yeah, well, math has never been one of our great subjects.- It's not. OK, so Lavina Shaw...
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Yeah. Yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- ..was your mother. And Paul Applegate, which we knew.- Yeah.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Is the mother married to the father? Yes.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56OK...
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- And the address is 522 Market Street, Trenton, New Jersey.- Yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03OK. So, birthplace, hers was New Jersey and his was New Jersey.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07So, both of them were both born in New Jersey.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Paul Applegate, we don't know where he came from.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Your grand... I mean, his parents.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Well, his mother is the one that raised me.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I thought it was HER mother. Oh, it was HIS mother?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21What, my mother's mother? Oh, no, no. No, it was his mother.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24And then when my grandmother got to the point where she got a little
0:05:24 > 0:05:30senile and older, that's when I finally went up to live with my dad,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and...I think I was 14.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35You know, him and I never really talked about too much.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- And now what about Lavina? - Well, she died young.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Yeah. When did you find that out?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Because that I don't remember ever hearing.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Yeah, my grandmother, very nonchalantly at the breakfast table, said,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48"Oh, by the way - your mother died."
0:05:50 > 0:05:53You... And so she would have been like, what, how old, do you think?
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- Cos you would have been how old? - When she passed away?- Yeah.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I'm going to assume I was like, seven, eight years old,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01so she had to be like 28, 29 years old maybe.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Wow. I mean, what...?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06This is some of the stuff I'm so interested in finding out.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07I know. What happened to her? Why?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10You know, my grandmother told me a story that -
0:06:10 > 0:06:12I don't know why you would ever tell a child something like this -
0:06:12 > 0:06:17but she told me that she was found outside a bar, dead, beaten to death.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20And uh...
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Yeah, I don't want... I don't want to think my mother was...yeah, died like that.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- Well, let's hope that that's not true.- Yeah.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Yeah, that's heavy.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Oh, Dad. This is crazy.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- This is going to be crazy. - I know it is, yeah.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- After all these years...- I know.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45..to finally get the chance to find out who I am. Who WE are.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Christina knows that her grandmother's name
0:06:48 > 0:06:52was Lavina Shaw, and that her grandparents lived in New Jersey.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56So to find out more, she's heading to Trenton, the state capital.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12I am hoping to find why my grandparents, Paul and Lavina,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14made the decision to have my father live with his grandmother.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Or did they make that decision?
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Was it a state decision?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Why couldn't they take care of him?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23These are questions that I think my dad is fuzzy on and I really want to know.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29To get some advice on researching the life of Lavina and her family,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Christina is meeting genealogist Joseph Shumway at the Office of Vital Statistics.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40Joseph has asked the state registrar to search for Christina's grandparents' marriage certificate,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44while he examines Christina's father's birth certificate for any more clues.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Here we have my father's name, Robert William Applegate,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51born to Paul Applegate and Lavina Shaw.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54And it does say the parents are married. And she was...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56- She was 21.- ..21 at the time.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Which I guess back then wasn't that young to be married.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01No, it was not. No, it was...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- These days it's... - It was a pretty typical age.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05You know, you wait till you're 40.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08And the marriage record should give us very helpful information.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Clues about Lavina before she married...
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- And her parents too. - Right.- And all of that.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Hi.- Hi. We found something for you.- Great.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19We're in luck, we found your grandparents' marriage certificate.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24All right,
0:08:24 > 0:08:30the full name was Paul Schallar Applegate and Lavina Victorine Shaw.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- What an awesome name.- Yeah, isn't that an interesting and unique name?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Lavina Victorine. I love it.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And Schallar, or Shallar.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41And the other thing that it does give us here, which is very important,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- is her birth date.- Yeah, that's right. October 9th, 1921.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And she was 19.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52And they married Trenton, New Jersey in June of '41. OK.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57My grandmother's parents' name is Ovid.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58- So this is Ovid Shaw. - Yeah, Ovid Shaw.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- And Lavina Weaver? - Right.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Interesting. Those are names I've never heard before.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Christina has discovered her great-grandfather's name, Ovid Shaw,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and that her grandmother, Lavina Shaw,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14was named after her mother, Lavina Weaver.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16But the question remains -
0:09:16 > 0:09:20when and how did Christina's grandparents become estranged?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26The residence, at least of my grandfather, I guess,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- was... I can't read what that says. - Yeah, 271.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31271 East Front Street, Trenton, New Jersey.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And she was 522 Market Street.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36So they weren't living together prior to that time.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- When they got married. But you wouldn't back then.- Right.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43But it is interesting that she is living at 522 Market Street
0:09:43 > 0:09:46which is the same address where she was living when your dad was born.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- So, that...- OK. - ..is a bit of a mystery.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53So maybe she was living on her own?
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Because I don't think they were... After my father was born,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59I don't think Lavina and Paul were together,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02so that's where I would have to find, like, a divorce certificate
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- kind of thing to find out where we go from there.- Right.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07What we can do is divide and conquer,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10where I can search to see if there was a divorce record.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And so I will work on that to see if we can find information about Lavina after the marriage.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17What you can do is, with the new clues that we have here,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21it would be helpful to find out more information about Lavina
0:10:21 > 0:10:24before she married, because if we learn more about a person's
0:10:24 > 0:10:27earlier life, we can gather clues that maybe help us understand...
0:10:27 > 0:10:28- Yeah.- ..their choices better.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31And I would suggest making the next stop the Trenton Public Library...
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- OK.- ..which is a great resource for local Trenton history.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- All right.- Thank you so much. - You bet.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42So, the marriage certificate was a great wealth of information
0:10:42 > 0:10:44just to know my grandmother's parents' names.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49But it doesn't explain the question, which is what happened to Lavina,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51where did she disappear to,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53why was she not in my father's life?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57While Joseph is searching for court documents
0:10:57 > 0:11:02about Christina's grandparents after 1941, when they married,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Christina is going to the Trenton Free Public Library.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08She's meeting the library director, Kimberly Matthews,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11to try to investigate Lavina's early life.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Kimberly has suggested looking for any mention of Lavina in the local papers.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19They're starting with the Trenton Evening Times.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Since we're looking for that time period, you know,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23maybe a little before your grandmother was born,
0:11:23 > 0:11:29let's go ahead and put in... Let's say 1918 to 1941.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30All right.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32There we go. An engagement notice.
0:11:32 > 0:11:351919. OK.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- So there we have your great-grandparents.- Wow!
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Oh...
0:11:43 > 0:11:47That's so beautiful to see that.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- Wow, that's Ovid. What a handsome guy.- Yeah.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54He looks like my dad, he looks a lot like my dad.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And look at you, Lavina, my great-grandmother.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04All right. Amazing. Wow.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07All right. What's this about? 1934.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Uh-oh.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Lavina and Delilah Shaw.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Oh, my gosh.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Wow.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26OK. So, my grandmother, Lavina, she had a sister named Delilah.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- Looks like.- OK.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32That is... That's my family. That's my dad's mouth.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37It's so awesome just to see it all, the threads... It's incredible.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43"Society Business Sessions, Card Parties and Benefit Affairs."
0:12:43 > 0:12:46All right, "Daughters of Mr and Mrs Ovid Shaw,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48"who have returned from an extended visit
0:12:48 > 0:12:50"with relatives and friends in Elizabeth.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52"During their visit, they made an automobile tour
0:12:52 > 0:12:54"of parts of New York and Pennsylvania
0:12:54 > 0:12:57"as the guests of Mr and Mrs Louis Leonard."
0:12:57 > 0:13:00What happened, from this well-to-do family, and...
0:13:01 > 0:13:04..to not take care of my dad?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06So where do we go from here?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I think one of the next places we could go,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11since this is 1934 - why don't we check the 1940 census?
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- Lavina...- Shaw.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17OK. So here we go.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21OK, so there's the Shaw family.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23This is when they lived on Market Street.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27OK. So Market Street was her parents' house.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29My grandmother was 18...
0:13:30 > 0:13:36Also, here's an interesting column which is weeks out of work.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Eight.- And so she's...
0:13:38 > 0:13:43Now, if we glance up, your great-grandfather...
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- Was out of work for 12 weeks.- Mm-hm. - Wow.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50So...
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- So it sounds like things are becoming a little more difficult. - They're not... OK.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57So, let's talk about this column right here.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02- OK. - These are the last grades attended.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06OK. So...eighth grade for my grandmother.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12OK. So, that's it. After eighth grade she was out of school.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- Right.- I wonder why?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Now, in an urban setting it was actually more the average
0:14:18 > 0:14:22that they would go to about the 11th and a half grade.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24But, by the time you've hit into the '40s now,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27the Depression has, has been here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- Everyone is struggling. So... - Right.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33..not getting past the eighth grade, that was common
0:14:33 > 0:14:38to some degree for families that were struggling.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42As soon as the children became able to bring in another income
0:14:42 > 0:14:45into the household, they would have wanted them to do that.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47But at this point, nobody's bringing anything into the household.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- Mm-hm. It doesn't appear so. - Oh, God. That makes me sad.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57So it wasn't, you know, looking at this family, thinking of
0:14:57 > 0:15:00living in this sort of well-to-do family,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03this was not what she was a part of, which explains a lot.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07What happened to you, Lavina, where did you go?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Where did she drop out?
0:15:12 > 0:15:17What I find really interesting is that Lavina remained at this address, 522 Market Street.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20She was there when she got married to my grandfather,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23she was there when she had my father...
0:15:24 > 0:15:30Paul and Lavina, from what it seems, never actually lived together.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33So what happened there, this is the big mystery -
0:15:33 > 0:15:35why were these two people not together,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38why did they not have their child?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I really hope to find that out.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Genealogist Joseph Shumway at the Office of Vital Statistics
0:15:53 > 0:15:55has found a large number of court documents
0:15:55 > 0:15:58relating to Lavina and Paul's marriage.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04To help decipher these court records,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Christina is meeting family law professor Meredith Schalick
0:16:08 > 0:16:11at the New Jersey State Library.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14OK. So the first document we're going to start with
0:16:14 > 0:16:16is actually a complaint...
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- A complaint.- ..that was filed by your grandmother.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- By my grandmother? - By your grandmother.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24- So she filed a complaint in 1942... - OK.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25..after they had separated.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- October...- Of 1942.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31OK. My father was born in November 1942,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34so my grandparents, they separated...
0:16:34 > 0:16:35They separated before he was born.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40So this complaint is actually
0:16:40 > 0:16:42her attempt to enforce
0:16:42 > 0:16:46the separation agreement that they created when they first separated.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Wait a minute. When did they FIRST separate?
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Well... Do you want to take a look?
0:16:49 > 0:16:54"Complainant, Lavina VS Applegate, says that following the said marriage,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57"she and the defendant resided in the said city of Trenton, New Jersey
0:16:57 > 0:17:01"until or around the 10th day of August." Wow. Oh, really?
0:17:01 > 0:17:02- Mm-hm.- OK.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- So for a couple of months. - And then they separated.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09"The defendant after his marriage to complainant..."
0:17:09 > 0:17:11OK, wait. Oh...
0:17:15 > 0:17:19"..began to treat her cruelly and brutally,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23"accusing her of immoral acts,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26"charging her that she was guilty of adultery
0:17:26 > 0:17:31"by reference calling her vile and indecent names..." Oh, God, Grandpa.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35"..and on various dates struck and...
0:17:35 > 0:17:37"and beat her..."
0:17:41 > 0:17:45"..on account of which she left him on or about the 10th day of August."
0:17:46 > 0:17:48SHE SIGHS OK.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53"In October 1941, defendant left the city of Trenton
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- "and took up his residence in Wilmington, Delaware."- Yes.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00So, my grandpa left. OK, so...
0:18:02 > 0:18:06"But subsequently on or about the 10th day of January 1942,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10"Lavina returned to him in Delaware."
0:18:10 > 0:18:11OK.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14And I think it's important to say
0:18:14 > 0:18:15that she went back to him
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- upon his promise to treat her properly.- Upon his pro...
0:18:22 > 0:18:24"Not withstanding his promise,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26"the defendant did not treat her properly...
0:18:28 > 0:18:31"..but resumed and continued his cruel...
0:18:34 > 0:18:37"..brutal and abusive treatment of her,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40"and did on or about the 13th day of May
0:18:40 > 0:18:43"pack most of complainant's clothes and personal effects
0:18:43 > 0:18:46"and tell her to get back to Trenton." So he kicked her out.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49"On the following day defendant called for complainant
0:18:49 > 0:18:51"and took her to the office of an attorney in Wilmington
0:18:51 > 0:18:54"where an agreement was drawn and signed by both of them.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57"Complainant did on the 14th day of May 1942,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59"in consequence of cruel and abusive treatment
0:18:59 > 0:19:02"leave him, and has ever since lived apart.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06"Under the terms and provisions thereof defendant
0:19:06 > 0:19:09"covenanted to pay complainant the sum of 15 per week."
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- So he then started giving her money. - Well, he was supposed to.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- He had to. OK. So he was supposed to give her 15 a week.- That's right.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- "Defendant has not made any of the weekly payments..."- Right.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20He didn't pay for anything.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23At least according to what she's saying.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Oh...
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It all is just like... It's making so much sense now.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Like, she probably had my father,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33- and she can't take care of him because she's 21 years old.- Mm-hm.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36She can't get work.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Of course, my dad has to be raised by his grandmother.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- All right. Let's see what happens here.- OK.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46So, what we don't have a copy of, but what I know from reading these documents,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51is back in the beginning of 1945 they divorced.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55At that time, the judge awarded custody to your grandmother.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57And Paul filed with the court
0:19:57 > 0:20:01asking for custody of your father, in June of 1945.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- So this is what we have as the most complete statement from Paul... - OK.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- ..about what's going on and why he thinks he should have custody.- OK.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13"In answer to my former wife's petition for alimony and counsel fees,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17"I say that I have read her petition and affidavit,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19"and the contents thereof are not true.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22"Particularly it is not true that my former wife
0:20:22 > 0:20:25"is without means of support except from her exertions."
0:20:25 > 0:20:28OK, so he's saying she is making money, she has a job.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- I shouldn't have to pay her alimony. - I shouldn't have to pay it. OK.- OK.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35So next, my grandfather Paul claims that even though
0:20:35 > 0:20:39he and my grandmother Lavina separated in May of 1942,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41he repeatedly asked her to reconsider,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43but she said no.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49"On January 10th, 1943 I learned that my wife had moved
0:20:49 > 0:20:50"in with Michael Constant."
0:20:50 > 0:20:56- So now he's saying that she's now living with this guy and my dad. - Yes.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58"They were arraigned on the charges of adultery."
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Because at that time adultery was against the law.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02- OK. So he had them arrested.- Yes.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04This is not even... Is this like a joke?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06This is insane.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09"She at that time made a statement
0:21:09 > 0:21:13"that she thought she would happier if I would grant her a divorce."
0:21:13 > 0:21:15So, my grandfather goes on to say that,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17although he agreed to divorce, he was still very much in love
0:21:17 > 0:21:21with my grandmother and hoped to reconcile.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Paul claims that one night Lavina asked him to pick up their son
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and take him to her apartment while she was out.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29So Paul says he waited for her there
0:21:29 > 0:21:33until early morning, at which time Lavina allegedly came home
0:21:33 > 0:21:36in a drunken stupor, and they ended up having sex.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37So clearly,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40they were still having relations, according to my grandfather.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42But it also looks like Lavina
0:21:42 > 0:21:45was still involved with this Michael Constant.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49My God, this is just nuts.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51"All this time the divorce was pending.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52"Finally the hearing came on.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54"After I refused support for her,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56"she accepted the money from me for the support of my son."
0:21:56 > 0:21:59So child support, no alimony.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00All right.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04So, these are the exhibits that attached to it,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and then this is the doctor note.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10OK. "To whom it may concern.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11"This is to certify
0:22:11 > 0:22:16"that I treated Robert William Applegate for pneumonia.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20"It was also my opinion that he was suffering from malnutrition."
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Malnutrition...
0:22:22 > 0:22:26I'm just angry at these two people. I'm so angry at them.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- OK...- OK.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35All right. Let's see what's going on with her.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36So this is...
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- Lavina's side.- This is Lavina's side to the whole thing.- That's right.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42June of '45. 1945.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45So Lavina refutes Paul's accusations,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48claiming that she never DID live with Michael Constant.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Then she alleges that my grandfather was always drunk
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and threatening, and that he never contributed to their baby's welfare.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58She asserts that she was a good mother, that she's never been
0:22:58 > 0:23:01in a drunken stupor, and that in my dad's two and a half years
0:23:01 > 0:23:06of life, the bout of pneumonia was the only time he was seriously ill.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09OK. But the doctor also said he was, he had malnutrition.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And she's saying that she always cared for my father.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14They're... OK.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15"I never left the baby alone.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18"And when, for any reason, I was obliged to go out,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22"I placed him in the care of my mother, or Mrs Ann Graham,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25"who occupies the apartment above." OK.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28She included statements from Ann Graham.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- This is her neighbour and landlord. - This is all?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Right. Sort of background about who she is.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35All right. "She's a good tenant.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38"She's never had any disturbances. She's always paid her rent.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41"There has never been any man in her apartment that stood there overnight.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44"In fact, I've never seen any other man there except for Paul Applegate.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47"I know that Mrs Applegate...
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"idolises her baby
0:23:50 > 0:23:53"and that she practically lives for him.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58"The baby has a sweet disposition and is as healthy as babies come."
0:23:58 > 0:24:00What's interesting to me, though,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04is in her rebuttal, she never makes mention of the abuse any more.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Wouldn't you think that
0:24:05 > 0:24:09if you were trying to win a custody battle, that you would say
0:24:09 > 0:24:14this guy is an abusive... beat me to a pulp, alcoholic.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15That's interesting.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19- Because if it was me, I would. Know what I mean? Let's skip on.- OK.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21This is the last court document we were able to find.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- OK.- OK.- All right. Goodness.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25- So this is the... - The final order.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- ..final order from...- This is... - June, so...- ..June 1945.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31After reviewing both sides,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- this is what now the judge has come to an agreement on.- That's right.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Of what's going to happen to my father. OK.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40So just before we go on to sort of what the judge ordered, just a little bit of context.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43At this point in the United States, when children were young,
0:24:43 > 0:24:48the courts almost automatically always gave custody to the mother.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52So, the only way that Paul could get custody
0:24:52 > 0:24:54was to prove Lavina unfit.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55- Interesting. OK.- OK?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58"After duly considering the petitions,
0:24:58 > 0:25:03"it appears that the defendant has failed to show,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06"by a preponderance of evidence, that the petitioner is unfit
0:25:06 > 0:25:09"and unqualified to retain custody of the infant child.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11"And that his welfare is best served by remaining in the custody
0:25:11 > 0:25:13"of the mother."
0:25:18 > 0:25:22He's going to continue to live with his mother.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24He said he never knew his mother
0:25:24 > 0:25:28and yet he lived with her for all of these years.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32- OK.- Well, at least until...- At least until this was signed.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Right. This is about, he's about two and a half.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Because maybe she is completely unfit,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and they have to take him away from her.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- OK.- Unfortunately, this is the last
0:25:41 > 0:25:44court order that we were able to find.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49But I want to know how he ends up at his grandmother's.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I would love to be able to tell you right now.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54"Here's a court order from 1947, and this is what happened."
0:25:54 > 0:25:57But we don't have that. And there could be lots of reasons
0:25:57 > 0:25:59why there aren't any other court orders.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00You know, they could be lost.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It could have been a private arrangement.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The other thing is that Lavina may have passed away.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10And that could be why custody was changing at that point.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Yeah. That's what happened.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14So, do you know when your grandmother passed away?
0:26:14 > 0:26:19OK. My dad said he was probably around eight.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- I think that we can go next door... - Yeah, OK.- ..to the State Archives.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26We might be able to find out when your grandmother passed away, if there's a death certificate.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- OK.- All right. - All right. Let's do it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30How about we go next door?
0:26:31 > 0:26:36'I think I knew coming in that there was something that was going to be'
0:26:36 > 0:26:38relatively undesirable.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43But I don't think that that prepared me at all
0:26:43 > 0:26:44for what I found out.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'It's hard to really be attached to one side of the story
0:26:49 > 0:26:52'or the other side of the story.'
0:26:52 > 0:26:57And I don't want to think ill thoughts about either of these people, but...
0:26:57 > 0:26:59you know, I do.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And it's sad, because those are my grandparents.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Meredith has already called ahead to Joe Klett,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13who's an archivist at the New Jersey State Archives.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14She's asked him to see
0:27:14 > 0:27:17if he can find a death certificate for Christina's grandmother.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19But since Lavina may have remarried,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Joe has been looking for a Lavina Applegate, Shaw or Constant.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Christina's dad says he was about eight
0:27:26 > 0:27:29when he was told his mother died.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So, Joe's been looking for death certificates from around 1950.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I don't know if that's the right certificate.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Yeah, this is it. - We didn't find anything under the other names.- This is it.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41This is her, because this is 522 Market Street.
0:27:41 > 0:27:49522 Market Street. Deed of Death, February 18th, 1946. OK.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53- But...- Wait a minute. What?
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Oh, this is her mother. Yeah, because there's Jacob Weaver.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02- Oh, yep.- She's a Weaver.- OK. - So, this is all we got.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Well, it did say that she died in 1946.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10- She dies in...- So that was soon after the custody battle.- Right.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14And I'm remembering Lavina said that her mother used to watch Bob
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- for her a lot while she was working. - Yeah.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- So maybe now her mother has passed away...- Right.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25..in addition to one of the childcare providers for her son.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28And that could be when my dad went
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- to live with his paternal - grandmother. Maybe.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34All right. What does this mean for me here?
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Maybe we should look online, to see if we can find maybe any newspaper articles or something,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- you know...- OK.- ..involving her name.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43And see, you know, maybe we can hit something there.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- Want to try that? - OK. Let's do that.- OK.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Why don't we do newspaper archives for New Jersey?
0:28:48 > 0:28:53I think maybe we should search by just her first name,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- because her first name is so unusual.- It's odd, yeah.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58OK.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02OK. And then, let's see. Let's do "died".
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- 1955.- So let's click on that
0:29:06 > 0:29:10and see if that first one gives us anything.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13- No. Walton?- Lavina Walton.
0:29:13 > 0:29:20Oh, my God. "Mrs Lavina V Walton, aged 33,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23"died at her home yesterday after a brief illness.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26"She was the wife of Charles Walton.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30"In addition to her husband, she is survived by son, Robert Applegate."
0:29:30 > 0:29:34There is no... Can't find a death certificate. Oh, Lavina Walton.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36- Well, now we have a last name. - Thank you. OK.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- Now we have a different last name to search under. - OK. Let's do it.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43- Let's see if we can find Joe to... - Aged 33. She was married to...
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Did you find some new information?
0:29:45 > 0:29:50Yes, we did. We want to look under a Lavina Walton.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51- Walton?- Uh-huh.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54- And what's the date of death? - 1955, April 1st.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56OK. Well, we'll see what we can find.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58- Great, thank you. - Great. Thanks, Joe.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01So, does '55 match up with about when...
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- Uh-uh.- ..your dad has a memory of? No?- Uh-uh.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10- '55, my dad would have been 13.- 13.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13But he says he lived with his grandmother the whole time before that.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15So his mother dies when he's around 13.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19And I know he went to go live with his father when he was 14.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Was he, like, still living with her, or...?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25But no, he swears up and down it was his grandmother.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29- He was with his grandmother at the time. - So, his grandmother raised the kids.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- I don't know, maybe this will open something up for him.- Maybe.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37- I think we found your certificate. - Oh, my goodness. OK.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Oh, my God.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48- "Lavina Walton, died March 30th, 1955."- OK.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52"She died of pulmonary tuberculosis with effusion
0:30:52 > 0:30:58"and cirrhosis of the liver, due to chronic alcoholism."
0:30:58 > 0:30:59Wow.
0:31:01 > 0:31:02So...
0:31:04 > 0:31:08..it's possible everything that my grandfather was saying was true.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15OK. She's buried...
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- OK.- And it says... - At Riverview...
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- ..Riverview Cemetery in Trenton, New Jersey.- So, she's here.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Yeah. Less than a mile away from here.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26All right.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30I guess we'll have to check her out.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Ay-yi-yi!
0:31:35 > 0:31:39- Well, I know it wasn't all the answers you wanted. - No.- But I think it gave you...
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I know. I know that we can't, we can't find the whys...
0:31:42 > 0:31:45- Unfortunately. - ..but, at least, you know,
0:31:45 > 0:31:52my father can know that her death wasn't something, you know, brutal.
0:31:53 > 0:32:00And that she just died of a disease. She died of a really bad disease.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02All right, thank you so much.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Well, it was really great to meet you.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Thank you. It was nice to meet you, too.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10'It's a sad story of a woman who had to be sacrificed
0:32:10 > 0:32:15'because of this disease. It can destroy many families.'
0:32:15 > 0:32:20And, consequently, lines of people after that.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23'And, you know, my father has lived his life thinking that it was
0:32:23 > 0:32:26'something really horrible that happened to Lavina.'
0:32:26 > 0:32:30So, it's really unfortunate.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31'It's very possible that
0:32:31 > 0:32:35'when my great-grandmother passed away my grandmother had to
0:32:35 > 0:32:37'give him up because she couldn't take care of him.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41'I mean, that's what I feel happened. But I will never know.'
0:32:43 > 0:32:46But it's been worth it for me to see
0:32:46 > 0:32:50who these people are and really, at the end of the day for me,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53the lesson of who my father is, you know.
0:32:55 > 0:33:01'And to have a deeper understanding and a deeper love for my dad.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:02That's why I'm here.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16I have asked my father to come here to Trenton
0:33:16 > 0:33:21so I can sit down with him and share with him the information.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24'I know some of the story is going to be really difficult for him to hear.'
0:33:24 > 0:33:28- How are we doing? - I'm good. How are you?
0:33:28 > 0:33:30- Good, good.- OK.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32- Yeah, here we go, huh?- Yep.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37All right, let me preface this by saying that
0:33:37 > 0:33:41I have received a lot of information.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46But I think that everything that I've abridged it down to here is
0:33:46 > 0:33:52going to kind of help you understand, I think, who your mother was.
0:33:52 > 0:33:53OK.
0:33:53 > 0:33:59The first stuff that I, that I found is they put a picture in the paper.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02So this would have made your mother about 14.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04And there's your mom.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05There's your mom.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07HE SOBS
0:34:11 > 0:34:13- Oh!- I know.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17'You know, we're not unique, this Applegate family.'
0:34:17 > 0:34:21We're just one of the darker ones, you know.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24'But what we all want to do is move forward, you know,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28'keep growing and changing and becoming better.'
0:34:28 > 0:34:32June 7th of 1941,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35your parents were married.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39'I mean, I hope that over time, that he can heal from this.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41'And we right the wrongs.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45'And the good in the scenario is the word forgiveness.'
0:34:45 > 0:34:49I hope that he's found some forgiveness to his mother.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Your mother passed away in 1955.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57She was 33 years old.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58Wow.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- This is an awful death. - You were 13 years old.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- 13?- You were 13.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13- I thought I was younger. - Uh-uh.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Pulmonary tuberculosis
0:35:15 > 0:35:18and cirrhosis of the liver from chronic alcoholism.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Oh, God. My mother was an alcoholic.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Yeah.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25That's not what I expected, obviously.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Is there any good in here, anywhere?
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Want me to tell you what the good is?
0:35:31 > 0:35:34- I'd like to have a...- All right. - ..moment of happiness, yeah. Jeez.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Here's the good, Dad. The beauty of this
0:35:37 > 0:35:41is that you can be incredibly proud that you broke the pattern.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45And that you raised all of us
0:35:45 > 0:35:49with giving us strength
0:35:49 > 0:35:52and intelligence
0:35:52 > 0:35:58and talent and fight in us.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02And you did that with no help from anyone, Dad.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Yeah.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08And that's pretty amazing.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13That's how I feel at the end of this whole thing.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15This is the good part of the story.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Well, that's, that's good enough for me.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20- Yeah.- Thank you.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21You're welcome, Daddy.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Wow.
0:36:23 > 0:36:30I hope that he has pride, because he was given nothing to work with.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38'But there is so much light that's happening now.'
0:36:38 > 0:36:40There is so much goodness.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43And I hope he can take that with him, you know.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49'So, my dad and I are heading out to Riverview Cemetery
0:36:49 > 0:36:53'and just hoping we can have some closure for my father
0:36:53 > 0:36:55'that he's been looking for for his whole life.'
0:36:55 > 0:36:59All right. Here's Lavina Shaw Walton.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01OK.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02These are our burial cards.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05So, we have those on each of the individuals.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08And then, based on this,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11we can go to the lot card.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15- This is the, the lot number... - 171.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18171, which is here.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Now, there's no monument there.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23It would be shown on this.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- So you're going to have to... - Kind of look down on the ground.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27- Right.- OK.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32And on this card, you can find out who's been buried here.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33Oh, my God.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37OK.
0:37:37 > 0:37:38What's that?
0:37:40 > 0:37:42They bought a plot for you.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45My mom bought a plot for me?
0:37:48 > 0:37:50She wanted you to be buried with her.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Oh, God. I wish I would have known her.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Yeah.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Yet, not ever even knowing her,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03she cared for me.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05She loved me.
0:38:07 > 0:38:08- Daddy.- Yeah.
0:38:11 > 0:38:17OK, Mom. What can I say? Thank you.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27OK. Let's go find this.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37OK. What, look down here? Yeah.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41- 171 is the one that we want to...- 171.- ..see.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Right here.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45Oh, God.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I'm going to get you a monument, Mom.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58I promise you.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05'As dark as it is, there will be, on the other side of this,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10'a man who's 70 years old who knows who he is.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12'And he knows where he came from.'
0:39:12 > 0:39:15And I hope, I really, really hope with all my heart
0:39:15 > 0:39:22that at the end of the process, he really sees what a miracle he is.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- OK. I'm going to take these out. - Yeah.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Give them some colour.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31- I want to arrange them.- OK.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40'We've hugged more in the last couple of days than we have in 41 years.'
0:39:40 > 0:39:45He's looked at me with different eyes, you know.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I've looked at him with different eyes.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55And we're for ever bonded because of this.