In October 2020, Ian received a private message via WikiTree from a first cousin on his paternal side, seems his eldest cousin Jane was also trying independently to solve the family mystery. Jane had been trying to solve the mystery of Joseph Leigh Hunter and Leigh Hunter for a few decades.
The last contact Ian and Jane would have had would have been very brief at her wedding in 1985. A couple of days after Jane sent her initial message, she sent another message, here is a brief extract:
Really puzzled re the whereabouts of Leigh Hunter. There is a LEIGHTON Hunter, Durham miner who fits with the date of birth, but no mention of a wife or children and lived to a relatively old age.
Little did Jane and Ian realise at this point that this was to be the start of a rollercoaster journey that would ultimately lead to solving the family mystery of who Leigh and Joseph Leigh Hunter really were.
