Genealogy Chat

Have many members reached the stage of giving up and accepting that they may never know about a particular ancestor. I have been trying to find what happened to my gg grandfather John Stephenson for years now.He disappears in 1850 after the birth of his third child,his his wife Isabella remarries in 1858 and I have tried every John Stephenson in the Newcastle area deaths between 1850-1860.(costing a fortune for certs!} He could have been anywhere,left home,changed name,gone abroad.I know thar deserted wives some times said they were widows to avoid awkward questions when remarrying! However,have any members had unexpected finds after many years of checking and double checking? Regards Mike

Hi Mike, I have been searching for almost 20 years for one ancestor and 12 years for another and each day I wonder if this is the day I give up. Chin up, cheers Lorri.

Hi Mike, We all feel the same, I have been trying to find my grandmother who was born in Ireland and I can't find her or her parents so I can't get any further back than that. Hope you have.!!!! Betty

Many thanks folks,seems I am giving up too easily after only 5 years! Mike

Mike when was John Stephenson born? From the IGI... John <STEPHENSON> <Male> Event(s): Birth: 01 MAR 1814 Of Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England Christening: Death: 1854 Burial: Parents: Father: Ambrose Stephenson Mother: Ann Richardson Stephenson Georgina.

Never ever give up!!!! I am a firm believer that when they are ready to let you find them, you will - several times I have been on the point of giving up with various people, I just 'shelve' them for a while and then come back to them. Over the years most of them have turned up one way or another, a couple I'm still looking for, but NO, NEVER GIVE UP!!!!! regards Looby

Hi Georgina Thanks for looking. I am sure John was born Aug 1816 in Wolviston Co.Durham.His dad was a John also and a farmer according to his marriage cert to Isabella Boggon in 1844 at St Hildas South Shields.I have a found a marriage to Ann James in Wolviston which fits a possible 1841 census entry.My John is nowhere in the 1851 census and by 1861 his wife Isabella is a widow.From there the trail goes cold and leaves no trace! However there are still stones to be turned over! Thanks for help and encouragement. Mike

I just stick them on the back burner and try (not always with success) to forget about them. In my experience 'something' usually happens, generally out of the blue, that gives you the next nudge. Only this week it happened again.... I am doing a course in Family History and the Lecturer made a 'throw away' comment and when I asked her about it later, it turned out that she is researching the same small area of Middlesex I am having problems with. Neeedless to say she has given me invaluable advice on researching.....One of her pointers has already born fruit :) So forget about it and see what happens LOL Chris

My brother and I searched for the death cert of my 2 x GGF for nearly 20 years. We knew the date of his burial because we had a headstone. Repeated searches at the GRO, and at the local office turned up nothing, and with a fairly common name we were stuck. Eventually we found him - he had died and was registered in a completely different district to the one he had lived in all his life.And the death cert never reached the GRO. OC