Genealogy Chat

I was thinking last night about the most exciting finds since I started doing my tree. One was definitely the first time I went to the FRC in London to look at the censuses and made my first find on the microfilm of the 1841 (in the good old days before it was on line!!) Before I found them the words 'needle' and 'haystack' were coming to mine. I wanted to stand up and shout 'yippee' and tell everyone about it. The second was when I got a copy of a family will and putting the information from it with the information from another one it suddenly dawned on me who the parents were of one rellie who had been giving another researcher and I problems for months. Of course the first thing I did was to get hold the other researcher (morning, Beryl!!) and say I'VE CRACKED IT!! Thirdly, I couldn't believe my eyes when I started to flick through a local history book and the first thing that I saw was an article about one of my rellies from the 1780's. What was your most exciting moment?

when I'd finally tracked down the family legend of the Jeweller from the Isle of man (1841 - pawnbroker, not born in lancashire - died before 1851 grrr)) same man about twenty years previously was a captain (but don't know what of) finding that my great grandparents own granparents lived next door to each other twenty before either was born.

Most definitely mine was when shortly after starting this I was sent the 1851 census info from Tower Hamlets (long before it was online) and it showed my GGFx2 though living in Stepney was from 'Norfolk - Norwich'. (He had married after 1837 so no chance of a marriage cert for dads name). I had moved to this area of Norfolk 20 odd years ago with no knowledge my ancestors. I then started tracing where in Norfolk, Norwich, this man was from - luckily it was an unusual surname and one of his sons had an unusual first name. I started trawling and found a man with the same unusual first name and second name living just 2 miles up the road from me in the 1851 census and old enough to be my GGFx2's father. I then went to Norfolk Records Office (you cant imagine, I was trembling when I was looking through the parish records) I knew GGFx2 rough year of birth, I knew where this man I thought may be his father was living. I turned the pages of the adjacent parishes and YES YES YES, there was my GGFx2 born 1816 to this man Id hoped was my GGFx3. It was the biggest rush I have had in many a year! I then found a whole parish register full of them at the little church in the next village along from where I live AND even headstones. It was absolutely absolutely better than a lottery win. Id come home.

Has strange Sue, you had the same weird coincidence as me. I really do believe there is something in inherited memory. When we were looking to move here, hubby said anywhere in 10-15 miles radius Norwich. We spent months and months coming over every weekend and driving round looking at places and I didnt like any of them. Then one late Saturday afternoon, hubby saying, lets make our way home when I suddenly directed him down a hill that looked familiar. When we got to the bottom of the hill and then started going up the next we were in this beautiful little town and I said to hubby 'Oh yes, this is it, this feels right' - we bought the house that day.

Finding a box of cards and telegrams that 'appeared' - and I mean 'appeared' in a cupboard, that gave me the married surname and the correct christian names of several great aunts and uncles and confirmed other information. I had lived in my flat for almost ten years, and hadn't cleared this cupbaord out for about five - was at a total dead end with several lines. One Sunday decided to clear out the cupboard, and there, buried at the bottom was this little box, about 8' x 10' by 1' deep, with cards and telegrams for my parents wedding - (both my parents are now deceased), which I swear I'd never seen before. I must admit, when I found it and opened it, i stood and cried - but it haas now led to me finding two second cousins and linking up with two branches of the family that I hadn't seen for about 20 years. Looby

I recently found a half sister here for a lady who e.mailed me to help her she and her mother (who had no contact with her daughter for 53 years) came here and i was wittness to a super meeting and reuniting of a family i can tell you it was the best ever thrill

Hi, 2 things come to mind straight away, both which we found up in Edinburgh. The first was after we'd been searching for hours, guessing at names for possible siblings of my grandmother, then checking through all the entries we'd found which were in the right area. When we found an entry for a great uncle who we knew nothing about, we were overjoyed. (The only bad thing about the Scottish system is that when searching for a birth, the computer system didn't show mothers maiden name, although when you do find events, they usually give more details which is good) The second was stumbling across a second marriage in 1935 for my 2 times great grandmother at 56 as a widow to a 21 year old, which helped us to confirm that this was the same person living at an address in Lancashire when we were looking for a marriage for my great grandmother. We never found a marriage for my great grandmother, or a death, and the same for my 2 times great grandfather, in either Scotland, England, Wales, overseas, at sea, etc.. So, unfortunately, it always seems to be the case that just after you've made some really good finds, you tend to hit a brick wall for some reason. Anyway, best of luck everyone.

Finding the gravestone of my ggggrandad (the first family stone I'd found) with a footstone with initials confirming that the Mary Sherwood whose death in 1831 I had found in the parish records was his (4th?) wife.

Finding the 'Administration' entry for my great-grandmother in the National Probate Calendar when I had just about given up hope of ever finding out when and where she died - I was just doing a general trawl through for anybody with my grandfather's surname to see if any of his rellies were in there, and there was his mother's name! (She died in Belfast but I had no idea she had ever gone there in the first place) Kate.

mine was in 2004 finding out that my grandad had 4 half siblings from his mothers first marriage.sadly my grandad died in 1975 when i was four but one of the half brothers is still alive (he's 98)and living in the USA.hes told me so much about his grandparents and family. the next most exciting thing hasn't happened yet but will in 3 weeks-----i'm flying out to meet him Karen

naming my daughter (from a book) Eirlys when i was 23 weeks pregnant as it looked like i would lose her.(i TOLD my husband my choice and was adamant about it) After her birth I found the grave of my FIL's little sister who died before her was born.The grave was in the village into which i had moved in early pregnancy.The name Sophia Eirlys. some things are meant to be

Finding out about my Grandmother. I APPLIED FOR A COPY OF HER DEATH CERTIICATE AND FROM THAT I FOUND THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS MURDER BY PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN, (SHE WAS 23 YEARS OF AGE). I THEN TRIED TO OBTAIN COPIES OF LOUISA’S INQUEST, THE FUNNY THING WAS AS I WAS TOLD BY BERKSHIRE RECORDS OFFICE MOST INQUEST REPORTS BEFORE 1930 HAD BEEN DESTROYED AND THIS ONE WAS THE ONLY ONE REMAINING.(How lucky was I) I OBTAINED COPIES, AND ALSO NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF THE TIME, RECORDING THAT THERE HAD BEEN TWO INQUESTS, EVIDENCE FROM THE POLICE AND WITNESS REPORTS, AND WITNESS STATEMENTS. I LATER FOUND THAT SHE HAD 2 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 4)... WILLIAM, MY FATHER BEING THE YOUNGEST, AND GEORGE HIS BROTHER 2 YEARS OLDER. (I had never heard of George until reading the inquest report.) Iam still trying to find out more about George.!