Genealogy Chat

I love reading the threads on here from people who have obviously been searching for someone for ages, and lots of kindly folk have been trying to help them, and then suddenly a success! They certainly encourage me not to give up on elusive people, (and I've got plenty), so I just wanted to share a success of my own as I'm so thrilled. Since starting this malarkey three years ago, one of my aims has been to find my mothers sisters (Kitty) family. Kitty married a GI and lived in LA. After Kitty died in 1980 (her husband some years before) mum lost touch with her nephews and nieces and no-one else in the family had any contact details for them. I've tried countless websites, left messages on any message boards I could find - nothing. Then I decided to search for the record of the birth of her first daughter, who had been born in the UK, when I found it, it gave her middle initial as L, which prompted my dad to remember that Kittys husband had a sister called Lorraine, so I went to Ancestry and looked for Lorraine Whitten - one contributor with that name came up - I emailed her, said it was a long shot, but did she by any chance have a brother called Dave, and guess what?! She has been a star, sadly two of the children have died, but my mother now has an address for one of her nieces, and Lorraine has emailed loads of photos of the family! So thats one down, only about 10 others to go!

What a great story. Like you I love reading people's success stories - it does give you hope. I have recently been contacted by a lady who turned out to be my fourth cousin. We have a GGG Grandfather in common. She too has e-mailed me loads of details. It certainly gives you an incentive to carry on.

Hi Lou, Great to here SOMEONE is having success with their brick walls. I am researching Canada in the hope of finding a birth place in England ( Step family on Genes). Not a chip in the flippin wall yet after dozens of emails, but there is still hope. I dont intend to give up, just take a couple asprin for the headache. Happy hunting, Denise

Great to hear success. SOme of my 'dead ends' have been solved by asking for help on the board - often its just a different way of looking at the same info. It helps to forget about it, move on to another branch and then return. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. nell

Thanks for the inspiration - Sometimes I post the most insane messages on the boards and on other sites as well - With the amount of information I have on namely my grandparents it's amazing but heartbreakingly frustrating to find no trace. I will not however give up, I may perplex people with some of my requests but at least I give it a try. Cheers from Janine in Australia

Thanks everyone, Its the belief that there must be someone else somewhere out there researching some of my branches that keeps me emailing and searching, searching...I am not alone! Nell, so glad you've had help through this site, you're so right about a fresh pair of eyes on a brick wall sometimes being all that is needed. A year or so ago some kind folk tried to help me with my most crucial brick wall, to no avail then, but I've spent another year researching and got some possible clues, but nothing that I can firm up on, I might try and put them in some sort of order and post again later, see if can make anything of them. and Denise, don't mention Canadian research! its enough to make you pull your hair out, and this from a person half of whose family are Irish (though I've not found this as tough as rumour has it - I've found a couple of trips to Dublins GRO and the Central Library, and you can go way back) Happy hunting