Genealogy Chat

Afew years ago soneone phoned my Dad who was researching his family tree. He asked Dad to confirm some names and dates. ie my sister died when she was 2. Dad didn't get a name or phone number. Now I am trying to trace my family tree and I'm coming up against lots of brick walls. My only hope is that if he did it, it must be possible.

I know exactly how you feel....I had a cousin who was in the history field (he was much older than me)and he painstakingly put together the family tree (in the 1960s) and there were leather bound folders of black and white photos even down to graves) and details of families.Unfortunately due to a family fall out we as youngsters no longer had contact with the rest of the family and after my Grandparents passed away everything went.Then a couple of years ago after 40+ years a cousin got in touch (through Friends Reunited....not the history cousin)...and some of the family are now reunited.We're slowly piecing together our family tree but it will never be the same as the original leather bound folders ............IF ONLY........ Elaine

All my grandparents died 3 years in a row in 1970's. My mother threw out everything they owned, including photos, because she wanted to forget the past. AHGGGGGGGGG

I feel for you Pat. In the early 60's a relative of my Father's died without a will. It took a firm of solicitors ages to trace my Father and his brother and sisters. They found that there were two relations in France who were entitled to an equal share of the estate. Now my Mother is a meticulous record keeper, she even has post office savings books that she's kept since the 50's, just in case. But guess what? Does she have anything relating to this inheritance, of course not. She can't remember whether the relative was a Tocqueville, if they died in England or France. She thinks the French relations were called Walter and Pierre. I suppose the only help there is that Walter seems to be a family name. Of course I am also guilty of destroying the past. At the age of two I got hold of my parents photos and tried to make some sort of collage out of them. I manages to destroy their wedding photos. I'd love to have one of those pictures now.

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works re: Elizabeth and Eliza being two separate names - I have an Elizabeth who took me a long time to find because on one census she is listed as Eliza - I know it's the right one because she's listed with her family!! Don't you just love this hobby of ours!!

Thanks everyone. Just wanted to tell everyone what a silly *** i'd been.

Don't be too upset, as you should be able to get another copy of the marriage certificate if you don't mind paying a few pounds for it. I can't see a matching Elizabeth Nightingale and Charles Fowler on FreeBMD for 1859 but I don't think they've finished that year, and anyway I think it is handwritten entries so difficult to read. But if you check on 1837 online you should be able to find matching entries for the two and order the certificate!

I did a family trre whilst at school with my great Aunt now decd. I know there were some names on there i could have forgotten, how I wish I kept it , but I threw it..... Don't throw anything away!!! Kim

Just listen to this then...several years ago I got a letter from a firm of solicitors asking me to confirm who I was as an Aunt of mine whom I had never heard of had died in testate and this firm had to find all her living relatives as heirs to her estate...and then when they had confirmation of who I was they sent me a copy about 2/3 pages long of my family living and deceased, I had no idea about all these relatives all over the country..and guess what? at that time (I was still very young) I had no interest in doing my family tree and of course have long since lost this letter. What I would'nt give to have it right now!!!

I think at that time Eliza and Elizabeth were two entirely different names, and I'd be tempted to go with the Elizabeth one. Kath. x

Well I have worked back via birth & Marriage certs to Charles and Elizabeth via Ann the daughter who married into the family. But wouldn't you know on the 1881 census she is a servant living elsewhere so can't pin her down to a family. Saying that I am sure I have the right family and on the 1871 census I find an Ann Fowler-married-with her mother in law in the right Street that has gone all through the certs. But mother in law on that census is called Ann Nightingale and according to Annes birth her mother was Catharine. Sometime I could throw all this through the window. Oh and the marriage was in Wolverhampton.

Cherry, Same story here. As a child I can remember looking at lots of lovely leather bound gold embossed photo albums that my grandparents kept in the GARAGE!!!!!! When the house was cleared when Grandpa died, the albums must have gone..... what I wouldn't give for those albums now!!!!!!!!!!

Hi i,ve just found out that when my granddad died in 1999 my aunties threw out a lot of old photos etc, it certainly does make you weep! Cherry

Many years ago I was given two old certs. One a family birth cert from the 1870's which I have. The other was a marriage cert from 1859. I did not recognise the names nor was I doing the family history. I don't know what I did with it and can't find it. The problem is I remember the names on the marriage cert, Charles Fowler and Elizabeth Nightingale and now I have them in my tree. On the census there is one family Charles Fowler and Elizabeth and one family Charles Fowler and Eliza. Same sort of ages, same area and I don't know which one boo hoo. The marriage cert would of at least given me an occupation. Please learn from my mistake!!!