Genealogy Chat

I found a funeral card in an antique box we bought. The name was unusual and it gave the age at death, so the year of birth was quite apparent.

I found five people with the right name and YOB in their trees and contacted them (one at a time). One man replied - said it wasn't his relative. Three people did not reply - and they did open the messages. The last lady I contacted did reply and I have just sent it to her. She said it was a distant connection, but was pleased to have it nevertheless.

It seems such a shame that one of the other people may have been a direct descendant - why would they not want to have it?

I once found an old prayer book, kept it for years not quite knowing why..eventually I joined GR and decided to try and find its family as Eleanor Ufton had written her name in it several times and the date 1764. Managed to find her birth in the IGI in 1764 but then nothing. A long time later and purely by chance, I found her marriage under Hufton and proceeded to message everyone on this site who had any of her family in their trees. Lots of dead ends and a couple not really interested, I messaged anyone who had Eleanors siblings or cousins in their trees. Bless Rachel, she was the only one who cared. She was a direct descendant of Eleanors brother, and felt the same way I did about Eleanors book. I sent it to her she keeps it safe and we have become firm friends over the past year. A happy ending for a book I only ever felt guardian of, never owner of....

I think that often there is no-one to pass the photographs on to. For example OH and I have loads of family photos of his family but as my in-laws have no grandchildren and in fact OH and his sister are the only grandchildren of G Grandparents there is no-ne to pass then on to.

The saddest thing about this is it is often the family selling off these items.

at the auction rooms, and now sending out messages to possible connections on here. Seems such a shame that there is basically a whole family's life her in black and white ( sepia lol).