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Hello all!
I’ve got a daunting task ahead, and I think I’ll soon be needing some help.
So I wanted to make a quick introduction first, rather than wading in apparently “expecting everyone to be at my beck and call”. As a moderator of another forum I know how annoying that can be! I’m more than happy to put in the work, but there are some very cold trails to try to locate and/or revive.
In fact the more I consider what I’m up against (due to my unique circumstances), the more daunting it seems, and it doesn’t quite fit the normal family tree model. So I’ll set the scene and summarise the progress so far:
Last September I decided to try to find my natural father. I was adopted when I was 2 but recently managed to obtain a few details: his name was Luis Caruana, he was the owner of The Anchor Bar in Gibraltar, and was about 40 when I was born in 1968.
Gibraltar is very small and a local historian immediately knew who I was talking about. Unfortunately my father died 20 years ago, and never had any other children. But he did have surviving relatives, so I went over to meet them. During a 3 day visit I was able to find my father’s grave and pay my respects. I was also lucky enough to make numerous contacts. From these I found out that my grandfather was one of 9, my grandmother was one of 7, and they hailed (either directly, or within a generation or two) from Zejtun in Malta.
At this point I decided that I had better start getting organised, and write down everything that my new aunt, uncle and cousins told me. Since then, using Facebook, evacuation records and making contact with new members of my (suddenly extended) family, I have added around 175 people to my family tree!
The progress has been spectacular, and I have an absolute heap of confirmed names, but it’s starting to get more difficult. I'm getting to the point where I can no-longer rely purely on Facebook or peoples’ memories. I need to be even more methodical and organised in my search if I am to trace and map all of my relatives.
So, has anyone got any experience of genealogy in Gibraltar or Malta? Are there census records that I could access, or specific tips and tricks I could employ to help me find out names, birth dates and even death dates of distant relatives over there?
Thanks & regards,
M.Neil Wright. :-)
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Welcome to the boards, Neil.
If you google "Genealogy in Gibraltar" and "Genealogy in Malta" there are lots of websites to choose from.
Also, if you use Search Trees, in the top right of the screen, you may find other people have your relatives on their trees, and you can contact them if you want.
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Welcome to GR Neil.
Are you aware of http://www.cyndislist.com/uk/ ? It's a genealogical portal to related FH sites. There might be something on there.
You might find some birth, marriage or deaths on the various British Consular or Military returns if anyone married or was a member of the British Forces based there. You should find the records on this site or it's sister Findmypast. Have you checked out the free site FamilySearch?
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http://www.geneanum.com/malte.html
If you've a basic knowledge of French, you ought to be able to search for Baptisms, marriages and burials.
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I'll let Neil know how to find his replies :-)
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Thank you very much for all taking the time to reply.
I'll try each of the suggestions and post my progress.
Best regards,
Neil. :-)
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Just want to wish you luck .
.I had success finding several russian born jewish relatives despite original documents being in Russian or yiddish there was usually someone to help me obtain translations or even english transcriptions available
were Gibraltan records in French ? ...look forward to seeing your progress posts
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