A wonderful breakthrough

[idredge]

This year I have found proof of my gggg grandfather, we have been hunting for 9 years we thought we had the right one but it was proving it. Even in Utah they had not been able to connect with the right one and this had been going on since the 1930's. But with their help from letters that had been sent to them from relatives over here I had been able to piece together bits and get to the bottom of it. Lots of clues in the letters and there was a picture of the old family home. Talking it over with a cousin I started to look to see if there was a community web page and there was so I put a request in about someone who knew houses in that village. I did get a reply and he identified the house and that it was still standing today. Next he got the addresses one of the house I was interested in and 2 other possible connections. Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from the person living in the house. I asked if I could go down and look at the indentures which he said dated back to 1700. As you came imagine seeing documents that old is something I still can't get over, it turned out it was 1780 and there were 3 indentures proving our lineage back to 1744, I even found that my grandparents and father was also living in one of the houses and that he was 4 when the houses were sold in 1911, as it turned out that there were two houses. I am just thankful I never gave up, I tried everything I could to find out and this was my reward. I would love to get better copies of the indentures but I feel that if I started to bother them about it they might not agree. It was so nice of them to let us in and take photos of them its better than nothing. So maybe one day I will go back with some nice present for them and they may just let me have better copies. But that is for another day. 2008 was a very good year for me.

Irene

[Ladkyis]

Oh congratulations! I love hearing success stories and it is sooo good when persistence pays off. Well Done you.

[v.wells]

|birthday| Congratulations Irene in breaking down your brick wall.:D

I think it would be nice to give them a gift (so you can get better copies of the indentures):D

It being so close to Christmas, it is great to hear of other's success stories. A great way to finish the year off!

[Rubina]

Gosh, it's great when this happens! Sometimes you think you are never going to find someone and you have to let go of that branch and then suddenly something unexpected happens that creates such a fantastic breakthrough!

Congratulations!

Just a thought, perhaps you could ask if you could take the papers to somewhere local to photocopy them? If they weren't happy to let them out of the house (understandable) they may well offer to do so for you. Alternatively, perhaps you could take a laptop and scanner down (after asking very politely of course!).

I can see how you would want good copies of such docs.

Well done!

Rubina

[susan-y]

That's a great "feel good " story...

A really personal Christmas present, I'm sure.

As the people were so nice to you I bet they will gladly let you get better copies.... a gift is always a nice touch. Perhaps something old like the house:)

Sue

[idredge]

Thank you for your ideas yes I think I will get a present for them, I should have added we did my cousin & I did take our digital cameras down, but like everything you get the odd line missing because of the crease, maybe if I had kept focused I would have been alright but one of the indentures was signed on my birth date (different year of course not quite that old yet) then everything went out the window so thank goodness for my cousin. To think I was touching the beams and the old stone fireplace that generations of my family had touch, now I have been added to that list, I should take my son and a grandchild down now that would be something else of course. Oh if only my dad was here.

Now anyone out there who has not yet spoken to their families about their ancesters go and do it now, get a book and a tape recorder (or something) ask the questions they may not remember but it you ask gently and when you go back do the same again, you may get a different story but somethings will be added that they didn't say before. Then put it on your tree or where someone can find if need be, if you don't find out what its all about someone may later.

Irene

[*bunty*]

That is a wonderful breakthrough to have, and what special memories for you. So nice to have local people help you :).