Winter 2013 competition - And the winner is..

[Coromandel]

I am overwhelmed that Harriet's story has been chosen as the winner when there were so many other wonderful stories to choose from.

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for Harriet. It has really motivated me to try to find out more about her life and to discover why she was erased so completely from the family history.

I cannot do anything to change her troubled life, but thanks to Brit-Gen this little lost soul now has a voice. There's much more to be discovered, I'm sure: at the moment I know nothing at all about her between that day in 1893 and the next sighting of her in 1911. Then there's another gaping hole between then and her death in 1939. I hope that one day I will be able to find where she is buried, so that I can go and tell her that she isn't forgotten any more.

Thank you Lizzy9 for your brilliant idea which inspired all those marvellous stories.

Thank you Pam for letting us have another competition and for donating the prizes.

and thank you Jan for all the work you've done in encouraging people to contribute and to vote.

Congratulations to Thomasin and Pippycat and to everyone else who contributed stories, I think they were all wonderful: so varied! They show just what it is that makes genealogy such a rivetting pursuit: discovering real people's stories. Thank you all for sharing them: you all get my vote. x x x

[malcolm99]

Very many congratulations Coromandel and well done to everyone else who contributed their stories - it takes a lot of cool and imagination to do that!

[Mutley]

Congratulations Coromandel, a well deserved winner.
Congratulations to Thomasin and Pippycat for such superb entries.
Congratulations to all the entrants, I don't think anyone lost this competition because all the entries will be read and savoured and some will be used long into the future.

Thanks to Lizzy9, Pam and Jan for making it happen and thanks to all who did make the effort to vote.

[Frank Drake]

First rate competition; its a shame there have to be losers! It was extremely difficult to make a decision but by a very narrow margin, I award second place to Pippycat. Well done everybody!

[Jan1954]

Thank you, Frank.

As soon as I have heard which prize Coromandel has chosen, I will be contacting Pippycat and then Thomasin.

[terrysfamily]

CONGRATULATIONS to Coromandel, Pippycat and Thomasin. I'm so pleased for you all.

CONGRATULATIONS too, to all those who took part. They were all worthy of winning.

A big thank you to Lizzy9, Pam and Jan for setting the quiz up. Thanks too, to all those who voted.
And a final thank you to Frank, you get all the good jobs hayyyy.

Terry

[Waitabit]

Coromandel, Pippycat & Thomasin, congrats, & congrats to all who delivered such heart-warming-rending stories at a time when I didn't have the'...' to participate in any more than a reading jag. It helped keep my mind out of a tuff area.

All improving now, & back on track. Thank you all.

[Colin Rowledge]

Congratulations to our three winners, Coromandel, Pippycat and Thomasin.

Praise should be given to everyone who submitted entries as the standard in this competition was superb. Frank, I'm sorry we had to put you in such an unenviable position but once again you proved more than capable of rising to the task. Many thanks to you, Pam and Jan and to Lizzy9 for suggesting the subject and a big thanks to all who entered.

My thoughts entirely.

Every contribution was fantastic to read and I would dearly love to have this series of stories put together into a booklet so that as we proceed with our mundane lives, and think that we are 'hard-done by', we can look back and say - 'I'm glad to be alive TODAY'.

[susan-y]

Congratulations to the three winners, Coromandel, Pippycat and Thomasin.
All the stories were superb and I enjoyed reading them. I think we should do this more often
Just the education from the research involved makes each and every story a winner.
I hope that some day you get to tell Harriet how many friends and supporters she has, Coromandel.

Sue

[Lizzy9]

Congratulations to Coromandel. 'Harriet's Story' was emotive, well written and a most worthy winning entry.

Congratulations too to Pippycat and Thomasin both of whom are also worthy winners.

And to everyone who entered - all your stories gave me an interesting read.