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  1. #1
    Super Moderator Sue Mackay's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Create Your Own Luck

    People often tell me I am lucky when I recount my latest break in genealogy, but I am a great believer in creating one's own luck. After all, if I didn't send off hundreds of speculative e-mails and put queries on mailing lists (offering to do reciprocal research will often get you more response) then I wouldn't hit pay dirt as often as I do. You've got to be in it to win it!

    A case in point a few years back; I had hit a brick wall researching the ancestors of some American cousins but thought I could at least photograph the grave of their grandfather, only about an hour from where I live. Having had experience of going to cemeteries and NOT finding the relevant grave, I e-mailed the cemetery concerned in advance to ask for the location of the grave. The next day I got an e-mail, not from the cemetery but from a lady in Texas. A distant cousin of the people I was trying to help, she had independently decided to trace her ancestry and had hired a private researcher in the UK. The researcher went into the cemetery office to make enquiries at the exact moment they were looking it up on the computer for me, and we were put in touch with each other. I discovered that both sides had half the jigsaw, and once it was put together I was able to get them back 300 years in three weeks!!

    So don't sit back and wait for the breaks to come; start some threads on BG forums, offer to do some reciprocal research, send some speculative e-mails...create your own luck!!
    Sue Mackay
    Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids

  2. #2
    janbooth
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    Default Create your own luck

    And fellow researchers are nearly always so generous with their time, help and advice. I have had help from all over the world with various branches of my families, people have even posted me information at their own expense which has helped enormously and I hope I have made several friends through this very addictive hobby!! In just three years, I have also discovered a 98 year old long lost uncle, a 95 year old aunt (we are a long lived family - frightening!) and several cousins, just from placing a speculative query on a specific name forum site, all of whom I am now in touch with and have met in person.

    So I agree with Sue. Get posting those messages, you never know where it might lead you and whom you may find.

  3. #3
    KateRowe
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    Default Create your own luck

    It is amazing how helpful others can be. I was hesitant to send an email to a business in Long Melford. My 3xG grandfather's name was unique, "Clement Theobald". A Google search found him and his sons in unusual places. I knew from my grandmother and the census that they were a family of masons. The Suffolk site, Ray Long and volunteers added to my information but I had hit that brick wall (probably well-built by a Theobald!). Googled again and found the obvious connection to the construction industry in Long Melford.

    It seemed so "last-resort" and an imposition to ask someone in business a genealogy question but I did. The response from a wonderful soul (6th generation to work for the same company!) was full of family information, included a reference to Theobald in a book on Sudbury, and photographs!
    I still marvel at the generosity of strangers. A truly remarkable gift!
    I learn something new every time I visit this site! Thank you.
    Ellen

  4. #4
    A fountain of knowledge mary elms's Avatar
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    Default

    ...............and don't forget to search the mailing list and forum archives! At least two of my family links across the world have been found because someone left a message a number of years earlier on a mailing list or forum to which I responded. There are loads of such messages just waiting for the right person to read them!

    And if you do leave a message - keep your contact info up to date - you never know - just because no one has responded yet doesn't mean they won't!

    Mary

  5. #5
    Super Moderator Sue Mackay's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mary elms
    ...............and don't forget to search the mailing list and forum archives! At least two of my family links across the world have been found because someone left a message a number of years earlier on a mailing list or forum to which I responded. There are loads of such messages just waiting for the right person to read them!

    And if you do leave a message - keep your contact info up to date - you never know - just because no one has responded yet doesn't mean they won't!

    Mary
    Agreed. The wonderful thing about BG Forums is that they will e-mail you if anyone contributes to your thread, even if a considerable time has gone by, so that you don't need to keep checking for replies. Hence I have been notified of these new posts to my original thread. I have also made two breakthroughs due to people finding my postings on BG Forum via search engines - that Google spider is very useful!

    I do have two defunct e-mail addresses which I have used in the past to subscribe to rootsweb mailing lists. I check these on line every so often, and amongst all the junk that I can delete en masse I often find someone replying to a posting I made as long ago as 1998. In a recent case I have just discovered a second cousin in Australia because of a posting I made in 2001.
    Sue Mackay
    Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids

  6. #6
    Valued member of Brit-Gen
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    England
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    274

    Default Helping one another

    I do agree, I have been doing our family history for about 5 years now. Over that time I have made many friends (I hope), at first they helped me, now I try to help others as my way of giving back a little. Often I find it helps me I know that sounds strange but it really does. One thing I don't do it buy anything for anyone. I will find the information, look on fiches or censuses but I was had once when I bought certicates (3) for someone in Aus. She was thrilled but I never received anything not even the postage. I know she never posted it as I had emailed her and she did say sorry I will do it. I feel sorry about that as earlier I had posted one to USA which she did send their postal order payment so I know not everyone is like that.

    But for all that everyone is so nice and helpful you just want to help in return. Much better than telly anyday. (unless its about family history)

    Irene

  7. #7
    Super Moderator Sue Mackay's Avatar
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    Default

    Thought I would 'stick' this old message and bring it to the surface for the benefit of newer members. I can give another example. Most churches in the UK now have a website that can be found via Google. I e-mailed the present vicar of a church where an ancestor was the incumbent in the 19th century, to ask whether he was buried in the churchyard (he was) and to offer what information I had. I was put in touch with one of the church wardens who had researched the history of the church and who sent me extracts from vestry minutes, local newspaper cuttings and a whole lot more besides.
    Sue Mackay
    Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids

  8. #8
    Jan1954
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    Default

    I certainly agree, Sue. The more you ask, the more you learn.

    There's no point in waiting for information to be fed to you - it might not be what you're looking for anyway

    I popped into the museum in the village where my grandmother was born and, as I'll talk to anyone , was chatting to the curator. I asked if by any small chance he could help me out with my great grandfather (John Smith ) and he didn't bat an eyelid - just asked if I had any more clues, which I gave him. He then delved into a box and produced a photograph of the old boy! I was totally flabbergasted! My Dad is also chuffed to little mintballs as he'd never known his grandfather and now has photographs of all of his grandparents.

    I also learnt from with wonderful man that my dear great grandfather had been in prison for being one of the ringleaders of a strike back in 1914. This has led me on a wonderful journey into the records held in Chelsmford, that I would not otherwise known about.

    So ask! Make your own luck!

  9. #9
    janbooth
    Guest

    Default Create your own luck

    How lovely for you Jan. I had a somewhat similar situation in that I had posted messages for my HIRON surname (thankfully a relatively unusual one) on a number of different sites and towards the end of last year received an email from the descendants of one of my gggrandfather's sister. The upshot was that I received a copy of a photograph of gggrandfather and a copy of a painting of gggrandmother which made my year, never mind about my day!! So keep posting messages fellow Forum members, you never know what may turn up.

    Janet

  10. #10
    brianb
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sue Mackay View Post
    Thought I would 'stick' this old message and bring it to the surface for the benefit of newer members. I can give another example. Most churches in the UK now have a website that can be found via Google. I e-mailed the present vicar of a church where an ancestor was the incumbent in the 19th century, to ask whether he was buried in the churchyard (he was) and to offer what information I had. I was put in touch with one of the church wardens who had researched the history of the church and who sent me extracts from vestry minutes, local newspaper cuttings and a whole lot more besides.
    Hi Sue

    yes, we can always ask cant we, the worse that will happen is they wont reply.

    I emailed a parish where my ggggrandfather was clerk, the present clerk has gone out of her way to look up details and even found a plan of the graveyard with a file of names and details on all the stones, several of which are on my tree. Isnt it great that in a hectic world, people are still willing to help strangers out.

    Regards

    Brian

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