Find Ancestors

Lesley

The usual piece of advice we the helpers give to posters is that IF AT ALL POSSIBLE stay around for 10-15 minutes after you have posted a request.


Because we are from all over the world, there is usually someone on the boards looking to help, and it is not at all unusual for a helper to respond within seconds ........ literally!


And that response may well be a question asking for clarification before a helper can proceed with the search.


That doesn't mean sitting here with the thread open in front of you ........... but do please check back every 2 or 3 minutes to see if there is a posting.


The thank you on the open thread as much as anything is a sign that you HAVE seen the postings ..... there are 3 or 4 people who spend time looking for threads where there have been responses but no apparent feedback from the requester.

They will then send a pm to the requestor telling them that there have been postings, and also telling them how to get back to the thread ....... which many newbies do not know how to do!

They expect GR to send an email saying "new postings'. GR doesn't do that!

GR is very difficult to navigate and to understand its system at first, and these ladies feel that the best way they can help is by doing this little service.



sylvia

Ginny .. Bevan Family 03/10/2010 19:41:45

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Hi Ginny,

My email is [email protected]. Thanks so much for the treasure trove of information. I can't thank you and the others on Genes enough.

Best,

Lesley

Kathleen Bell Bevan Family 03/10/2010 19:57:42

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Hi Kathleen,

Thank you for your help.

My g.g.grandmother's full name before marriage was Justina Maria Stepney Gulston. After she married its seems that she used the name Stepney( as a christian name) Collier. I am somewhat confused about Rosa(elind) being her daughter as it would appear from the information on Genes that maybe she was her niece?

I got lots of amazing information today from several very kind and very helpful people and I am SO grateful.

Best wishes,

Lesley

Sylvia,

Thanks for the explanation. I did think that I would get an email from GR advising of a post to my thread, so was somewhat disappointed when I didn't! Imagine my surprise when I checked the website and had several responses! Maybe they should email everyone?

Best,

Lesley

Lesley


that question is raised constantly



they never have


and personally I, for one, hope they never do


I find just as easy to come onto GR, click on My Threads, and then look at any the threads that I might be interested in that have received new postings since I was last on.



as a helper I may post on 50 or 60 threads a day, and I also have several threads where I just chat with people. Plus any threads that I have started.

I dread thinking of getting that many emails EVERY day from GR telling me that there are new posts


and that's without counting any duplicate reminders or the other emails they send me!



In fact ..... I have turned off the facility to be notified on most of my other sites that do it



sylvia

Hello Lesley, thankyou so much for the 2 lovely PMs you sent to me yesterday and the day before, thanking me and telling me just how very grateful and amazed you felt to have recieved help from such "Caring People" on the TTF board. After the backlash you have recieved on here now, i deeply apologise to you, for suggesting you go back to your thread...and add the information that it may just be possible,,,,,,,,,although you have no proof of the fact, that your Grandfather emigrated. I sincerely hope you are not discouraged Lesley.........and just like the rest of us, this is all a learning process and you have to start somewhere!!! Sorry Lesley, Susan x

Patricia Saxton Bevan Family 1861 Census 03/10/2010 20:06:28

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Hi Patricia,

I am trying to figure out where the name COLLIN comes from and think that either the name was misspelt (COLLIER) by the person doing the census or for some reason they didn't want to use their real name? Other than that, all the names and ages are the same for the family members I am researching.

Thank you again.

Lesley

Isn't it fun how people play out their little antagonisms on other people's threads?

Patricia's request was reasonable. There was no backlash. But somebody has to make a meal of it ...

Your last post unfortunately doesn't make sense, Lesley. Oh, right, you have copied and pasted a PM sent by yourself to someone else ...

Sending PMs and then copying them and pasting them here isn't especially useful. If you familiarize yourself with the board a bit, you'll see that the threads are where the asking and answering gets done, unless sensitive information is involved. Virtually all of us who offer the help finding answers want to do it that way, not by private message, where it's impossible to refer to previous info, etc. Some people, for reasons unknown, choose to send info privately and not put it in the thread for the benefit of others trying to help in the thread, but those are the exceptions. It just doesn't make sense, for either asker or answerers, to move a search question posted on the public board to private correspondence.

The 1861 census that Patricia (it was Patricia) posted at the very beginning:

1861 England Census
Justina Collin [Justina Gulston]

etc.

If you look at the image, it does not say COLLIN.

It says COLLIER.

The name Collin came from a mistranscription by Ancestry's transcribers. It may be transcribed differently at different sites, e.g. FMP.

Patricia may have assumed it would be seen as a mistranscription, since a huge percentage of records at Ancestry are similarly mistranscribed (or worse).

It is always necessary to *look at the image* to see what it actually says for all the fields.

btw, re

Flora Courtonud Collin 10
Clotilda Hapney Collin 9
Rosalind Hapney Collin 6

- the "Collin" simply comes from the "Do" (ditto) entry for each child's surname
- the second name for Clotilda is obviously Stepney (knowing what one is looking for)
- there is no second name for Rosalind; there is a stray dot on the page after "Rosalind", followed by "Do" for the surname.
- Flora's second name is not particularly readable, but could be something you would recognize

And also: Ernest, Flora, Clotilda, Rosalind, Magnell)?) and Reginald are all shown on the census page itself as "Gr'dSon" or "Gr'dDaughter" -- i.e of the head of household, Ann Maria Gulston.

There is no indication of whose child each one is. They are simply listed in order of age.

The fact that Rosalind's surname is recorded as "Do" to Collier indicates that she is a child of the Collier couple -- but that could be an error. If her surname was Collier (a niece of Justina's husband, i.e.?) her relationship may have just got blurred, either by the person who filled out the household schedule, who couldn't be bothered working out the relationship of a son-in-law's niece to the head of household, or by the census worker who transferred the information.

I don't think anyone will know what "information on Genes", that Rosalind was Justina's niece, you are referring to. GenesReunited doesn't actually hold databases of its own, so whatever information that is, it would have some other source.

If you're wanting to get the final answer on who her parents were (in case she named George when she married out of ignorance or to conceal another fact), you need the certificate for the birth Ginny posted on page 1:

Name: Rosalind Eugenie Collier
Year of Registration: 1854
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Newbury
County: Berkshire, Hampshire
Volume: 2c
Page: 191

which you get here:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

Patricia,

I think you misunderstood the last sentence. From ALL of the information I received regarding this post, the names and the ages of the family members (those I already knew of and those I did not) all tallied, hence the content of the last sentence.

No one wasted their time researching this information for me, as I did not have all this data when I started my thread regarding the Bevan family.

I did not know when or where my grandfather was born. I did not know that he served in WW1. I did not know who his parents were. I did not know if, when or where he married my grandmother. As I stated in my post, I was searching for information about my GRANDFATHER. The additional information I received about other family members confirmed what I already knew and that which I did not know opened up new pathways to follow. It was all good and all useful.

Again, a big thank you to all those who replied. EVERYTHING you sent to me is greatly appreciated.

I am just sorry that I had to expend so much energy responding to such unpleasantness, that was clearly unwarranted and unnecessary.

I am sorry that you feel 'slighted' by not having been thanked publicly for your good deeds, but you were thanked privately and I think that was sufficient.

Lesley

Well, now I regret the time I just put into the post above your last, Lesley.

... which you haven't so much as acknowledged. Unless it took you quite a bit of time to compose that last one of yours, and you missed mine in the process.

"I am just sorry that I had to expend so much energy responding to such unpleasantness, that was clearly unwarranted and unnecessary. "

Not nearly so unwarranted as that bit of flat out false nastiness.

You will find that there will be a limited pool of members available to help with your requests in future, I fear.

"I am sorry that you feel 'slighted' by not having been thanked publicly for your good deeds, but you were thanked privately and I think that was sufficient."

Whom are you quoting there, with the 'slighted', just out of curiosity? I don't think anyone but you has used the word.

You've managed to twist everything said to you in this thread. Congratulations.

This was my first posting on GR.

All the respondents sent me a message via my inbox with GR. I responded back to them the same way.

If everyone posts all messages, except those with sensitive information, on the actual thread why didn't those SIX individuals do so, as my information was not sensitive?

I posted copies of my responses on the thread to make a point. The point being that I did thank each and every one who helped me, including Patricia.

I hope you are not suggesting that I am trying to hide information from other researchers by responding directly to those who contacted me...?

I am sorry I even made the post. I stupidly thought I would be in contact with helpful, like minded people researching their families and hopefully, having fun doing so. Clearly that is not the case with some people on this site who appear to have other reasons for 'helping'. Public gratification being one of them.

And yes, there are always the unfortunate one or two who try to cause trouble and obviously this is what is going on here. Childish beyond belief! The individual who started all this is being very quiet! I wonder why....?

I do not tolerate cyber bullying.

JaneyCanuck,

Now you are being incredibly childish. Please do not send me any further correspondence.

Uh, Lesley, I have not sent you any correspondence whatsoever, so please stop publicly representing me as having done something I have not done.

"I hope you are not suggesting that I am trying to hide information from other researchers by responding directly to those who contacted me...?"

I hope YOU are not suggesting that I suggested something that doesn't even make a stitch of sense. I'm really not a moron. Nor is anyone else here.

You really, really, really need to lift your gaze from your navel and spend some time reading what goes on at this board.

Have you got around to reading the management's post yet?

Here.

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1234942

HOW TO USE THE 'TRYING TO FIND' BOARD

Genes 13th August 2010 15:55

There are many volunteer helpers on the ‘Trying to Find’ board who will happily help any member who has hit a brick wall when looking for a certain ancestor or trying to locate lost family. Below are a few helpful hints as to how to get the most out of the ‘Trying to Find’ board.

Give as much detail as possible when explaining who you are trying to find. All known information will make it much easier for volunteer helpers to help you.

If known, try putting the name, place of birth and year of birth in the subject line of your thread.

>>>> After posting a question, please stay on the boards for a while as replies are very quick. You may be needed to answer questions and give feedback to the replies given. Please be aware that you will not receive answers into your inbox.

To reply to a post, simply click on the purple ‘Reply’ button found at the very top of the thread.

To return to a thread that you posted on Genes Reunited click on 'My Threads' in the left hand navigation of your screen, then click on your thread title.

Please don’t post about the same person or family twice as this can make extra work for the volunteer helpers.

If you want to bring attention to your thread and nudge it up to the top of the boards to gain more attention just add to or comment on the thread yourself.

If any of our much appreciated volunteer helpers have anything you think should be added to this list please email [email protected] with the subject line 'Trying to find tips'.

Oh, and:

"If everyone posts all messages, except those with sensitive information, on the actual thread why didn't those SIX individuals do so, as my information was not sensitive?"

I imagine because so many people get so tired of getting no acknowledgement in response to information we post in threads (I would say about half the threads I have posted in over 3 years ... no, more than that ...) that many people now send PMs to draw posters' attention to the fact that they have replies. Hm?

JaneyCanuck

I will clarify that for you. Do not write to me, post any messages to me on this thread, email me, send me a letter. Need I continue?

Thank you.

You're welcome !!!!!!!!!

If you have any further orders you'd like to issue, I can give you an address where you can send them. It's close to Navel Place, Vista, CA, United States.

Lesley


you might be very interested to know that you have just dismissed out-of-hand one of THE very best helpers on this site


JC has a reputation bar none, especially when it comes to thinking outside the box



granted, she can be crusty ........................... but boy, can she find missing members of families



:))))) Janey




As you ask more questions on this site, you will find that most of the helpers reply on the thread ................ this being a thread


A few will send a message by pm (personal message), the interior mailing system


It is NOT the done thing to post copies of private pms on the open boards just to prove a point


There is an incredible collection of people all willing to help others ....... but we are human, and we are all just members just like yourself, with perhaps more experience and certainly access to records other than the ones on this site

....... which as JC said, does not actually carry any records at all!


Because we are human, we all have our own little quirks and foibles


Mine is that I almost never help anyone to trace living relatives


and the fact that, like Patricia ...... I like to see an acknowledgement ON THE ACTUAL THREAD ....... and I also like to see any question or additional information that might help answer the question you've asked, posted ON the thread, not sent to someone in a pm



sharing infomation is what it is all about!




sylvia

Lesley 4th October 2010 20:03 posted:

Lesley 2nd October 2010 08:29 Request review
Heartfelt thanks for all the information you supplied about my family. I am very grateful.
(This is the general thank you I posted, retrieved from my threads.)



And it's what we in the law biz call self-serving evidence. It's interesting, though.


http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1241962


Surname Information: Lt. George Baring Browne-Collier
Lesley 24th September 2010 22:43

Lt. George Baring Browne-Collier born c. 1820 (Naval family), married Stepney Gulston in Feb, 1846. After marriage lived on Isle of Wight. Any help with this branch of the family greatly appreciated.



A week and three pages of replies later, came the "heartfelt thanks".

What we do have, though, is two threads on two boards about the same person/family, this one here started the day after you finally made it back to the other one, when it would have made hugely more sense from every perspective to pursue the enquiries in that thread.

Just for future ref.

"Please don’t post about the same person or family twice as this can make extra work for the volunteer helpers."