Genealogy Chat

The Holdens again.... Early days of my research, got stuck and was idling around, googling 'Holden'. Got onto a Manchester website which promised me a photograph of 'John James Holden' - a very big noise in Chemical Manufacture, Gas Production etc. It unfolded very slowly, as they do, from the top of the screen to the bottom. When it got to the eyes, I almost fainted and as it completed itself I was actually crying. The photograph was the spitting image of my father, who had recently died and for a barmy minute or two I thought he was trying to communicate with me, via the Internet!! He HAS to be related - but the details on the website were maddeningly vague and I could find loads of John James Holdens. One seemed a possibility, but I couldnt pin down who he married and as I hadnt a clue when he married, or even where, I wouldnt have known the right marriage if I'd found it! Stuck it on the back burner, but kept looking at the piccy and shouting 'Who are you!'. Ages after, mucking about on A2A this time, where I had looked many times before, I typed in his name - RESULT!!!A presscutting of his marriage - in a scrap book, donated by a Mr. Bowker's family. I immediately knew this was the right one - one of the few things I knew about John James Holden was that he had bought a bankrupt company from his one-time employer, H. Bouck. Lancs RO sent me a copy of the press-cutting - it gave the names of guests, relatives, a potted biog of John James and his family, where the happy couple were going to live, what they had to eat at the reception and so on. The only thing it hasnt told me is where the connection to MY family is. The likeness between this man and my late father is so utterly uncanny that they HAVE to have a common ancestor. I await another miracle to solve this puzzle! Olde Crone

Heather That reminds me of the time about 10-15 years ago when I was sat in the Chinese take away. I man walked in who was the spitting image of my Dad. He walked the same, dressed the same and everything.....apart from when he spoke, his voice was totally different. I was the shy, quiet type in those days and never said a thing to him. Wish I had now. Another time I was sat in the pub having a few bevvies with my mates. I'd just had my hair permed and thought I looked the bees knees. This girl I had never seen before came rushing over to me and said 'Good God Jane! What on earth have you done to your hair?' I pointed out to her that I wasn't called Jane and she went away a rather dark shade of beetroot. Needless to say my hair is straight these days! lol

When you think about it, it does show how we are all inter related, doesnt it.

Yes, its a nice thread isnt it. GR shouldnt delete it, they should use some of them on there 'fun facts' items rather than the 1000 people called Genghis Khan' or whatever they have. The strange thing is before I knew that I had Norfolk blood running through me veins people often said to me in shops locally - 'Have you got a sister - you look so much like someone I know'. Course, I just imagined they were confusing me with Pauline Fowler! But there was an incident a couple of years ago when I actually gasped aloud when I saw a woman the image of my real sister in town. I mean, I actually stopped in my tracks totally confused (!) why my sister should have come 140 miles without telling me. But she only glanced at me, smiled and carried on walking - probably thought I was care in the community. Now I suppose I should have stopped her and spoken to her but at that time I had no reason to think there was a connection locally. I often look out for her now.

Morning Heather! I like this thread. There's some good stories, and like the others who have contributed, I also have had a few coincidences, but this is my favourite. About 5 years ago, before I started doing my family tree, I was working for our local phone company. They were expanding outside of the area that they had previously been restricted to, and I was the team leader of the roadshow that went round to the various villages signing people up. We were in a village at the other side of town when a lady came to the roadshow to ask for some information. I started giving this lady the usual spiel but I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was the spitting image of my great Aunt Gerty who had died some years before. The lady said she would like some information sending to her, so I took her name and address. She told me her name was Sheila B****. Well, that was the clincher! My great Aunt's maiden name was also B****. So I plucked up the courage to make a right narna of myself (lol) and said we had to be related cos she couldn't be called B**** and look so much like my great Aunt and not be related. It so happened that Sheila had been dabbling with her family tree and was quite interested and didn't think I was mad! So the next day we met up again armed with photos and stories. Unfortunately, we still couldn't make a connection, so I left her my name and address and said if she ever found a connection to let me know. At the end of last year I was going through Name Summary on this site and noticed that somebody had added the name of my great Grandfather and some of his siblings. I decided to contact the lady whose name was Sheila. We swapped a few emails and then it dawned on us, we had met before. It turns out that Sheila is my second cousin once removed. Her Grandfather was my great Grandfather's brother. So my great Aunt Gerty was her father's cousin. We have since met up and she is a lovely lady. We chatted for hours just like family do! lol It makes me wonder sometimes if our ancestors are guiding us. Jeanette x

My husband's father's family come from Devon and his grandfather was born in a smallish village called Broadclyst. Through Genes I contacted a 2nd cousin in Exmouth, Devon (neither knew of the other's existance) and we visited her in 2003. We stayed at an ancient farmhouse in Broadclyst and had to pass two old cottages in the lane leading to the farmhouse. After we got home I discovered that Doug's great grandmother's family had lived in one of these cottages and had been an Ag Lab on the very farm we stayed on! Now why didn't I find that out before we came home! I've also recently found out that my mother-in-law's father was born in a small village in Worcestershire almost next to where my father's maternal grandparents lived! My G grandfather emigrated to Canada in 1906 and my father was stationed in London during WW2, where he met and married my English mother. Years ago, we were at a family gathering at my maternal grandfather's brother's house in South London (are you following so far? LOL). One of my great aunt's oldest friends got talking to my Dad about Canada. She said she had had a Canadian pen friend from her schooldays, some 35 years, and jokingly asked my Dad if he knew her. Imagine our surprise when we heard the penfriend's name - she was the first cousin of Dad's sister's husband and my Dad had been at school with her! The pupils had all been asked in 1930 if they wanted pen friends in England, but Dad and his friends had refused, thinking it 'cissy' to write letters! Such a small world! Sue xx

A few years ago when I was teaching, I had to phone the Jobcentre about my next intake of trainees. While the girl was waiting for info to load on her computer we got chatting, and it turned out she had just moved into my Great Grandparents house. Dianne xx

Years ago when we lived in our first house we used to live a few houses away from my mums sister and her daughters (my aunt and cousins). It wasn't until earlier this year that I found out that somewhere around the turn of the last century my great great granddad and grandma lived in that house and they both died there. On telling my cousin this (she is a member here), she said that was strange as they always felt there was a presence in the house ! And a few doors away from this house was where another of my distant relatives used to live.

Amongst the other conincidences that are many it appears that I am related to my next door neighbour! We both live about 10 miles from the place of our ancestors which is a really obscure hamlet. I think I need to move house now! Pippa

My father's family came from London, or so he thought. I found out they came from Reading 5 generations back - where he lives today.

Im really enjoying this thread guys, we ought to put all these together in a book! I was reminded by one of the postings of another one I had this year. Hubby and I thinking of early retirement and fancy a nice flat with sea or harbour views in Sussex. I ring up an agent at random to get an idea of the prices of such flats in Eastbourne. Im chatting away to the girl on the other end and she says 'Do you come from this area?' I said no, 'but as it happens I do have ancestry in the Sussex area around Brighton etc'. 'Oh' says the girl, Im from London but my husband comes from very ancient Sussex families' 'Oh really 'I said jokingly, 'Not the Bonifaces and Cheals are they?' Gasp at the other end of the phone - 'But YES'. Upshot being she now wants me to view the flats just so I go all the way down and give hubby my tree info!

sorry Heather didnt see this site. Whilst at Barton on Humber yesterday, on yet another wild goose chase. I spotted an old newspaper. on reading it, there was a lady who had written an article to find members of her family. Its only my family that shes seeking. Ive been intouch today. Small world eh?

In the good old days, when the Devon Record Office and the West Country Studies Library were under the same roof, you could spend the day in one and the evening in the other. I had checked my train times and knew that I could spend about an hour in the library before I grabbed my suitcase and headed back to Exeter station. My time in the Record Office had been fruitful and I had traced one branch back to one Solomon Hele, gent. The library had a whole collection of abstracts of Hele wills, deposited in the 1930s by a Mrs Kenneth Hele – before Nazi bombing destroyed all Devon’s ancient wills. It occurred to me that if she had done all that work, she might have deposited a little more, so I asked the librarian. Yes, there were a couple of boxes, but she couldn’t leave the room as she was the only member of staff that evening. Then she noticed that the boxes were out, and brought them over to me. I waded through the most amazing documents. There were pedigrees on my family which stretched back into the mists of time. I was stunned at the idea that my chemist gg grandfather had such illustrious ancestors, when a couple came up to me, demanding to know why I was looking at their ancestors? Their ancestors? Cousin! The couple came from Australia and had spent the past month researching the family in this country. We eagerly swapped details, and then an idea occurred to me. There was a tale in the family (which I had frankly disbelieved) of money lost in Chancery. Oh yes, they said. Our family won! (which was how they could afford their round-the-world trip) My hour was virtually up. I bade them a hasty farewell and flew down to the station…. Where I discovered that I had misread the timetable. My train had long gone. I ended up having to break the journey home at my brother’s. How glad I am that I can’t read timetables!

Another coincidence - There is someone named Jody Martin looking for a marriage for a William CRONE on this board right now.... lol Presume you have researched that name OC?? Merry

I have too many coincidences for any of it to be a coincidence! My main line, the Holdens, are an old Lancashire family. I was born in Lancs and when I was about 13, lived in a tiny village called Wilpshire. Fast forward erm, lots of years, and I am looking for a Holden, born Isle of Man. Cannot, cannot find her. Someone tells me there is a place in Lancashire, called Isle of Man. I do not believe this and cannot find it - not looking all that hard, you understand. For some reason or other, I am looking through some old school books, wherein my schoolfriend has written me lots of notes. At the bottom of one, she has written her name and addy - Isle of Man, Wilpshire, Lancs. I get a very BIG map - and find there is a farm, not 100 yards from where we once lived - called Isle of Man!!!! Quickly, looking for my daughter's father, missing for 28 years, - I bump into his cousin (we are both unknown to each other) as a customer in the Restaurant where I worked. He handed me his credit card - I read his name with disbelief - to cut a long story short, my daughter was reunited with her father the next day! What was even more spooky, we had been looking in the wrong place entirely - he had actually been living in Scotland for 15 years, half a mile from my Grandmother's house! I could go on and on, but I too have a theory that these things happen when you NEED them to (hope my pesky missing James Holden is rfeading this and comes out from under his stone) Olde Crone

Yes all seems to much to be coincidental doesnt it.

I just love it when it all comes together, don't you? my strangest find was while doing a house search of where I was born, and discovering, that not only was I born there, but my great grandparent lived and died in the same house, also, all of their children were born there, so in total our family had lived there from 1891. until 10 years ago. my late father also died in the same house. Looking back I alway thought there was a 'something' about that house, ..........ghosts maybe!!!!!!........Lilly

I have had so many spooky coincidences that I don't know where to start - but here goes: Driving around Needham Market to drink in the surroundings where my maternal great-grandparents were born and brought up. All of a sudden I find myself behind a lorry bearing my ancestors name! When I got home, I looked the company up on the internet. Wrote to the guy and he turned out to be a relation! Went into a church in Blackford, Somerset where my maternal grandfather was baptised. Saw a book written about Blackford on a side table in the church. I opened the book and flicked the pages. The page opened on a page containing about half a dozen of my ancestors! So many more...... I could go on all night but I'll give someone else a go! Cheers, Lynn

Great story but must be taking ages to get the work done if you keep distracting him XX

I found that I had commuted to London for years going over Holloway Road, and that I could see from the train the road where my grandmother was born. Since taking up my husband's tree I've found that his gt and gt gt grandparents ran pubs very near to where my Norfolk grandfather lodged - just a couple of roads away. Similarly, we had ancestors in Southwark living in the same neighbourhood at the same time. My father's mother's father and my mother's father both came from villages in the Cotswolds. Not a coincidence if my mum and dad had got together in the Cotswolds, but they didn't. nell