Genealogy Chat

This thread was previously ''How far back can your living rellie take you?'' - JUDITH MANLEY wins the bottle of cyber champagne with aunts currently aged 90 and 96 who remember their granddad, born in 1820.............Well done Judith!! ...................Now on page 2 onwards it's ''What did your rellie fail to mention?''.................My gran failed to mention her ''stepmother'' was, in fact, her biological mother, and all because she didn't like her mum!!.......What did YOUR rellies fail to mention????? .........Happy Hunting - Sarah

My mum is 81 and she remembers her grandparents who were born in the 1850's. Unfortunately neither of them ever spoke of their early lives. My gran was born in 1892 and when I was young she would talk about her father who was born in 1837 and all about his childhood - but this cannot count as my gran is no longer with us! How far back can your living rellies take you in their reminiscences about family they knew personally? Happy Hunting - Sarah

My dad is 91 this year - born 1914, he remembers taking firewood to his grandad who used always to be in bed and wearing a nightcap! His grandad was born 1852.

Hi Sarah. My Nan is 94 and came out with stories when I started my research but it has all been a waste of time. As a family, we had no photographs or offical documents, so it has been hard graft. Over the years, she has got confused and I wish I had never bothered to ask her. She made me spend hours, looking for people who never existed and what is even more frustrating is that when I find concrete evidence, she argues and won't believe me. The moral of this is... Speak to your rellies now before the brain starts to fail!!!

My mum remembers her grandfather (born 1862) taking her, in top hat frock coat and walking stick (for show only) to see Shirley Temple films in the 1930's. She also remembers visiting her G aunt & Uncle at their pub. I have letters and postcards from my G G Gran (born 1852) to my gran. maggie

Mum lived with her maternal grandparents William born 1859 and Emma 1860. Emma probably had early responsibilities as when she was 16 her own mother died in childbirth after the birth of Emma's sister. The baby's survival was probably due to her sister's care. Mum remembers visits that the sister made bringing fruit from Herefordshire to her sister's family in Wales.

My great grandfather was born in 1820 and lived until 1918. He was a watchmaker, working from home, and, aged nearly 90, he featured in the Daily Sketch when he and his nephew spent a month's holiday on the Isle of Man and clocked up 4,250 miles travelling on the ferries between the island and various mainland ports. We still have his pocket watch and the newspaper cutting. Although my dad, born 1904, who used to tell me stories about his gt grandfather is no longer with us my two aunts, aged 96 and nearly 90 both remember the old man.

My mother-in-law (born in 1916) remembers staying with her maternal grandparents in Culworth in Northants. She stayed with them from her home in Camberwell, London, when her brother was born, and even went to school in Culworth. Her grandfather was born in 1861 and grandmother in 1862. My 80 year old Aunt in Canada remembers staying on her maternal grandparents farm in Biggar, Saskatchewan in the 1920s. Her grandparents (my G grandparents) emigrated from Wales with their 3 children in 1909 (G Grandad went 2 years earlier to get a Homestead grant and sent for them when he had some land to farm). Aunt has lots of tales that her Grandma told her about growing up in Hereford but Grandpa never spoke about his family from Abberley in Worcestershire (which probably explains why I can't find any relatives from that branch!) G Grandpa Charles KEY was born in 1869 and G Grandma Jessie LLOYD was born in 1873. My Aunt also remembers her paternal grandfather, George Washington KILPATRICK who was born in Aylmer, Ontario in 1859. Unfortunately he never spoke of his family either, or of his wife who we think died giving birth to their 5th child and only daughter in about 1903. I have photos of all these relatives - oh how I wish they could talk! :o) Sue xx

My nan is 82, and she tells me of HER great-grandparents... I even have a photo of them all together.... Chas and Mary (my nans great-grandparents) were born in 1840 and 1841. She has told some great stories about them too ... and they're all true! Sadly, my nan is in hospital right now... she is in the latter stages of renal failure. I won't be able to talk to her soon, won't be able to ask her about her past and about our relatives she knew and remembered... I only hope that I am able to keep some of those memories alive when she passes away.

Well, Judith seems to be ahead on date at the mo, and in line for a bottle of my cyber champagne (special vintage lol), unless you know better?? It's quite amazing to think of talking to someone who remembers someone born in 1820!! Imagine if they had said to him, ''Do you remember your grandparents?''. How far back would that go?!! Sarah

ChaCha - That is so sad about your nan - I hope she is peaceful in the hospital? Maybe you should write down everything you can remember she told you? (Or have you already done so?) Very best wishes to your family Sarah

Oh Sarah, if only someone HAD asked him about his grandparents! I have his baptism and his parents' marriage in Islington but can't trace anything before that. And this old boy seemed so real to me because of Dad's stories that it was him who set me off on the family history trail.

Judith, I think you may need to open that bottle right now lol Sarah - PS there's a thought for another thread - ''What started you on family history?'', but suppose it's been on here many times before?

Sarah.. thank you for those kind words. I don't want to hijack the thread, but will say that my nan does seem quite comfortable. Its a difficult situation whereby the family obviously want to keep her here with us - but we don't want her to be in pain too. I've written down everything she has told me... scanned photos so as I can write on them who is who... She will be leaving some wonderful memories for us all.

My father was born in 1890 and used to tell us about spending summers with his aunt in Cross Michael. She was born in 1840. We don't go in for close-packed generations in my family or my husband's - the last five tiers of our McMeekings average 42 years per generation (usual average I believe 25-30 years)! My late husband's do even better (or is it worse?!) The last five generations of them average 46 years between births and his 3 x gt grandfather was born in 1695! One of his cousins (a lovely gutsy old girl!) has just had her 106th birthday and some of her recollections were published in one of her national newspapers. I'd recount one but the article is in Portuguese! Liz Mardel(-Ferreira) Whoops, senior moment - of course that first sentence doesn't count as my father died many years ago and the part about the generations is off-topic so perhaps I should delete the lot!

I am still in this competiion - I thought you had to have a live rellie who had actually met the ancestor! So, Dad - 91 this year actually met his grandad born 1852 but can still tell stories about his Great Gran who was a washerwoman at St Mary Church Rotherhithe and who saw the ghost of a Roman Solidier when she was crossing the churchyard at 4 in the morning!

Blimey Heather - I am Totally amazed!! Sarah PS I have a distant cousin aged 93 who remembers her grandparents, but I don't know when they were born (shame on me lol)

Hi my great Grandmother used to tell me stories of her father Rowland and her Granfather George mutlow Abell who was born 1826. So thats 6 generations back. Her father Rowland apparently ran off with the servant and his father George disowned him. Unfortunatly the census's do not cover the year in which she would of been there to be able to prove it. Although my great grandmother was born in Salford rather than Gloucester where the family came from. Julie

The problem with the old uns that I have found is the 'selective memory'! My nan, bless her, totally 'forgot' to mention to ANYONE that she had a stepmother .....................! Bev x

Ooh Bev, My nan completely forgot to say that the woman she refered to as her stepmother was, in fact, her real mother!! Sarah