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My grandad's best mate was a man named George - known as Stan.
Both worked in Southampton docks.
He's mentioned quite a bit in letters between my grandparents, when they were courting (1924/25) - Stan was courting Hilda at the time.
I did a bit of genealogy on Stan, a few years ago, because Stan was black, and Hilda was white - I'm not sure how mixed relationships were accepted back then. Stan and Hilda married and had one son, Bob. born in 1931 - the year after my mum.
Stan's father (with an unusual surname) came from Barbados. His mother, I could trace back at least 5 generations, but as her name was also unusual (and long) it became more difficult to identify the name as the spelling was all over the place. :-S
Yesterday, I randomly put Stan's name in 'Google', and up came Bob's obituary (his parents were mentioned in it) - he'd died in 2018, in Canada. He'd moved there in 2004.
The obituary mentioned two children and 3 grandchildren.
I have to admit to doing a spot of Facebook 'stalking'.
I put in the son's name and came up with one in Canada - the same with the grandson.
I then 'Googled' the son's name - a coupe of articles came up - he'd moved to Canada in 1995 and worked for an air company - definitely Bob's son.
Here's the really weird bit.
In the early 1980's, my ex and I worked at an agricultural college.
One of my ex's colleagues had an unusual name - on the lines of 'Freddy Fox' or 'Walter Weasel'. The sort you don't find too often, and can't forget.
I'll call him Colin Cow.
There, on Bob's son's Facebook 'Friends' page was Colin! I double checked - yes, he'd worked at the same college as ex.
What are the chances of that? :-S :-S
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Wow, Maggie.
It's really strange when these coincidences turn up.
A bit like I felt, when I found that OH and I had a distant link between our families, even though he was born in Scotland,I was born in south of England and we met in Wales.
.....and the next step?
Are you going to contact the Canadian family?
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I won't be contacting them, Gwyn - though I will bring it up with ex next time we talk/meet!
Bob's children don't know our family - and it was pure nosiness on my part!
I just thought it strange that Colin knew the family of my grandad's best mate, and my ex!
I have a feeling ex and I are related somewhere 'down the track'.
His Gran and my Great gran are both from New Forest families (settled travellers).
Both worked in the same farm in Sway (10 years apart).
Unfortunately records for travellers - even 'settled' ones, are sparse
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Ah yes... New Forest settled travellers...
My uncle married a hardworking lovely lady from one of those families. They had lived in a bender and my cousin has told me how meticulous her grandmother was about cleanliness. They might not have understood the science behind it, but they knew how to prevent illness from spreading.
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Ex actually phoned me yesterday - but I totally forgot to mention Bob and Colin - mainly because we'd just heard one of our grandsons had covid symptoms. :-(
He and daughter have been tested (but not my other grandson and grand daughter
:-|) so we're waiting for the result.
However, i realised, this morning, that I have a couple of letters from Stan to my grandad, written from hospital. He was involved in a nasty accident in the docks.
Stan and Hilda are also mentioned quite a bit in the 125 or so love letters I have written between my grandparents in 1924/25.
They used to go to the cinema and pub together at weekends, amongst other things!
Grandad lived in lodgings. His landlord and landlady had a market garden the other side of Southampton, where their relations lived.
During busy times, they'd stay over there.
With the house to himself, on a weekend, when gran had a day off from her job (she was in service), she would see grandad.
Grandad would invite Stan and Hilda over to the house, and they would play 'lights out' :-0
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