Find Living Relatives

Thats great news Valda, so glad it's turned out so well for you all. :-D

Hi All. My sister and I have returned from a wonderful trip to the UK to visit our new found family. We met all of them and it was great. We looked up addresses where my grandmother lived and found out more about the Smith family who raised her. In previous posts I was looking for Louisa Jane Smith and I found her by obtaining a copy of her sister's will from the probate office. Yes she married an Australian and maybe came out here. The help we received in the UK was unbelievable. When we went to Rosehill cemetery in Oxford to find our great grandparents and aunts gravestone I it was face down in the grass. We contacted the Oxford council and they were extremely helpful. Three wonderful and strong workers actually turned the large headstone over for us. Amazing. We now have the photos to show the rest of our family. At the church in Oxford we actually met a lady who remembered our aunt. Many thanks to all who made all this possible by finding the family of Henry Wills for us. Our new found family is quite large and accepted us and we did them. Valda

I'm sure Valda won't mind me adding this to her thread, but good news received via PM:

"Hope I'm doing this correctly. Just to let you know my sister and I are off to the UK this month to meet our new found family. Hazel is very excited about our visit. We will be staying with her for 2 weeks and then going down to Oxford to check up on our grandfather. Thanks again for putting us in touch with each other. Still cannot find Sophia Jane Wills - what a mystery she is but I have not given up. Valda"

Especial thanks to Reggie for the FMP address lookups :-D

Thanks Valda, we all like to help where we can. We look forward to hearing how you get on

Good luck and all the best
Flip

Yes making contact is a bit of a worry. I have no idea why Henry was left in the UK or if my grandfather even knew he existed. Family rumour was that they came to aust because the Parrott family did not approve of Sophia however they kept in touch and my father visited them in Oxford when he was in the UK during world war 2. We have copies of letters sent to my grandfather from his sister and cousin in Oxford. Finding the link with the Smith family may help in locating Sophia's birth details. Thanks for all your help. I am still amazed by all the help given to me by people I do not know - the gene family is indeed a very large one. Will keep you posted on future developments. Thanks Valda

Valda,

Others may disagree, but a letter may be the best way - this could come as quite a shock to find their grandmother had another family - I think it makes you half cousins. Do you know if Henry ever kept in touch with Sophia, or how he felt about being left behind? Just tread carefully when you first try to make contact.

Have sent addresses Marian and Hazel by PM.

We are reluctant to post details of living people because internet searches will find these boards and their details.

I'll send you a PM (private message) regarding the middle daughter - which you access by clicking on messages and inbox.

Will just find the details again and then send over to you.

Thanks for your help Reggie!

Hi Reggie Not sure if I'm replying correctly as I'm new at this. Thanks any help is muchly appreciated.
Flip I only found one son Andrew Inniss and one daughter Marian H or Marion not sure of spelling. Who was the middle daughter?
I'm as bit unsure of contacting them - they may not want to know about our small part of the tree here in aust but if it was me I'd be over the moon. What do you think?

Hi All. Yes my tree is on ancestry. my grandmother Sophia Janes Wills is very hard to track. No birth details so I tried following her son Henry Inniss Wills and his family. Sophia had Henry in 1904 (illiegitimate) and later married William Parrott in Oxford 1910 and then came to aust leaving Henry in Derby with the "Smith" family.
Sophia lived with the same family as per census 1881,1891,1901. If someone could look up and confirm Henry's grandchildren I would be prepared to phone one of them from aust as we had no idea that we could have living rellies in UK.
Jason D Wills, Anthony J Wills or Martin P James, Kevin R James. Any phone no would be ok or is that not the done thing. Many thanks Valda

Wise move Reggie (I've just sent you a PM with the family connection)

I subscribe to FMP...........would be prepared to pass info to Valda if she returns..........and gives an indication of her connection

The middle daughter is on 192.com ER in 2013 still in Derby - with her son and daughter, but unless it is showning on FMP you would need credits to view address as she is not in the phone book.

Sophia and husband went to Australia, she died there in 1931 according to the tree - I'm guessing Henry stayed behind with her adopted family the Smiths, as he was with them in 1911.

Valda, is that your tree on ancestry for Sophia Jane Mills/Parrot? I'm assuming she was your grand mother (or great grandmother).

The other tree I found earlier had another daughter for Henry Innis Mills, this is her husbands death:

John Alan Glover
Birth Date: 21 Apr 1947
Date of Registration: Mar 1999
Age at Death: 51
Registration District: Derby
Inferred County: Derbyshire
Register Number: A44C
District and Subdistrict: 3941A
Entry number: 284

Elder daughter on ER to 2007

Husband...............

Death
Name: JAMES, Roy
Registration district: Derby
County: Derbyshire
Year of registration: 2003
Month of registration: July
Date of Birth:2 March 1936
District no: 3941A
Reg no: A54C
Ent no: 105
DOR: 703

Informant probably related

Death

Name: WILLS, Henry Inniss
Registration district: Derby
County: Derbyshire
Year of registration: 1982
Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Date of Birth:23 November 1904
Volume no: 6
Page no: 0627


Death
Name: WILLS, Florence Hilda
Registration district: Derby
County: Derbyshire
Year of registration: 1985
Month of registration: May
Date of Birth:23 September 1907
Volume no: 6
Page no: 676
Reg no: 585

There is a tree on ancestry with this family. Their 3 children all married and had children.

If you can't view on ancestry, you can access it for free on Mundia.

Looking for relatives of Henry Inniss Wills (Sohia's son) possibly in the Derby area. Henry maried Florence Hilda Farnsworth 1931 and I think they had 2 children.
Thanks Valda