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Topic: Letters to the Past (not literally, of course!!) (Read 613 times)
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SS from The Rhondda
RootsChat Veteran
 Offline
Posts: 522
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Wouldn't it be wonderful for someone to reply with photographs or a room plan of the house your ancestors used to live in?
Your ancestors may have even lived in one cramped room of the house, with another six families sharing the same property. And all this space may now be occupied by a family of four who think it is too small !
I can see a problem with the recipient of the strange request thinking that it is a new way for criminals to get a look at the inside of their property.
If I were you, I would enclose copies of census returns of your family living at the address, and also enclose a stamped addressed envelope to encourage the recipient to reply to you.
Let us know if you have any replies...
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Floss
RootsChat Senior
Offline
Posts: 275
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I've always been tempted (but never dared !!) to go and knock on the door of a house owned by one of my ancestors and to ask if I could have a look in their attic in the hope that there might be something of interest up there 
I'd give it a go Ryan, you've got nothing to lose. I agree with Rhonda enclose a sae, and hope for the best.
Fiona
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Cutsforth - Hull Blades/Donson - Lincolnshire Forward - Hull/Lincolnshire/Polperro Fryman - Grimsby Seed - Dewsbury/Lincolnshire McIlduff - Portadown/Glasgow McIntosh - Aberdeen/Glasgow Census Information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Kazza
Welsh Lass
RootsChat Aristocrat
Offline
Posts: 1782
Looking into Holes
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I think it is a great idea, what is the worst that can happen? Someone may think you are a nutcase and throw your letter in the bin.
But what if your letter finds a family or local historian? It is possible, and they may be as enthusiastic as you.
Take a look at the link below to see what did not happen, all for the lack of a letter. 
http://www.rootschat.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9611.0
Kazza.
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 Surname interests: Clementsten, Hobson, Hole, Marden, O'Clements, Pitten, Sharland, Vickery (Vicary), Williams. Area Interests: Cardiff, Bampton, Bideford, Crediton, Wollaston, Somerset, Tidenham, Norway, Australia to Bristol. |
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trish251
RootsChat Marquessate
Offline
Posts: 8650
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I recently discovered that my daughter was living quite close to the home of a 19th century ancestor. On one visit to the daughter, I stopped on the way & knocked on the door. The lady of the house was very welcoming, told me much more about the house than I knew & also some detail of my relatives. It was a lovely old home (in Australia 100 years is old), looked after with care & she had obviously studied its history. So I think the worst response will be none - definitely worth a try.
Trish
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cheryle.f
RootsChat Veteran
Offline
Posts: 662
Good job they all stayed in one place!!!!!
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when my sis and l paid a visit to redlynch in wiltshire, a few weeks back we had spent hours driving round the villages just taking in the views. We were just going to head back home when my sister said oh my god! she was looking at an old brass plaque on the wall of a really old brick cottage.Days farm cottage .Our g.grandfathers b.cert. stated born days farm 1876 father ag.labourer. We had all our collection with us, and knocked on the door. The couple inside not only invited us in,but asked to see everything we had and said take as many pictures as you like( i vote for knocking on the door)or youll never know!
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mussellwhite, musselwhite,curtis, grey or gray,bundy,moody, lawrence and now Webb in wiltshire,hampshire and dorset. Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.national archives.gov.uk |
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ryan
RootsChat Veteran
Offline
Posts: 829
My Great-Great-Grandfather Thomas John Hill
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My sincerest thanks to all of you for your wonderful replies!!
Rhondda, I had indeed planned to enclose some of the census returns for the houses. I would be so pleased if I recieved a reply, but I can only hope and cross my fingers that they would be kind enough to send me photos etc.
I'm happy that you guys have given thought to this also, and I'm happy that some of you have had success!!
About knocking on doors: Last Saturday I was walking through Exeter city center to go and visit my Gran in St. Thomas on the oposite side of the River Exe from the high street. I am very familiar with the city and her roads and street names, and I had never heard of 'Beedles Terrace', the place where my lower-middle class Great Grandfather Harold Hopkins was born and raised. Walking down Lower Bridge Street leaving the city centre, my eyes happended to flicker to my right towards the shop windows where I very luckily saw a road sign on the side of a shop stating 'Ratclose Terrace Leading to Beedles Terrace'. The side of the shop was actually concealing Ratclose Terrace, this is why I never notcied it before. My heart skipped a beat, I was so excited. I ran down the Terrace hoping to see Beedles Terrace. I had invisaged it to be a large, majestic old building however, I was upset to see 80s-built appartment blocks, with no other signs pointing to the ancestral Terrace. So, I knocked on a strangers door too embarrased to say I was looking for the place where my ancetsors used to live circa 1900, so I tolled him that a friend had given me bad directions to her home. I asked 'Can you tell me whee Beedles terrace is?'. He replied: 'Beedles Terrace? I'm afraid you're 25 years too late son. It was a big house with many rooms, and it was demolised years ago'.
I was so let-down  oh, and 10 minutes letter I had an alergic reaction to some food I ate for lunch and had to go to A & E 
Anyways, I will let you all know if I recieve any replies!!
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Ryan is researching:
HILL/BURKE/BELCHER/BIGNELL/BLAKE/YELDHAM in London
HOPKINS/HART/MATTHEWS/MUNSON in Exeter & Central Devon
FEREDAY in Staffordshire
MUSCUTT/ELSBY/BRIDGENS/BURKE/BELL/ADAMS/RAINBOW in Stoke-on-Trent
BURKE/O’CALLAGHAN/CONNOLLY/FITZPATRICK in Ireland
HOPKINS/ADAMS/DOWDING/TROWBRIDGE in Shaftesbury
MUNSON/BIGNELL/YELDHAM in Essex
BLAKE in Suffolk
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Clincher
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 1193
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I helped someone in Oz track down his relative's home in UK. I offered to take a photo of the house (which I did) but as I did so I wondered whether I should be knocking on the door of the present occupiers to ask their permission. I decided that that was carrying politeness too far and didn't. Did I do right?
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pete_uk
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 27
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Hi!! I have been giving serious consideration to writing letters to the houses which some of my Great Grandparents (etc.) used to live in. I have several addresses, which exist today. My reasoning for wanting to do this is that I would love to find out from a complete stranger that their ancestors used to live in my home (not that my home is old enough really). That may sound a little strange to some of you out there, but I’d love to hear your opinions. Should I write? Shouldn’t I? What should I say? Have you ever done it before? Thanks!! 
It's a great idea BUT.... make sure that they haven't renumbered the houses in the street since your ancestors were living there. For example, most of the houses in the London area were renumbered around 1900.
If you do visit, make sure you take your camera!
Pete
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