Author Topic: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time  (Read 8936 times)

Offline CarolBurns

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Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« on: Saturday 01 April 06 00:57 BST (UK) »
Today we met my Dad's 2nd cousin for the first time - Thanks to Rootschat!!

I received an email about 6 weeks ago from a lady asking for details on my Great Great Grandfather William Thomas b 1841 and his family. She was writing mainly on behalf of her husband who was the great grandson of William.

Her husband, Michael's father was an only child so he had no 1st cousins and also thought there was no other family out there until his wife emailed me.

Photos were sorted out as well as census reports and certificates and sent in advance so they had plenty of info to start them off.


As it so happened they had arranged to visit Blackpool with her brother this weekend and as we live in Blackpool it seemed the perfect place to arrange a "Family reunion".

My Dad was so excited they decided to travel across last night instead of today - he said so he could rest! My Mum said so he had more energy for talking!

We sat waiting patiently (if there is such a thing when first meeting family!) until they arrived. Would we run out of things to say? Would we bore them? Would they bore us? Would we get on? All these questions were flying through our heads. We sat at the window trying to guess which couple were our relatives. They  managed to sneak up on us though - they were driven here and sneaked in at the side of the building. lol

Fantastic people with no airs and graces about them and so friendly it felt as though we had known them all our lives. So many stories of members of the family we knew about but had lost all hope of finding again as well as those we didn't know about. And the photos!!!! So many that I was in researcher's heaven and still am! Certificates were included. My poor hubby was sat at the scanner for over an hour scanning them all (bless his big woolen socks!)

After 3 hours they had to go as they had a dinner to attend but they had to be dragged away as they had 10  minutes to get back to their hotel and get changed (never managed it though).

My dad is still talking about the similarities between them. He's 71 and I know this has made his day as well as mine

The strange thing is, they live on the same road that my Dad drives along to visit his sisters in North Wales. He virtually passes their home! So if you guess that their journey will be slightly longer each time they go from now on, you would be right.


So if you get the chance to meet your new relatives - go for it! It is a brilliant experience and different with each person


We are now looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks when we go through to Anglesey and hopefully we can meet the rest of the family

Carol
Thomas, Williams,Owen (s),Griffith (s), Jones - Anglesey<br />Burns, Wallace - Northumberland, Ireland, Scotland<br />Horsburgh, Sandilands, Blackhall, Rankine, Rankin, Hilson, Nielson - Scotland <br />Turnbull, Mills, Burgoyne, Burgon - Northumberland, <br />Davidson - Scotland, India, Burma<br /> Lopez - India, Burma<br/>

Offline FionaM

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 08 April 06 22:33 BST (UK) »
That sounds like a lovely experience Carol. Encouraging too - I've recently been given the telephone number of a 'new' relative who I didn't know about, by a distant cousins' niece. I've been trying to pluck up courage to make the call, not sure what to expect. Your story makes me think I'd better get on with it.
Best wishes,
Fiona
Armitage, Austin, Bray, Brogden, Cawthrey, Cox, Fielding, Gill, Hemingway, Hutchinson Jackson, Kay / Kaye, Marsden, Marshall, Midgley, Moore, Naylor, Peel, Powell, Priestley, Scott, Sharp, Shooter, Spencer, Stead, Tuke, Wade, Ward / Warde, Wightman and Wood - all from within a 15 mile radius of Leeds. I could draw a circle on an OS map with villages of origin!

Offline CarolBurns

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 09 April 06 00:04 BST (UK) »
Oh do contact them Fiona

You have a 50% chance of meeting them and that meeting could be the start of a brilliant relationship.

As it was, our new rellies got in touch with me through Rootschat after contacting one of our mutual cousins also on here. They only live 1.5 hours away so the journey isn't too bad and it is on the way when visiting other family as well.

The information I got was fantastic and much needed at the time. There were 6 siblings altogether and two died before the age of 18 so out of four I have got details and found family of three - just one to find now and that is going to be a lot easier now as the new rellie had info on that member as well

So get on the phone nd enjoy the experience of meeting them

Good Luck

Carol

Thomas, Williams,Owen (s),Griffith (s), Jones - Anglesey<br />Burns, Wallace - Northumberland, Ireland, Scotland<br />Horsburgh, Sandilands, Blackhall, Rankine, Rankin, Hilson, Nielson - Scotland <br />Turnbull, Mills, Burgoyne, Burgon - Northumberland, <br />Davidson - Scotland, India, Burma<br /> Lopez - India, Burma<br/>

Offline tony h

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 09 April 06 00:16 BST (UK) »
Well done on finding them and fantastic story, was there any family resemblance? I met with rellies last year in Ireland and was astonished :o It was like walking into a Hall of Mirrors  :)

Tony
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tony h    1953 - 2011

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Gorton Monastery Manchester


Offline CarolBurns

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 09 April 06 00:28 BST (UK) »
Yes Tony there was. It was strange as both my dad and myself were sat there all day saying that we were sure we had seen his face before. When he left and I was putting the scanned photos from the main PC to my Family Tree laptop I saw why we had been thinking that all day. He is the double of my Gran's brother!

Another cousin, Rita on hubby's side, came to visit for the first time with her brother and his wife. His wife walked in after Rita but before her husband. She just stood there with her mouth open wide and didn't speak. When we looked to Rita to find out what was wrong she was doing the same thing. The reason? Hubby, Peter James Burns was the spitting double of his 1st cousin, also called Peter james Burns, Rita's brother.  The only difference was that my Peter was 40 and his cousin was 60 but his wife and sister both said they could have been twins if they had been the same age. Alike in every way - mannerisms as well as personality. I found them through putting a photo and letter in a newspaper. I knew the photo was of hubby's family as the eldest boy was the double of hubby when he was about the same age. It turnedout that the boy in the photo was the father of Rita and Peter!. I also found a photo of hubby's Grandad and he is the double of him as well. - Amazing

 No worries about whether we had the right family there!

Carol
Thomas, Williams,Owen (s),Griffith (s), Jones - Anglesey<br />Burns, Wallace - Northumberland, Ireland, Scotland<br />Horsburgh, Sandilands, Blackhall, Rankine, Rankin, Hilson, Nielson - Scotland <br />Turnbull, Mills, Burgoyne, Burgon - Northumberland, <br />Davidson - Scotland, India, Burma<br /> Lopez - India, Burma<br/>

Offline tony h

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 09 April 06 01:09 BST (UK) »
Hi Carol,
My father died nearly 30 years ago and on a trip to Ireland last year for a "bit of a do" on my mother's side, i decided to look up my dad's brother. We arranged to meet in a Dublin hotel and got there early. When my uncle walked in, it was my Dad! i just watched him for a while in astonishment before i introduced myself. Over lunch i couldn't believe the mannerisms i possess that my uncle and therefore my Dad have in common.

At my Mother's brothers  do the following day the most common phrase was "bejasus, sure I'm looking at myself!"

We'd all hid in the pub opposite the venue where the 65th do was to take place, and at 7.30 the whole pub who had seemed vaguely familiar got up to go across the street to the the "do". I'd been sitting amongst rellies for past hour

Cheers
Tony
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tony h    1953 - 2011

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Gorton Monastery Manchester

Offline CarolBurns

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 09 April 06 01:14 BST (UK) »
You should see me when I go to Anglesey and we go shopping or I am searching around the island - I am terrible

Always looking at everyone just in case. Definitely get strange looks but I don't care.

I'm even worse with guests if they have the same name as one of my families. They have to answer 20 questions before I leave them alone. lol

Carol
Thomas, Williams,Owen (s),Griffith (s), Jones - Anglesey<br />Burns, Wallace - Northumberland, Ireland, Scotland<br />Horsburgh, Sandilands, Blackhall, Rankine, Rankin, Hilson, Nielson - Scotland <br />Turnbull, Mills, Burgoyne, Burgon - Northumberland, <br />Davidson - Scotland, India, Burma<br /> Lopez - India, Burma<br/>

Offline tony h

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 09 April 06 01:25 BST (UK) »
Hi Carol
Love Angelesy, go to Treaddur Bay most years for a week. Following is a post from another thread i did a while ago but not clever enuf to create link so cut and paste instead ???

50   General / The Lighter Side / Re: Family Likenesses  on: Thursday 23 March 06 22:41 GMT (UK) 
Went to Wexford, Ireland (my mum's home town)  last year and was walking down the high street with my 16 yr old son, when a women started giving us both looks and angling across the street towards us. Finally she stopped directly in front of me and and said "is that your son". I said yes and she said in that case you must be Tony H because the last time i saw you, you were the spitting image of your son. She turned out to be my cousin Mary who i had not seen for nearly 40 years   

Tony
                                            best wishes
Tony
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tony h    1953 - 2011

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Gorton Monastery Manchester

Offline CarolBurns

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Re: Meeting our "new" relative for the first time
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 09 April 06 12:57 BST (UK) »
Oh your poor son - he thought either the woman was crazy and thought he had been kidnapped and she would probably set about you if you had said no OR she was one of those strange people who talk to anyone

We may not notice the likenesses as much as others. Hubby and eldest son are very alike and you wouldn't know how many times I have phoned here and started talking to son thinking it was hubby - good thing it is never too saucy lol - It can be 5 mins before he asks if I want hubby  lol

The best is when hubby answers and I ask him if his dad is there. The answer is always "No, He's dead" then I know which one I am talkng to

Carol
Thomas, Williams,Owen (s),Griffith (s), Jones - Anglesey<br />Burns, Wallace - Northumberland, Ireland, Scotland<br />Horsburgh, Sandilands, Blackhall, Rankine, Rankin, Hilson, Nielson - Scotland <br />Turnbull, Mills, Burgoyne, Burgon - Northumberland, <br />Davidson - Scotland, India, Burma<br /> Lopez - India, Burma<br/>