Twas only a few weeks ago that I started tracing the family tree again after I had given up previously. I sent a letter to my mothers counsin in America asking for any information she has on the family, as her father is the only surviving relative of the 'elder' generation in my family, on either sides.
We found a folder that my nan had been filling in at her nursing home before she passed away in 1999. The folder had questions about her family in, a section on memories etc. In it, my nan wrote that her nan, Eva Nash, owned a Pet Shop in Oldbury. My mom and I were stumped, as in the research we had done, we had found no mention of the surname Nash, and had found her nan to be Mary Jane Hardman. I remember moaning to a friend over msn, saying this would be the perfect time for nan to return in spirit form!
A few months after we sent our letter to America, the day after we found this folder (and felt like giving up), we recieved a reply from my second cousins in America. She wrote in it all that she knew about the English side of the family. Including that my nans parents were Mary Jane and George Nash... and Mary Janes mother was Elizabeth Hardman.
Not so spooky, but a big coincidence that we recieve both information in 2 days after finding nothing out previously!
To add onto this (christ help me I'm writing an essay and i doubt anyone is even reading!), I sent in a wedding photo into The Black Country Bugle asking for the help of local people as to who the marriage belonged to. We've been reading the bugle for years and never sent a letter in, and we've never found anyone looking for information that we were. In the same issue that the wedding photo I sent in was printed, we found a letter from a local man asking about his great grandparents, George and Elizabeth (nee Hardman) Nash - from Oldbury! I couldn't believe it. Then my aunty, who we have not spoken to in quite a few years, phoned saying that she couldn't believe it when she saw my letter in the bugle and confirmed who was on the photo and said she has many photos and we're welcome to drop by opne day to see them!
My favourite part of tracing the family tree is when the pieces begin to fit together, all at once.