What's your best 'find' this year?

[loo]

I asked this question last year at this time, and got lots of interesting answers: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,114698.0.html

So, I'm asking again.  It's a great time to think back and realize how far we have come, especially when it seems we're not getting anywhere!

My "best" for this year was making contact with people descended from my greatgrandfather's previously-unheard-of brother, b.Germany, migrated to England, where they married, lived and died.  While I have not yet been able to establish documentary proof of the relationship, there is a lot of circumstantial evidence which all points in the same direction. 
I discovered that some of the descendants live not too far away from me, here in Canada.  My mother and I were able to visit them this year, and were absolutely stunned to see the strong family resemblances - just like siblings!  What an amazing discovery, for people in their 80s and 90s!  As one of them said, "to think we've been here all these years (some since 1920s and others since 1940s), and never knew we had any family here." 

Although this discovery was through ancestry, not rootschat, it would never in a million years have been possible without the internet.

[Nutty1966]

Hi

Wow - my great find this year was a baptism record of my elusive Priscilla, poor soul was 14 years old and in the workhouse, I presume she must have been getting to the age of working, as all the people on the page where from the workhouse and of a similar age    Mind if you had heard me when I found her, the whole RO came over to me to see what I had found, I was laughing and crying at the same time, but the feeling of finding that little snippet was fantastic.

Hope everyone has a brilliant New Year, lets hope 2007 is a good one, have fun and be safe

Jane

[Simon G.]

I think my best find was finding and meeting my third-cousin.  It was amazing...I've only lived in this valley for 17-years, and took us that long to find each other despite living only a few miles away from each other.  Was very interesting comparing information, and finding out that we also have friends in common we didn't know of (when I was 12 a good friend moved over to Aberdare, and in an amazing coincidence went to school & became friends with my cousin ).

[Theli p]

My best find is establishing contact with a cousin last known about 50 years ago. I had almost given up hope of ever contacting my late father's family when he appeared on GR. I still did not know who he was but after a few hesitant messages he realised who I was.

Since then I have had many messages and photos of my father's side of the family. My father died in the 60's so that was the last contact with any of his family. We are now making up for lost time.

To top it all my cousin then told me that his mother is still alive. She is in her 90's so I have gained an Auntie as well. She does in fact have a great long term memory so is filling in a lot of gaps in my memories with stories about my dad and his siblings.

This has all happened in the last month so I am still very excited about it.

Thelma

[01debbie]

Two things...firstly a will, dated 1718.  Why? because it confirmed a major part of my research & before I'd found the will, although I was 99% certain I was right, it was still mainly guesswork....educated guesswork, but guesswork none the less.

Secondly...Rootschat.  I stumbled across it while I Googled for something else.  then I sat & watched for about a week or more before I got brave enough to sign up.  Now I'm addicted    So many lovely people on here & all so helpful...like an extended family. 

Debbie

[KathMc]

Thelma,

Wonderful connection to have found. Enjoy.

I have had such an incredible year I'm not sure what would be my best. It's too hard . I guess I have two.

I found some articles in a newspaper archive regarding how my gg grandmother was raised by a maternal aunt and her husband, and after the hsuband died and left everything to my gg grandmother (already married at this time) with the aunt to maintain things, the aunt and her siblings tried to take everything from my gg grannie. She however took them to court and won. I have more searching to do on her, but that was an incredible find, as it started to fill in gaps as to where she went to in for a certain period.

The other is finally making connection with a branch of my gg grandfather's family, originally from Coventry. The woman, my third cousin once removed, is absolutely wonderful. I had many fits and starts trying to find a member of the family, but once I did... She has provided me with some wonderful personal stories of the family and she is sending me pictures of my gg grandparents and 12 of their 14 children. I should get them early next week. And then you will hear me yell!

Kath

[kerryb]

To be honest I'm not sure what my best find has been, there have been so many although I did start looking at my maternal grandmother's tree and unearthed two lines via distant cousins going back to the 1500s with loads of information.

Whenever I ask questions on Rootschat I seem to get answers so I just can't stop asking the questions.

Kerry

[MarieC]

You're right about Rootschat, Debbie!!  I'd vote for it too only I found it before this year!!  

My best find came via a tip from a Rootschatter.  I had been fruitlessly searching for Catholic ancestors in London, who are very hard to find because the Catholic faith was suppressed.  The RChatter gave me a link to the Catholic Archivist in London, who suggested I contact a particular parish, just in case - and it came up trumps!  Lots of useful information.  I was so excited at the time.  There are still a couple of mysteries, and a brick wall about tracing them further back, but I have much more info.  They searched their registers for me quite freely too, though I offered to pay!!  

MarieC

[deeiluka]

Oh what to choose as my best find for 2006......

there was the discovery that my grandmother's cousin was the first female flying doctor in Australia.
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140302b.htm
That was just so interesting. She was some woman.

or the birth certificate that proved my grandfather had a brother no-one in the family ever knew about - and there are 8 children of my grandfather and another brother still living. The little brother died aged 4 but my grandfather was 15 at the time and his other brother was 19. You would think they would have mentioned it to their children.

or was it the marriage of my Clarke/Tomblin great great grandparents that some very kind people helped me to find. It meant I now have all the  complete sets of my great great grandparents.

And then there were the parish records for several generations of my German Ehmcke Ancestors - but it was actually another rellie who paid to have those found so I don't think I can really count that.         

But yes - I really think it was finding first the BBC Family History Board, and through the kind people there, Rootschat!           

.......dee