Well as you know from previous posts I have been searching for hubby's Mum's family. Main problem was that they were from Burma and have emigrated everywhere but no one knows exactly where.
Upto 4 years ago I had a couple of names for Pansy's siblings (she's deceased now so I can use her name). Then ekdest brother in law gave me two addresses which were put into the electoral roll. One was a match for the surname and family names so I sent a letter explaining who we were. Within days we had a phone call from Pansy's only living brother. The best part was that a sister was visiting from Australia so we met her as well. Only one other sister was alive but she is a bit of a recluse but we made contact with her children. We all met within a week of the phone call and are in constant contact.
Anyway I often typed in names and areas but got nothing at all until last November when one of Pansy's deceased brother's daughters contacted me from Australia. So that was another member found.
Then in the first week of January I decided to google names I had in the tree with no details or hardly any. With one name I got 4 hits. One was from a woman looking for her Stepbrother. The details she gave matched the details I had to a tee so I emailed her. She isn't the step sister but the half sister so she is Pete's (hubby) 2nd cousin. The other hits were regarding a book that this name had published to do with his childhood in Burma. I bought the book and it is him - I'm so sure I would bet my life on it. I contacted the publishers with what I knew and they promised to get the details to him and he would be in touch. I haven't heard anything yet but live in hope.
Now Pansy's mum, Florence was the youngest of 7 children.
I already had info on one of the sisters - Adelaide - as her Grandaughter had contacted me.
The woman looking for her half brother lives in Pakistan and we are in constant contact now. Our friend Zahoor is visiting relatives there this month and is going to visit her next week to take photos etc. She has passed my email onto her brother, also in Australia and we are in contact. They are the grandchildren of another sister - Mercy
Last night I sat thinking how lovely it would be to be able to find info on the other siblings of Florence. She had 3 brothers and another sister. John the eldest died when he was a teenager so that left one brother William, a brother Bertie and a sister Mildred. I had basic details of who they had married and that was it.
Today one of Pete's cousins phones us. They have had a phone call from a woman who says she is a cousin of his mothers (the recluse)They gave her my phone number and said if anyone knew anything it would be me.
She called me and it turns out she is the daughter of Bertie!!
Excited was not the word for how I felt. When I get like that I tend to pace up and down. I must have walked at least 6 miles during that phone call !
She said she would send me all the details she had. I just happened to mention that I just needed details on William and Mildred and the family would be all found and she told me ............ they all live within 5 miles of her!!!!!!!
By this time I am also jumping up and down never mind walking.
So now after searching for so many years we have them all - I haven't been in contact with all of them yet but give me a fortnight or so and i will lol. Photos which have had "unknown" people on them will now be identified. There are still family members over in Burma but we will have addresses for them. The cousin in Pakistan has already said she will visit them if we can find out where they are and now she will be able to do that.
Pete just keeps telling me that I've done great - but is still in a bit of shock that the whole family is now known right back to 1865 and especially in a country where we don't have easy access to records etc.
Now I know I am ranting but I am so happy that I had to share with everyone. It just goes to show that even though there may be obstacles stopping us searching we can still find them. I was going to say with patience but I would be lying there lol.
Carol
