Strange coincidences in family history

[jaybelnz]

My coincidence stems from the initial search I did on a Rootsweb Message board when I first started my research, back in about 2002.  I nearly fell off my chair when a message came up from someone seeking information about his English great grandparents, Henry Maxwell David Mathews and Jane Dunnell, who just happened to also be my great-grandparents, and his grandfather and my grandfather were brothers.

This cousin, and his daughter, had already been researching the family for a good few years, and I was a very raw newbie.  I replied to his message with my connection, and after that we kept in contact via email, sharing our info, certs, and stories.  I stayed with them when I went to UK - and we went over it all again.  Although this relative sadly passed away last year, I am still in contact with his wife and daughter!    A great coincidence?  Or was it guidance from above??  Devine intervention perhaps??  I won't know until I get upstairs to ask them!! 😄😄🙏

[Rena]

When I was gaining experience in schools, before applying to university for a BEd in primary mathematics, I spent some time in year 2 (6-7 year olds).

On the first day of being in a class a boy asked me if we were related. I had never seen this child before, didn't recognise his surname from being in my family tree and I didn't recognise his mum at the end of the day. However, he was adamant and would ask me most of the days I was in his class. Fast forward to the last few days I was in his class he decided to tell me more about his family - including a name I vaguely recognised (albeit a fairly common one).

It turns out he was my third cousin and seemed to have some kind of sixth sense! 

Something like that happened to a couple of people I worked with.  "D" came to work with us when he left college.  He lived with his father and was a bit of a loner but he took a shine to a middle aged chap, "T", at work and eventually started to regularly visit "T" and his family at their home.   

One day a middle aged smartly dressed woman arrived wanting to buy a product.  "D" went to serve her and looked startled when she addressed him by his name, whereupon she recounted the times she met him when he was small and how she was related to him through his mother.  Whilst "D" was digesting that information, in walked "T" and he too was was recognised by the woman and he in turn knew her because they were related through the same grandparents.  They exchanged catch up news about the family and the woman went on her way.  "D's" face showed he was bemused when he asked if he'd got it right that he and "T" were related".  "Yes we are - I thought you knew", said "T".

Was it sixth sense that drew young "D" to "T", or was it the work of a higher spirit? oo-er

[Clarkey500]

When I was gaining experience in schools, before applying to university for a BEd in primary mathematics, I spent some time in year 2 (6-7 year olds).

On the first day of being in a class a boy asked me if we were related. I had never seen this child before, didn't recognise his surname from being in my family tree and I didn't recognise his mum at the end of the day. However, he was adamant and would ask me most of the days I was in his class. Fast forward to the last few days I was in his class he decided to tell me more about his family - including a name I vaguely recognised (albeit a fairly common one).

It turns out he was my third cousin and seemed to have some kind of sixth sense! 

Something like that happened to a couple of people I worked with.  "D" came to work with us when he left college.  He lived with his father and was a bit of a loner but he took a shine to a middle aged chap, "T", at work and eventually started to regularly visit "T" and his family at their home.   

One day a middle aged smartly dressed woman arrived wanting to buy a product.  "D" went to serve her and looked startled when she addressed him by his name, whereupon she recounted the times she met him when he was small and how she was related to him through his mother.  Whilst "D" was digesting that information, in walked "T" and he too was was recognised by the woman and he in turn knew her because they were related through the same grandparents.  They exchanged catch up news about the family and the woman went on her way.  "D's" face showed he was bemused when he asked if he'd got it right that he and "T" were related".  "Yes we are - I thought you knew", said "T".

Was it sixth sense that drew young "D" to "T", or was it the work of a higher spirit? oo-er

Wow, glad I'm not alone! Sixth sense or higher spirit, why not both!?

[Wendy2305]

My coincidence is my paternal grandmother was raised by an unrelated family and this family were known as Gran and grandad to my dad and siblings It turns out Grandad was the nephew of my maternal 3x gr grandmother

[DavidG02]

In the 1970s we moved from one suburb to another and we didnt get on with our back fence neighbour. Could have something to do with the 2 dogs not liking each other and barking and yapping all day and night

Eventually one of the lads started coming over to play cricket and football in the back yard. Became best mates. 20 years pass and both parents and families have moved out and onwards.

40 years later doing the family tree and doing the twiglets I came across my grandfathers brother marrying a woman the same (very unusual and rare surname) as my mate. Having a chat he says hang on and checks his family tree he has been given

Confirmed

His grandfathers sister married my grandfathers brother in the late 1920s ( they divorced in the late 1930s - no issue) so not unusual his parents had no idea but just an amazing coincidence to me

[cristeen]

When young we used to have holidays with my paternal grandparents who would take us to visit all sorts of interesting places, some of these places were connected with their ancestors, of whom they were very proud.
One favourite visit was to Sambos grave at Sunderland Point, a tiny village and the only place in mainland England which is isolated by the tide. Sambo was a slave who died, apparently pining for his master, a ships captain. My paternal Gran knew that my maternal family had links to Sunderland Point. I later discovered that Sambo died in the cottage my maternal side first occupied when they moved there in the 1880s.

[Isabel H]

A relative divorced and re-married to a woman with the same first name as his ex.  Some years later, his son did exactly the same.

I generally do the crossword but only glance at the rest of our daily paper, having seen much of the day's news on TV or online.  One day recently I picked up the paper intending to read it properly for once, and found myself wondering what had made me do that on that particular day.  It fell open at a full page obituary of a second cousin.

[Keitht]

When I was a child we lived in a quiet side road where many families had children of similar ages. Almost right opposite us lived a family with whose children I was friendly and we played together a lot. That was over 50 years ago and I had forgotten about them until the 1939 Register became available. Suddenly a name I recognised popped up on my tree with 1939 as a "hint". I checked it out to find that I was looking at my childhood friends' mother, who was a 4th cousin. I'm certain that neither she nor my parents were aware of the connection.

[Jang]

A strange coincidence happened to me a few years ago. I'd been corresponding with my mother's cousin in England who told me he'd seen a recent episode of the "Antiques Roadshow" which featured a man with some "Railplane" George Bennie memorabilia belonging to his mother, and related to us both. Unfortunately he didn't catch the man's name.

Imagine my surprise a few weeks later when I was watching the "Antiques Roadshow" here in Australia - it was the same episode. I emailed the Roadshow people and they put me in touch with him.