Ancestor is not significant

[Erato]

Almost everyone is significant to me.  I sometimes take a look at neighbors, business partners, employees and other people in the community who interacted with my ancestors - not in depth but casually to see if there are any newspaper articles, photographs and whatnot.  For example, when my g-grandfather's house and general store burned down in 1885, they suspected arson.  I know who they thought was the culprit and I've taken a cursory look at him and his family.  Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone who is researching that family [or any evidence that he was, in fact, an arsonist].  If I did come across a researcher, though, I'd make contact to say, "I'm interested in Marquette County, too, and, for what it's worth, here's what my grandfather suspected about your ggg-uncle Cornelius."

[RossGillbanks]

Almost everyone is significant to me.  I sometimes take a look at neighbors, business partners, employees and other people in the community who interacted with my ancestors - not in depth but casually to see if there are any newspaper articles, photographs and whatnot.  For example, when my g-grandfather's house and general store burned down in 1885, they suspected arson.  I know who they thought was the culprit and I've taken a cursory look at him and his family.  Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone who is researching that family [or any evidence that he was, in fact, an arsonist].  If I did come across a researcher, though, I'd make contact to say, "I'm interested in Marquette County, too, and, for what it's worth, here's what my grandfather suspected about your ggg-uncle Cornelius."

There will be someone somewhere interested in your line more than likely! Safe to say I felt the same. Although I have living close relatives, they are not very interested in family history. However the people that have shown an interest and exchanged info for me are the ones that aren't on Ancestry or other family search pages.

A distant cousin I was able to get in contact with. Although he was not searching for living relatives he did always wonder if there was other living relatives. Anyhow he was able to give me invaluable information regarding relatives which he had first hand accounts with. This information was vital to me to paint a picture of what these people were really like.

I do try to keep in touch, but it took a lot of work to get in contact with him and I couldn't thank him enough for the word document he put together bundled with so many stories.

[coombs]

On occasions, Ancestry hints can be helpful. That is how I found a 2nd baptism for my Oxford born great gran Ellen Edgington in 1910 when she was 14 in North Hackney, London. DOB given, parents names and dad's occupation confirmed it was the right person. She was in a convent at the time, the address said 121 Stamford Hill, a convent is what further research said, the 1911 census. Lots of people in the convent in 1911 were training for domestic service. By then Ellen had left the convent and was a servant in Bexhill.