Genealogy Chat

Has anyone has any joy with writing letters getting back in touch with existing relatives? I am stuck on a branch of my family tree, but - thanks to my dad - I do know that there are living descendents and I know where they live, again thanks to my dad - he knew them when he was younger. Do you think they would find it weird to get a letter out of the blue? I am great at most writing but never ever know what to write in letters and e-mails or how to word it.

Hi Kate, I know what you mean. Im in contact with a living relative just now through the Hot Matches on here, and he has now told me that Ive still got relatives living in the town where I grew up. so im in the same boat as you so to speak, I found it easy enough to write to Alan via emails and Ive exchanged some photos, but Ive yet to write to the other relatives. Kate from Scotland

I have written quite a few letters to relations I have never met and just explained that I am try to complete my family tree and given them a little of the info I have and asked if they could help and most have replied and I am now in touch with quite a few new found members of my family who have been pleased to receive the information I have given them and who have shared what info they have. Good luck Irene

I wrote to people in the town where my grandfather was born in Sussex. He had moved away for an apprenticeship and my parents had visited family there in the 1930s and 1940s.....but no contact since about late 1950s, when my grandfather died. I used the phone book to find people with the right surname and just kept the letter brief but with enough information for them to realise that I was related...mentioned a few names and occupations. I was delighted to hear from a second cousin, who put me in touch with his sister- she had married a Smith, so missed the letters.... and we later met and helped each other identify family group photos. She even had one of my grandfather as a young man, taken with his brothers seated and posed with their father....I never expected to find a photo of Great grandfather, so that was a real bonus. Gwyn

You can only try. Last year i discoverd my mums older half sister was stll alive, The only one of that family, She was 99 coming up to 100 and living in a Nursing home in Cornwall. I hadnt seen or heard of her in about 40 years other than she was living in Bournmouth with her elder daughter and family. A cousin informed she she was STILL alive and had her address. I wrote to her explaining who I was and hoped she remembered me. She was delighted and yes she remembered me. OH and me had a long weekend in Cornwall (from Kent) last Easter to go and visit her and she was delighted Was a mine of info to on the family with a mind as sharp as a button. Shes still with us at aged 101 now Shirley

Hi Kate, My Dad could tell me next to nothing about his ancestors but he told me to ring his cousin who I've never met. I didn't have the nerve to ring a total stranger out of the blue so I wrote to her. The same day that she received my letter she phoned me and gave me masses of information and it didn't all come from what she actually knew or who she had met within the family but she recollected all kinds of things that her mother had told her. I was scribbling away like mad. She's phoned me a few times since and told me all the funny little things that the family had gone to great pains to sweep under the carpet. Some of this stuff I have not repeated incase the living relatives take offence or didn't know what had gone on. She also sent me a pile of photographs that she allowed me to copy and then return to her. My advice is go for it, nothing ventured nothing gained and you might be pleasantly surprised at how keen people are to share their memories with others who have a valid interest. Good luck Sylvia

I got stuck on one side of the tree and wrote to a great aunt and her son a few months back. Maybe i should've done a bit more research because i recently found out she was dead, opps. Needless to say, haven't heard anything back from her son!! O well Liz

Oh, dear, Liz. I just discovered the online phone directory run by BT - it's brilliant. I've checked the addresses of the cousins of my dad that I want to contact and also my great aunty. We had her address, sent her an invite to my 21st but she never replied - I checked where she lives on the BT thing, turns out that somehow we had the correct street, but should have added another line to the address and the house number was wrong - no wonder she didn't answer! We were getting a bit worried that perhaps she'd gone into a nursing home - we don't see her more than about once a year so we weren't sure.

Hi Kate I have written to numerous of my 'unknown' relatives with great success, fortunately for me. My cousin had her mum's address book at home with her and she gave me the names, addresses and phone numbers of these people who were related to our family...but she wasn't quite sure how they were related! After few phone calls and letters, I had discovered my Mum's uncle who had lost contact with all members of his father's family, a second cousin in the USA and several other second cousins over here in England. Between us now, we have built up a pretty good picture of our Irish Gran and Grandfather''s family, filled in lots of blanks and discovered loads of 'new' relatives, swopped photo's and certifiates too.