Genealogy Chat

My younger child's 'friend' was a 7 year old (the age he died)chimney sweep, who helped his grandfather, who he lived with She told me this when she was about 3!! Mind you, 'Patrick' used to get blamed for the drawing on the walls/floor etc. I used to tell her to tell Patrick that wasn't the way friends behaved!! Maybe I was a little lenient with the idea of not 'poo-pooing' imaginery friends, as she's just told me (at 23) that he's still around occasionally!!! By the way, there are no chimney sweeps in my ancestry. maggie

Sorry but I don't believe children are taught not to believe. My daughter, when 3, had a 'friend' and I actively encouraged her to tell us about this 'friend' and never said a bad word about her (Betty) or tried to put her off. I even went to a medium who told me Betty had been my friend who looked after me when I was little and now she was looking after my little girl - my mum confirmed all this even though I remembered nothing of it. Then one day her 'friend' had gone. I think it's when children grow up they lose the power to connect with the other side. It's like learning a language, when babies are born they have the power to speak any language in the world - the longer you leave it the harder it becomes to learn. If young chldren have contact with the other side they learn to speak to them - but they get so distracted with growing up and learning other things (but especially tv's and computers) that they forget about their 'friends'. Snowdrops

I had an interesting experience with my youngest daughter who was 3 at the time. I could hear her chatting away upstairs, it was just her and me in the house and I love listening to kids play mummies and daddies! Anyway I asked her who she was talking to and she said the strangest thing - her answer -'a 7 year old called Fabien hes a white italian She was 3 wouldnt of even known what an Italian was!

Rebekah, sorry to hear about the verbal abuse, don't let it put you off conveying what you think, 99% of people on GR are lovely and receptive. We also think that we have a ghost in the house, there was a lady prior to us moving in who had lived here for 36 years and was a recluse, when we first moved in we had strange things like the hair dryer running on it's own, amplifiers sounding in the middle of the night, the printer running on it's own. the toilet flushing..it settled and now, we are moving, we are experiencing the same things. My Sister went to a Medium and was told that my late Father would sit on her bed whilst she slept. Sure enough, that night she felt pressure on her bed, she was a little upset though and felt that she had to ask him to leave..there were other things that the Medium knew about like slabs waiting to be paved in the front garden. x

Rebekah - that's diabolical (the verbal abuse - not the orbs)!! I am sceptical about orbs - but then I'm Mrs cynical!! lol Jean, Interesting about the imaginery friends - both my children had one - and both friends were called Patrick!! However, when asked to describe them, they were totally different. Both my girls believe they have seen ghosts, and the elder had an 'out of body' experience when she was 2. I know because of a reaction she made to a situation, and when she was about 4 and could describe things, I asked her about it. maggie

Ooh yes. We've got many pics with orbs, and even mist, on. Im interested in most aspects of the paranormal, although Im going to watch what I say about it seeing as I recently had some verbal abuse from a man on GR. Might have to get him banned if it carries on.

excellent Beverly - I am not sure on what I think of spirit guides, but just found it very strange that day when we went to 3 meetings that all 3 mediums said the same name - SPOOKY! They do say that young childrens imaginary friends in fact are guides but as they grow older and are 'taught' there is no such thing they lose their ability to see them - or so ive read!

This is digressing a little bit but could be paranormal, I once worked with a Medium, who stated that another colleagues daughter had a spirital guide who had followed her throughout her life, when the Medium disclosed the name, it was actually the name of the Daughters imaginary friend from when she was younger. The day that I lost my Dad, I could smell the smell of my Grandfather like he was in the same room........ xx

Looby - You are the one with 233 people on her tree and the other has 296. Dea Xxx

Wow Mavis that is a great story!

Wow Mavis that is a great story!

This was printed in the British War Memorial Project newsletter. We scoured the cemetery for war graves and couldn't really initially find the ones we were looking for. A lovely tabby cat with no tail (not a Manx) and very big feet joined us at one stage and rolled over our feet and generally rubbed round our ankles as we walked, very friendly. As soon as we moved away from one section of the Cemetery it didn't follow us but the rest of the time it followed us from grave to grave. There are quite a few veterans graves in this cemetery and many can't be read as they have some sort of moss on the lettering. We continued to look for the graves and managed to find three of the four and the cat rolled over on each one and purred. We couldn't find Fitzgibbons and we walked all over but the cat stayed in the one area. Finally I said to my friend Norah 'I'll ask the cat', and went and stroked the cat and said 'Come on then show us where he is?' and the cat trotted off to the next row and lay down on the exact grave we were looking for. It was smaller and hidden by some larger monuments around it. Norah said that it was just too spooky and could we go now! So I thanked the cat and off we went; after being so affectionate we were worried it might follow us back to the car but as we walked away it just stayed on Fitzgibbons grave and watched us go. Funny enough the photo of the cat on the grave does not seem to have come out! [Note; This project is trying to get all the war graves from the WWI onwards photographed for posterity, (see website for details) all the photographers are volunteers.] Mavis

Thanks Angela, you made me feel better. And its so great reading all your stories, especially the ones where people end up moving to an area where their ancestors originated without knowing before doing their trees!

I think that you are perfectly sane, Jean!!! I am absolutely positive that our dead rellies will help us find them when they want to be found. I have had quite a few spooky coincidences happen to me which have helped me to get on further with my tree. I am convinced that at least one dead rellie is helping me!!

I feel much more comfortable now knowing im not alone so I will spill the rest of why I started this thread. It started when I was a kid with my dad, he would make these weird predictions, nothing major, but I remember them mostly happening, he is still that way today but scoffs at anthing paranormal refusing to believe in its exsistance. When in my teens I had many strange things happen, items moving around the house and not being where I left them, things like that. When I became a mum, myself and a friend decided to go to these mediums, it was 3 separate places and we decided if we put our foot down in the car we could just about make all 3 in a day. I got picked out at each one, each medium told me I was psychic and had a sister of mercy with me called Helena. I just took it with a pinch of salt. Years later I worked at Lakeside in Thurrock and after a late night girly chat about all things spooky we decided to hold eachothers rings or necklaces and just say the first thing that came to us for a giggle, where I then described each of their houses having never been to any of them, even to where they had photos and what was in them. It all died off and i didnt give it any more thought until I started my tree, since then (and I know we all must do it) I chat to them, just like 'Oh Alfred where are you!!' whilst hunting on the census. Then I would find a likely candidate and say 'There you are!!' and it is almost like I hear them - NO! That isnt me, look further, That is just a for instance on the many times it has happened. And about 4 weeks ago I had a dream about my grandfather, (He was living at the time) We were in a cemetary, he didnt say a word to me in my dream and it was all very scary, he was walking in front of me beckoning me to follow, so I did, it seemed quite a walk in my dream, then he stopped and pointed at a grave stone, I looked and his name was on it, well that scared me enough to wake my up, but 2 weeks later he died of a massive heart attack So I wanted to start this thread to find out if anyone had had similar experiences or if i could be imagining things! I am so glad its all annonymous here lol, now i BET someone thinks I have lost the plot!!

Looby - you're not the same one I was speaking to a few minutes ago!!!!

I believe in the paranormal, ever since my grandmother died in 1970 I was only 10 then, and its carried on for many years, I wont go into details but Ive always felt nan has been with me, Ive smelt her as well, she doesnt come to see me all the time just from time to time. I know her first husband (before she married my grandfather) died due to being gassed in the first world war, and I wear that wedding ring. When I was going to the cemetary to find the grave mum said its between to the 2 churches, but when I got to the churches I was lost and all I said is 'Daniel where are you' and I seemed to have been guided to his grave, same with his parents mum said after I got home his parents are not far from him and again all I said is 'Daniel show me where your mum and dad are' . I have seen a ghost and I do believe, wish my nan would pop in havent talked to her for ages. Yvonne xx

I believe. I got ill a few years back and really felt down. I don't know what else I would've done, but something told me to find out about my family. So I started researching and with something to focus on, I started getting better. I believe there is a reason why people research into their tree's, and I believe that was my reason. They knew I was at my worst and focusing on my family gave me something to hook onto, and now I'm gradually climbing uphill, instead of down. I think things will happen when you become open to this sort of thing. You look into your past, it can open old wounds, and you are, essentially, looking at 'death', albeit on a tree, census, or record. In that sense you do become more open to your paranormal side. I once heard that everyone has one, but many don't choose to believe or use it.

Yeah but the two Margaret's and two Sue's usually have something else to distinguish them (like Sue from Colchester as opposed to Sue from Liverpool) - but I understand what you mean, GR distinguishes them because of maiden names. Ooh you two could have fun!!!!!

Hiya Snowdrop I believe that myself and the other Looby have corresponded in the past - and it is all down to a childhood nickname for both of us - you can have two the same because it saves your surname as well - it's just the same as having two Margarets or two Sues!!!!!! Looby