Genealogy Chat

Yes, thats what I mean about my Dad. I think of all the times I went glazed when he was doing his war stories. Feel guilty about it now he is 91 and I bless every day I still have him.

One great aunt lived to be 96. My mother used to pump her for information: "And so&so married such&such, didn't they?" "Yes, dear, I think so" my aunt would quaver. If I hadn't been of the seen and not heard generation, I'd have bound and gagged my mother and bundled her into the cupboard under the stairs. All those leading questions meant that I couldn't trust any of my aunt's answers. I know so much more now and how I would have loved to have teased out a few extra stories. We never asked what Christmas was like when she was small, or if she enjoyed school, and now never can. B

Helen I know what you mean about kids. I ask my 8 year old every day when she comes out of school what she's been doing. And every day I get the same answer - I don't know! lol Irene I've got a great Uncle Bill that truned out to be a Robert too. Grandad never mentioned it as he had always called him Bill. Fortunately another member of the family put me right! Jeanette x

This does so remind me of my dad bless him, I can no longer question him so its all from memory. My brother and I had lots of bits, but it was fitting them altogether in the right place, my god, when I think of all the things he could have told us. But on the whole it was all right, we just didn't know which side of the family or whether it was our mum's or his. There was the one about one of our rellies jumping ship, (turns our his cousins husband), another mistery about a death, this turns out to be our g granddad on my Mums side found drowned when nan was 1 year old and the one where my son who was born on the 1 March just missing leap year, that was nearly your granddad birthday, 29th Feb which he never said and I never thought to ask seeing as I had only just had my son. And there were lots more. Oh if only And like it happens so often. When we were looking for a 2nd cousin, William, because he was known as Bill turns out to be Robert. Irene

Helen, that struck a chord with me. I started searching [too late] for my mother's family---an "orphan"--when she had advanced Alzheimer's. Her marriage cert[1943] gave father Samuel Jackson, but I knew he raised her, was not her father, and remembered the name George. Asked father. he had no idea. Had no certificates--knew nothing. So I bought mother's birth cert and progressed back. Later, when we moved him to a bungalow and cleared his house, we found not just her birth cert. but photos, diary, etc, plus certs relating to his family which I had also bought!!! I could have saved a great deal of money and time. He still swears he never knew mother's maiden name, but I know he is a practised liar---he is very proud of that fact---sorry if that sounds vindictive.

Not just the older generation - I'm talking about anyone remembering details from a while ago. I can't remember offhand various neighbours, but if you showed me a photo I'd get it instantly. Sometimes we need visual prompts. Ask the average child at the school where I work what they did yesterday or even ask on Monday what they did at the weekend and they can't remember. It's very difficult to retrieve info off the top of your head. But I do understand how annoying it can be - especially when like me you've shelled out for a load of certs, just to have your mum hand you a box full of them a few months later! nell

Sounds familiar to me too Jeanette. Parents, don't you love em! Maggy

Spent an long time looking for my Nan's (94, lives on her own, won't have central heating put in cos she'll not get her money's worth! Bless her!) 'Uncle Non' who she insisted was called Algernon. Turns out he was actually William Albert, known as Albert, shortened to Al, nicknamed Algernon, shortened to Non! Nan WAS right about him moving from Wales and joining the Canadian Army in WWI though, which was how I finally traced him.

My Mum had me looking for the past year for my great Grandmother Ethel Clarke....like a needle in a haystack, then 4 weeks ago she says you could ask her daughter Beryl, she's still alive!!!! Phones Aunty Beryl, Ethel Fenton was my great grandmother's name not Clarke....NOT EVEN CLOSE! Don't you just love 'em? Helen

Yes Nell I do appreciate the older generation have difficulty remembering things but my Mum has only just turned 60! lol. Jeanette x

Have a little tolerance! I bet if someone quizzed you about events in your early childhood and then later showed you a toy you'd had, or a photo of your classroom, you'd be able to remember a lot more. Just ask yourselves some questions about your childhood - only recently I found some old schoolbooks and was amazed to find I'd written about a school trip which took place about 4 years before I "remembered" going on it! And for years I thought I had a relative called Hennessy - and found it was Fennessy. - I'd never had occasion to see it written down and had obviously misheard it. nell

My grandma invents relatives. She'll tell you all about great-aunt Sarah then a day later deny there ever was such a woman - but have you found anything about her cousin Jim....?

Bless her...............xx

Yes it must be worrying for you with him being that far away. But like most older people I bet he's a stubborn old so-and-so who can manage quite well on his own thankyou very much! lol Jeanette x

Well he was a docker! No, bless him, I try to think of every day as a bonus now. Ive begged him to come and live with me - he is down in Kent, looks after himself, washing, shopping, cooking (vegetarian all his life - must have been thought of a real nancy boy back in those days). I just wish he wasnt 130 miles away.

Well at least it's not just my lot then! lol Heather LOL bless your Dad! I bet there were some choice words flying. Jeanette x

my mum's the best. She'll tell you some info on the family & when I reley it back to her about a week later - you get "oh didn't know that"

Jeanette, as you know Ive been making myself ill today after discovering Great Grandad Dixon married a second wife and had a whole new family of kids to sort. I rang my dad (91 bless) an hour ago and said, all smugly "Did you know your Grandad married another wife" "Oh yes, hes says "thats right, old Janie and he adopted all her kids" SCREAM

Yes, they are brilliant arent they. You spend ages looking for something and when you tell them, all excited, they say "Oh yes, Bert married Elsie after he returned from the African Corps, cos you know he was a policeman in Rhodesia and he son went to do gold mining in ....................................................... And you stand their open mouthed because 6 months before they said they didnt know anything about the guy.

I have exactly the same problem?!!! I spent AGES looking for my great granded and his wife on the 1901 census. After weeks and weeks of quizzing my mum and dad, tryimg to extract every ounce of information, I could only find one that seemned to match only the wife was not born where we thought. On the off chance I phoned and asked if Dad had any rellies in Burton on Trent. 'Oh yes, we went and visted them once'!! Mum said that they never thought to mention them as they only went to see them the once and wern't that close! ARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!! Sam