h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Smurfles,

How absolutely wonderful. I am so pleased for you. it really is exciting.
Really Douglas Adams left us such a wonderful legacy. By rights we should all lovve one another and all get on I am sure that is what he would have wanted.

So congratulations with all your new-found relations

Sincerely,

Christiane AR1

Thank you AR!,and i'm sure you're right about douglas!!
Yesterday,8th june,I got an air mail letter from peggy..my new found cousin.She had enclosed some pictures,and one of them is of my paternal grandma.As i have explained there was an age difference in my parents,so i neve knew her(she died in 1920).It was lovely to be able to see what she looked like,and i can now see if any of us resemble her in any way
I rung my half brother...who is now 82,and he was amazed...he has never seen her,or a picture of her either.I have sent lots of pictures to America,so my cousin has to look them over to see who is who,but she was quite pleased to get them.She also sent a copy of her fathers birth certificate(my dads brother).I can now add that to my file,which is getting quite heavy now
What a lovely hobby i have found!!!

Your happiness is catching!!

Thanks for sharing such wonderful moments with us

Hi lil
It really is strange,having not known who these people were a few months ago,then findng their names,and never having heard the before.Actually putting aa face to them seems really odd.I tend to keep getting the pictures out,and looking at them,searching for features that my children might have,or even my grandchildren!I can remember my maternal gran,she died the year after my dad(1955),but now i need to come forward ,and see if i can find more living relatives!!

It's amazing how family traits do follow through.

I was always very like my Mum in looks, but lately I can see my Grandmother from my father's side coming through!

Also, Dad come from a very large family (13 siblings) and as a youngster I might only see some of them about every 5 yrs or so. I can remember coming home from work and working through the lounge of Dad's pub, see this man.. I went upstairs and told Dad one of his brothers was downstairs.

"which one" asked Dad

I don't know, said I

"then how do you know he is one of my brothers?" asked Dad

Because he's got the W*****s nose! says I

So he toddles off downstairs to find his brother Bill and his son Barry having a quiet pint, debating if this was the correct pub or not!

(Rubs her nose) talk about family traits eh?

Ye Gods!

I must learn to preview before posting!!

<>

Sounds like quite a rewarding one as well, sal.

<> (lil)

I remember once seeing a photo of my aunt Bernadette (my father's sister) when she was a young girl, and she was the spitting image of my sister when she was the same age. Meanwhile, my sister doesn't really resemble either my mother or father. Curious, eh?

Meanwhile, I always thought I looked like my mother, who is part Cree Indian, until I went to a family wedding (on my father's side) when I was about 25. And when I was introduced to an old woman there (can't remember who she was) she said - 'Oh, you can tell just by looking at her that she's Irish!' Nobody had ever said *that* to me before. But apparently my high cheekbones, pale colouring and green eyes with very dark hair is very 'Black Irish'. Yet it's my mother who has green eyes. And when I am in Winnipeg everyone recognises my face as being very 'Indian'. Go figure.


az

Maybe we should start a thread for family lookalikes ladies!!!
I have spent a long time doing my dads side,but had a close look at my mums side a couple of weeks ago,and found that way back in 1830's my gtx4.grandfather came from ireland.I still have to investigate further,as something doesn't seem to be right,but i'll get there!!!
Apparently ,looking at the picture of my dads mum,i know where some of us get our noses from!!
I have been more curious about dads side because i only knew my half brother from his side,whereas I can remember my gt aunts' and uncle from my childhood on mums side.
I think it's time to start visiting cemetries,but that's the part i'm gonna find hard,they aren't always easiy accesible

Glad things are still happening for you Smurfles!
How wonderful to be able to pass the joy on!

thank you abbi
I am going to visit my half brother this week,,i haven't seen him since 1988,although we've chatted on the phone.....and they only live a twenty minute drive away.He seems quite eager to see the photo of his (and mine) grandma!!

On tuesday(13th) we eventually went to see my hhalf brother,and his wife.She really hasn't changed at all,she's lovely.
I' was amazed when i saw him....it took me back over 50 years....he's just like my dad was !!!I was only five when dad died,but i do remember him,and "J" is his double.I took the picture of our grandma,and we all spent a while trying to see if anyone resembled her.We covered her nose ,then her eyes,then her forehead,and i left it there so that more real life comparisons could be made!!!!!
It was a lovely evening!!!

It really does sound lovely. Good for you for getting this going.

az

It makes me feel all warm inside..

We've been back to "J"s a second time,and can't seem to fit everything in that we want to catch up on
I've found a website that does searches for ancestors,so have e-mailed them ,and they are looking into where my gtx3 grandma came from.She was born around 1783/6,and her name was "tabitha",which i really like...but there doesn't seem to be any records for her.As the first census wasn't until 1837,we have to rely on parish records,and some are ineligible,they're so old.
Fingers crossed everyone...once we find her we might be able to go back even further!!

with your search!

lil
It amazes me how someone can leave no trace of what they've done ,and where they came from.Some people can trace back to 1500's but "our tabitha "as we lovingly call her now,is a mystery!!!
We do know what she did after her son was born,but before that.......nothing!!!
I think we're going to need all that !!!

I'll send you loads more!

and a couple of es too!!

5th july.
I received an e-mail today from the family history society,who are the people i contacted about "tabitha".They can find no trace of her in any of the three church records that exist for the area she lived in,and,we believe was born in,and have drawn a blank in all the other things they have researched.It looks as though she never existed,bit i KNOW she did,or she wouldnt be my gt,gt,gt,granmother.
Oh well,onward and upward,more searching i suppose...although where next i have no idea..Maybe the records held in london will reveal something eh????

7th july.Lovely weather for trailing round churchyards and cemetries,but still no success this week....UNTIL.....
I rung the office at one cemetry and found ,at long last my dads' grave,We must have passed a couple of times at least.I ventured even further and asked the lovely lady about my Gt,Gt grandads youngest daughter,she is buried just feet away from my dad.I also found out her daughters name,And she died in 1985,in her 90's,so there must e some family still around!!!The only thing i have to do now is to find themagain!!!!
So,wish me luck,looks like a busy weekend if the sun's still shining!!

Hi Sal,

Are you certain that the lady's name really was Tabitha? One possibility is that she was known by a name other than the one(s) on her birth certificate. My grandma is known to everyone as Babs but her name is actually Kathleen Vera. It's just a thought

I wish you luck in your continued searching.

Liz
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