I had never met Maggie before nor seen any photograph of her and we had only exchanged a couple of emails and text messages ( "I'm on the train"...."I'm outside the station"....."I'm walking down York Road") before our meeting but it had all been possible thanks to the Internet and especially http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/ and email!
Maggie lives in New Zealand and I live in the UK but we share a interest in family history as we have recently found we are related due to having the same ancesters in common a Harry Stroud and his wife Susannah Crisford, a couple living in and around Rotherhithe from about the 1850's...and that is enough to make us second cousins once removed!!
Maggie's Grandfather was brother to my Greatgrandfather John Stephen Stroud who was killed in action aboard Dragon in 1919 (and the subject of a previous blog and my new baby my first proper website ww
w.hmsdragon1919.co.ukI don't know how Maggie feels but I just loved the whole day out. Despite being strangers at first we had so much in common and it was lovely to take Maggie to a few of the places that our ancesters knew.
I do believe that's what family History is all about. Yes I have spent hours in dusty old record offices looking at old records and spent hours online trying to decifer census records but it's great when you actually make contact with other people !!
I do believe that's what family History is all about. Yes I have spent hours in dusty old record offices looking at old records and spent hours online trying to decifer census records but it's great when you actually make contact with other people !!
My sisters used to think it was a bit of a strange hobby akin to train spotting, an "anorak" hobby but I think I'm gradually winning them over to my view.
It's not the first time I've had success with genesreunited as I've met several Kitchingham (hello to my Louisiana cousins) and some Simpson cousins in the UK too and hope to go on more "reunions" again soon.
