Today is an exciting day. Today I get to meet a new relative whom I have made contact with via ancestry.com. She has seen my family tree and contacted me some time ago. Living a long way from my home she is in town and we finally get to catch up. Not sure what I might find out, but even if it is just sharing what we already know it is such a buzz. I have made contact with 2 other rellie’s via my ancestry.com tree as well. It is so good to be able to communicate with them, and hopefully catch up one day. I have a love hate relationship with having my tree posted publicly on ancestry.com, and I am still humming and haa – ing over do I or don’t I make it private?
I am more and more annoyed at people just taking information yet not feeling the need to comment, or even send a quick message with their relationship to my tree. We could maybe learn more from each other. Or could we? Some people obviously just want to add names and maybe don’t really have a lot to share, just wanting to extend their tree in as many branches as possible. That’s ok. I know I feel good doing as much research as I can before I post the information I have. This genealogy bug has caught many lately, and I suppose after doing it for 30 years means slow and steady has been the way to go. With the introduction of so much online information it has made it accessible for so many people which is fantastic, but also means many people just take large chunks of info and use it. And maybe this suits their purpose, so who am I to criticise? We all have different journeys to take, and I guess we have different reasons and ways of disseminating our information. I will continue to meet up with long lost or unknown relatives and continue to research and try to find source materials where possible. It is a journey, an obsession, a hobby and a passion
Heneker - a Pioneering family from Kent to South Australia 
4 thoughts on “A new relative to meet!”
cjmurdoch
Good Morning Victoria, I completely agree with so much of what you have written (pretty much everything)! 😀 I too, have a tree on Ancestry, however I’ve always had it private. That way I can chose who I share it with. I only share it with those that are without a doubt connected to me. I share your frustration when people “copy large chunks” of information that has taken me months to put together and validate. I’ve thought maybe I was just being a “little uptight” about it; however, when discussing it with others they feel the same way. Although my tree is private it hasn’t prevented me from meeting many family members from around the world; one who is a second cousin that I will meet in Ireland in August! Have a great day… I’m off for my second coffee! It’s great getting to “know” you! Colleen
heneker52
Hi again Colleen, AI have had my ancestry tree private and public on and off over time. I met a lovely cousin (probably 3rd removed, her gg grandmother was my gg grandfather’s sister whatever that makes us???), and she contacted me thru ancestry. We live in the same city, haven’t caught up yet, but will do. She is just lovely, and has the exact same feelings and experiences as you mention too. We have discussed the dilemma, want to share, but so so frustrating when people just take info, whether it is anywhere near correct or not!! I know we are one family, but often they have so much info wrong!!! Grrr…being an ex librarian of course it really grates…so hard to know what to do, but then we meet such wonderful people too, and like me so willing to share. So interesting, on my mother’s side, she was a Joseph and they were originally from East End London (well not sure where before that) as they were Jews, but I have traced them back to London to 1840’s so far so not sure how long they had been in UK. Anyway, mum’s mother was an O’Leary, I have got marriage and birth certificates back to her grandfather (my grandmother’s grandfather that is). Unfortunately mum’s mother died just before I was born, and mum knows nothing about the O’Leary’s. I am so wanting to get back to their Irish roots, and O’Leary being such a common name, and the men’s names being James Joseph O’Leary and James O’Leary, well you can guess. Not sure where to go from here. So that is one of the reason’s I was so taken with your blog as I am so keen to find more, as Ireland seems such a wonderful country. I went to London in 2008, but didn’t get to Ireland, would love to go, but not until I can visit where the ancestors came from if possible. Oh well, keep on keeping on I suppose. Wow just reread and saw you are going to Ireland in August. Nott sure where you live, are you based in the USA?? I am in Australia. Cheers for now.
cjmurdoch
Hi again Victoria, I’m in Ottawa, Canada. If you would like to send me the information you do have on your O’Leary’s; I can take a look and see what I can find. I’ve developed a great group of individuals (not family) who have helped me without being asked. If you would like to email me directly; please feel free…. colleenmurdoch@yahoo.com. I’ll do a search for you. I’m really looking forward to our family trip to Ireland again this summer; 3 weeks this time! I’ve tracked my Love/Elvin line back to Australia too! I think some of my Murdoch/Murdoch’s may have ended up there as well.
heneker52
Hi trouble re the O’Leary’s is that I only have info from South Australia, and the few certificates I have of them only show birth places in Australia, I am trying to work out how to find an Aussie cert that shows a place of birth in Ireland!! Bit annoying and frustrating. Thanks for your email address, I will try to find out more re the O’Leary’s.
Hmm wonder where in Oz your family ended up. Can’t say the Love/Elvin names are familiar to Sth Australia not that I know all the names of course….but you tend to get a feel for family names from your state especially after doing so much research. Mind you I did go to school with a girl whose surname was Love!!!!! So maybe some of your family did end up in Sth Aust although I guess it is not a completely uncommon name.
Cheers for now, trying to sleep for my night shift but only managed 2 hours…blah..