Family Tree News - 20 December 2009

Christmas is almost upon us already, doesn't it come around quickly? The final Christmas family tree presentation packs full of research findings are all on schedule to arrive in time for Christmas, so there will be some delighted people out there opening their presents on Christmas Day. Always a pleasure to make customers happy.

I have squeezed in some time to add additional Blitz Victim information to the Coventry Blitz Resource Centre this week. I have added my research findings for the following family names: Farr, Faulkner, Farren, Dingley, Dennis, Dalton, Daines. As promised, I have uploaded the information kindly supplied by David Barron from Ontario about the Magson family, including an excellent photo of his grandfather Reg. Many thanks for sending these David.

This week I received a lovely letter from a customer I helped earlier this year, who has finally been reunited with her brother and sister after 70+ years. While I do love helping people research their family trees, I have to say that the most rewarding part of my job is when my work helps people get back in touch with long lost family members. It gives me immense pleasure to help people in this way. I will share the letter with you below, with only names and addresses redacted for privacy - it is a heart-warming letter to read.

It just remains for me to wish all my readers, customers and fellow genealogy enthusiasts a wonderful Christmas / Holiday Season, and a happy and prosperous New Year to you all.
Jane Hewitt 20 December 2009


Dear Jane

My family and I would like to thank you for the help you gave us in the summer when I was trying to find three of my siblings.


You provided information which helped the adoption team trace two of my siblings: F, who is 82 and my brother J who is 76. I have not met F yet, but I have spoken to her several times on the phone, and she is overjoyed to be in contact with the family again.

My brother J has been to visit me and will be spending Christmas with me and my family. It has been very emotional for J as this has been his first contact with anyone in the family for 73 years.

We now have only one member of the family missing, our brother HK of whom there is no trace. My older siblings do not even remember him as a baby at home. He would be 75 now and there is no record of his death. My adoptive mother suggested he had gone to Canada so next year we will be following a new line of enquiry.

I thought you would like to know how much your enquiries had helped us, and how much we appreciated your help.


Best wishes for Christmas and the coming year.

JR

Family Tree News - 13 December 2009

Delighted to have published a new web page about the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral following the devastation of the Blitz. The black and white photographs are taken from my family archive. Dating back to the 1950s, they depict the construction of Coventry Cathedral as it rose phoenix-like from the ashes of destruction as a symbol of peace reconciliation.


If you own any old photographs of the Cathedral taken after the Blitz, and wish to share them, I would be interested in hearing from you.

Thanks also to Mr D Barron who kindly sent me a photo of his relative who was sadly killed during the air raids on Coventry, and some additional data for the website. I hope to publish this in my next website update.

Amazing old photos of Coventry rising from the ashes of the Blitz - coming soon!

Family Tree News - 6 December 2009

Just a quick news update this week - research is going ahead full steam as Christmas approaches!

I have found time this week only for making a few minor tweaks and updates to the website. However, browsing through my collection of family history photos, I found a set of amazing old photos taken throughout the 1950s. They show Coventry as it was being rebuilt following the devastation of the Blitz. I am spending my leisure time converting these old photographs to electronic format. They show Coventry rising from the ashes of destruction, and it is fascinating to see familiar city landmarks being built. Not to mention all the old cars!

I will pick out some of these archive photos from my collection to publish to the website. I am thinking about putting a page together on Coventry Cathedral, and another photo gallery showing Coventry City Centre - e.g. Broadgate and Coventry Precint - being constructed. Check out www.familyresearcher.co.uk in a week or two, as I hope to have something worth uploading soon. All the best, Jane.