Finding people.

A few years ago I decided to try & trace people who had meant something to me during my childhood/teen years.
Thanks to the internet I contacted old school friends - my first love - my half sister who I'd never met (I was adopted) - a girl I lived with age 7 when my mum was a housekeeper to her dad & his family (her mum had died) - an old friend we'd lost touch with who'd gone to live in Scotland.

Everybody I'd ever wondered about I traced them. Some were successful & some not but at least I don't have to wonder about them anymore.

Have you ever traced somebody from your past?

Re: Finding people.

No never, i do sometimes wonder about folks, but not beyond just casual musings.

Re: Finding people.

Strange you should ask that Carol

Only the other day i had a letter from America from some far distant relative tracing family history. Somehow or other they traced me as being some umteen distant cousin of theirs and wanted to know what I knew of the family history over here.

On reading the letter they had included the American side of the family , even including some great uncle or other who apparently was at the Battle of the Little Big Horn with Custer.

Seems he was camping in the next field and went to complain about the noise.

Re: Finding people.

Why would I need to know what happened to someone other than curiosity , I could be intruding on their lives by doing so.

So no I haven't and I don't really see the point unless you wish to pursue a relationship on a regular basis.

Re: Finding people.

I met up with some school friends we had parted on very good terms but the years had changed us all so much that apart from school we had nothing in common, we parted again on good terms but it taught me people ive left behind are probably no longer in touch for a reason and we cant go back.

After my dad died we did get a surprise though an american man got in touch saying he was my fathers son ! He was adament he was entitled to things and didnt seem to understand all was left was debts. I said we could do a dna test see if we were related but he had a row with my sister and left before that happened. I keep wondering if i should get in touch with him, i dont have his full address but i kniw the town he comes from.

Re: Finding people.

Well, take the little girl whose home I shared when I was 7 years old.
I was very fond of her - she was like a sister to me and then my mum quit the job of housekeeper to her family and I never saw my little friend again. I never had a chance to say goodbye...It's hard for a child to understand. We went to live at grandma's house and for months after I was unhappy..

F/F 50 years ... I saw nothing wrong in sending a letter/email to her and receiving one in reply. I don't think she thought it was an intrusion. She said over the years she'd thought about me too.

Re: Finding people.

No I dont want to trace anyone from my past...theyre in my past for a reason ...

Re: Finding people.

I have found several old friends through Facebook. mostly ex pats in the USA that married GI's, a couple of them are over here now and we enjoy talking about our biking days.

Re: Finding people.

I have traced lots of people through family history but have only kept in touch with a few of them. However, the best contact I ever had was tracing my father.

My parents divorced when I was very young and I never knew him. It was almost taboo to talk about him. I did know though that he and his family emigrated to New Zealand. When my children were toddlers I had the desire to try and find him. I contacted the Salvation Army who were fantastic and soon found him. I will always remember and cherish the first letter I got from him. He was over the moon that I'd found him. We corresponded for a few years. It's a pity we didn't have internet in those days as we could have Skyped and emailed. Unfortunately he was an alcoholic and died of liver failure. I will never regret making that contact.

Another very recent contact was from someone who lives in the house where I grew up. He'd seen a comment I'd made on a local history group on social media and got in touch. I was able to tell him the history of the house and what it was like back in the 1950/60s. In turn I have seen the original deeds of the house when my grandfather had it built. All very exciting.

Re: Finding people.

In 1966 l had a really great friend at college. We stayed in touch via letter for a while and then l lost touch as she went to live in Eastbourne with her grandmother.
One day, about ten years ago, l was in Rugby where she lived originally. l called at her old address and other houses to see if anyone knew her whereabouts but nobody did.
In 2012, when l was a member of Sagazone, l was telling one of the members that l would love to find my friend. He told me to join a site called, 'Missing You' (now disbanded) which he had joined to find his military friends with great success!
I joined the site and put out my appeal. I then got a message from a retired policeman who loved researching and finding people. He sent me a name and address that he was convinced was my friend
I sent a letter to this address and received a letter back from my long lost friend! Her life had been happy and sad, as her son had recently died. We keep in touch usually at Christmas as she has moved a long way away from me.
With hindsight, l don't think l would do it again. I felt l was a bit cheeky to track her down and intrude in her life.
Dunno?!!