Making connections with living relatives

Living Relative Connections

In my genealogy research, I do not go out searching for my cousins but some connections have come my way while doing my research both on and off-line. Here are few examples.

Off-line discoveries of connections

After I joined our local branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, my research interests were posted in the newsletter. I was fortunate to receive a letter from a cousin who believed we had a connection because she recognized some names. Through correspondence, we shared information. She gave me information on my McKenzie line. Because she was older than me, she knew about earlier generations. it was wonderful to make the connection. I have visited her a couple of times.

In Berczy Bunch, I talked about my discovery of my fifth cousins related to the Stiver (Stoeber) line. Thanks to the Markham Museum's display table at the Ontario Genealogical Seminar in Toronto in 1993, I learned about the Markham Berczy Settlers Association. I see and I am in touch with these fifth cousins more frequently than I am with most of my first cousins. Within the group, we have shared with each other what we have learned. I made two trips with this group - one to the United States and one to Germany.

On-line discoveries of connections

I wrote about one connection in the Gift of Genealogy John contacted me because he had seen some of my postings on a mailing list. I am not sure what degree of cousins we would be but it was through the information that he gave me that I was steered to the correct part of Gloucestershire to be researching my Iles family.

Thanks to a message board, I was able to re-connect with at first cousin who had moved out of the area and I didn't know where she was living. I also have made connections through mailing lists with cousins who have seen some of my postings.

I have a web site for my Stiver connection. The web site was created as part of my studies with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. My web site has been very helpful in making connections with other fifth cousins, I didn't know about.

Although, I have not yet made connections with cousins through my blog but perhaps some day a new found cousin will drop by.

I have a friend who always says that networking is so important when doing genealogical research. It may not be a cousin that helps you out but someone you meet at meeting or online.

This posting has been created for the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia.