RootsChat.Com
Census Lookups General Lookups => Census and Resource Discussion => Topic started by: jellybeans on Wednesday 25 March 09 04:02 GMT (UK)
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I've read lots of topics regarding the G.R. site, a lot of them negative :'(
I would just like to say that thanks to that site, I will be meeting my cousin for the first time in his 42 years.
It is Wednesday 25th March, here in Oz, and on Monday 30th I will be at Sydney airport, very early to meet the flight from the UK. ;D
My mother (she's 75)will be flying in too, to meet her grandfather's nephew (he's 85) who is also coming. ;D
I'm sure there will be lots of tears, and laughter, and whole lifetimes to catch up on!
Without the abovementioned site, none of this would have happened, so I am just putting in a positive word.
Wish me luck,
JB
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JB that's a great story and a wonderful outcome!
My experiences with GR have been overwhelmingly positive too!
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;D ;D
I just had to put my two cents worth in here as well. JB and I are the best of mates and I've experienced all this with her. I won't be waiting at the airport (after all friendship only goes so far ::) ::)) but will be here at home with the kettle on, ready to join in - after a suitable period of course (see above about friendship).
Maybe her luck will rub off and I'll find/get to know some of my elusive mob.
Good luck and God bless, mate.
Speak soon.
Jan
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;D ;D ;D ;D
Thanks Jan, knew I could count on you!
Thanks for the mattresses, too.
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GR is probably the best site for making family contacts in the UK. Through GR I found a half-cousin who has turned out to be one of the best friends I ever made, and together we located the Family Bible containing lots of family information that had been lost for more than 20 years. I'm so pleased to hear your lovely story, and I hope your reunion goes well - I'm sure it will :)
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I have to agree also. As an only child of only-child parents I have no cousins. However, thanks to GR I have now made contact with and met second cousins on three of my four main lines of whom I had no previous knowledge. Plus I've been out to South Africa as a result of a GR contact who was researching the same family name but for a different reason. I'm well pleased with it.
BumbleB
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Ahhh that's a lovely story! :D
GR was very useful for me when I first started my research. This has fizzled out now but was definitely worth it for the contacts I made!
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Great result JB, hope you all have a great time.
Its nice to know that there are positive results sometimes from a site that gets a lot of negative comments.
Kerry
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Yes i have lots of positive help from GR
and the tree view is simple to understand - my preferred layout so its great
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And again.
I love the tree layout, not so keen on the new wallpaper and stuff that slows down the loading though..
Good luck with your reunion JB.
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Thanks all for the replies and well wishes. Have to agree about the wallpaper, it is a bit much, but hey, it is only wallpaper and the site works!
I started researching in 2005, knowing very little about my family in the UK. I emigrated at 5 with my immediate family. Now I know about my 3xg grandparents, who my mother didn't even know about, due to a family split.
4 sleeps to go!
JB
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The only thing that really "bugs" me about G.R. is the Hot Matches. Most of my family come from Scotland, yet I get notified of Hot Matches from England, and abroad ::)
Another "bugbear" is when you get one that is an "exact match" with birth year/name/etc., and you contact the other person with pertinent questions and they can't even bother to reply. I know that some people may not be on G.R. any longer, but the ones that are there don't even reply to say Sorry not the person you are researching. I always try and reply as to whether we may have a connection or not out of politeness.
On a positive note, I have been in contact with a very very very distant relative, we share great great great great grandparents, so one good thing has come out of it lol.
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And again.
I love the tree layout, not so keen on the new wallpaper and stuff that slows down the loading though..
Good luck with your reunion JB.
I have to agree Tsu
I have just added some more ancestors to my tree and compared to the old system this was easy peasy. Really straight forward and it worked. ;D
Kerry
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GR was very useful for me when I first started my research. This has fizzled out now but was definitely worth it for the contacts I made!
I agree wit this. Through GR I made contact with someone in Australia who sent me via the post a complete list of our joint relatives. I couldn't believe how far she went to help me especially as I never asked for her to send me anything.
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Like many I have made negative comments about GR, but when it works it really works. :D
I have made many friends through the contact service, and enhanced my research.
The Tree layout is just great.
Ambers
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Making contacts is the strenth of GR, and they should concentrate on this, instead of trying to compete with the likes of Ancestry and FindMyPast with the provision of research tools, because in that they are a poor comparison.
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Hi Nick
I have to say I agree with you, but it seems that these days GR is trying to be all things to all men and forgetting the reason it started which was to bring fellow researchers into contact with each other. They should concentrate on that because for that, its the best site!
Kerry
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You never know, it might all change when the sale goes through!
BumbleB
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I also agree that it should stay with and develop what it does best i.e. enabling people to get in contact.
I have made many excellent connections over the years and from that have been able to enhance my family tree. :)
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At last I am able to see a full Tree with over 500 people on it without the screen crashing ;D ;D definitely well done GR.
I have just viewed one with over 11,000 people on it.
Ambers