Ask and you should receive 
That is so lovely
I've told before what happened when I was searching for a Benjamin Willis on behalf of a friend in England, but perhaps not in this discussion. It was about thirty years ago now, but it has left one of the strongest impressions in my memories. This is how I recorded in my files:
" During the early 1980’s, I was helping a fellow family researcher to trace her gt.gt.grandfather’s missing brothers. She was busy tracing my forebears’ records in Bradford, while I scoured Melbourne’s Newspaper files, and shipping lists for the Willis family. We already knew that the eldest had arrived in Australia in the 1850’s and that he had lived and died in Amherst, the old Gold Mining Town. The youngest was there in the shipping lists alright, but he just disappeared after his arrival, with no mention in any street directory or obituary.
As for Benjamin Willis, he was living in Richmond for ten years or more, until he too disappeared from any records that I could find. Then, after another decade I was on the trail again. I found his obituary in the Melbourne papers. Benjamin died in Richmond, Melbourne, and now I knew that the names of his daughters were Catherine, and Elizabeth Davis. Yet nowhere else could I find any mention of him. The only clue was the last line of his obituary - ‘will Dunedin papers please copy’. Here then, was a link with New Zealand.
Benjamin’s death certificate told us little more. Having exhausted all other means of research, one lunch time, I drove up to Kew Cemetery. There I was given the compartment number, and names of other people buried in the same plot. None of these even appeared to be relatives. As for the grave site, there was no head stone to furnish any further information. I shall never forget that moment of near despair. That was that, I thought. After a moment or two, and without thinking of what I was saying, I spoke aloud, “Well Benjamin, I’ve come to a dead end. You will have to help me now.”
It was hardly a week after that, when two clients called in to see me at the small suburban travel agency where I was employed. In those days travel agents were still permitted to assist clientele with their passport applications, and we soon got to the question - ‘Mother’s Maiden Name?” When told that it was Willis, I couldn’t resist telling them all about my long search for the Willis brothers. Mrs. F. looked a bit dubious, and remarked that she didn’t think it could be her grandfather, as he had come over from New Zealand. “Dunedin” by any chance?” I asked. She now stared back in obvious amazement, and started to say, “How did you know......” Unable to contain myself, I interrupted and said, “Was your mother Catherine, or Elizabeth Davis?”
“Elizabeth Davis”, replied Mrs. F. The rest of the story quickly unfolded. Benjamin had been a Chef and Chief Steward with one of the major Sailing Companies. He had settled in Dunedin, although I don’t think that Mrs.F. had known about his previous years in Melbourne. He had been prospecting for gold in the Otago province, and she later produced his gold mining licence. In Dunedin, Benjamin was soon noted for his catering skills. Eventually, he accepted the post of Chef, at the new Scotts Hotel in Melbourne. Unfortunately, he contracted pneumonia on the sea voyage from New Zealand, and died three days after landing back in Melbourne. Some two months after my clients’ call at our office, they were able to visit their long lost cousin in Bradford."
I've had other leads and experiences which can only be explained by some kind of strange communication, and putting them all together leaves me with no other conclusion than that our deceased loved ones do know what we are doing and will help if we watch out for their signs and help.
