How many years have you been searching for any one person?

[sirius]

Hi

Only a baby, I have been looking for Peter Callison a Mariner for 3 years who has had the longest
search found or not.

Sirius

 

[Biker]

HaHa what a cruel reminder at Christmas time 

But about 5 years for a certain James Webb, general skallywag so it seems and probably in the workhouse somewhere or other in London or masquerading as someone else completely in mid-Victorian London.  A few possibilies, but however much I try no positive identification.  Have gone up several dark and long blind alleys - including a very bizarre and on reflection desperate search in Australia - to track him down based on the slimmest and erroneous lead. Arggh!

Still searching though .... when I have the energy 

Good luck with yours.

Happy Holidays!
Biker

[01debbie]

Again like Biker, around 5 yrs for the baptism of George Winter circa 1823  in Greenwich...or is that Stelling in Kent maybe  ....what a name GGGRRRRR... But I will track him down 

hey Biker, George lived in Rotherhithe for quite some time so he's probably skulking around one of those alley's with James webb 

Merry Christmas

Debbie

[sillgen]

I can beat that!   Started my search on my Dad's 80th birthday in 1986.   Still not found a positive birth for the elusive Francis Sill c 1785/90ish.  He fathered an illegitimate child in Durham in 1804 so of "a certain age" by then!   Possibles but no proof.   The annoying thing is that my Dad will presumably have met up with him by now so could tell me!! 
Andrea

[d.weaving]

Beat this ................Sixty Three an' a bit

[Gadget]

40 50* years on and off for a great grandfather. I was told about this mysterious person when I was quite young. The stories and speculations about him used to come out when the family were gathered at this time of the year. I will never find him.

Otherwise, like the others, about 5 years for 3 different ancestors. A 4th cousin and I have spent 4 years together looking for Edward Stokes (b.c. 1775) baptism and his wife Catherine Jones' s death.

Another mysterious 3 x great grandfather is a John Roberts from somewhere in Merionethshire 

Gadget

* I'm taking 10 years off my life 

[julianb]

The true identity of the mother of Edward Bates aka Edward Luetchford, and what happened to her.  

Edward Luetchford was shown in the 1871 census as a son to my great great grandparents Thomas and Harriet Luetchford.  10 years previously he was shown as Edward Bates, and listed as their nephew.  Edward was born at Princes Road Workshouse, Lambeth in 1858 to a "Mary Ann Lutchford".  

The exact identity of which Mary Ann Lutchford or Luetchford  was Edward's mother is unclear, because there are about three candidates.  Logic says it is the eldest daughter of Thomas and Harriett Luetchford, but we can't prove it.  We being assorted Luetchford descendants - some of whom have been seeking this holy grail for about 10 years or more.

JULIAN

[kerryb]

I've only been into my family history for about nearly 3 years now so not very long compared to some!

However I think my old friend Helena Lorraine Lovekin Stamford Smith could be one I will search for, for a very long time

Kerry

[Subaru]

  15 years!!

I've been looking for some record of my grandfather Thomas Ford/e, who was allegedly born in Roscommon, Ireland in 1873.

I have come to the conclusion that he re-invented himself a few times because I haven't found a single thing.

He was 'allegedly' in the Coldstream Guards, but all paths have been gone down, without success.  Even the marriage can't be found of him and my grandmother, so I think they lived in sin.

On my uncle's birth certificate, who was born in Glasgow, their marriage is down on the cert as London 1919 - No such marriage.

Believe me, whatever search I could have done, has been done.  I have his death certificate, my mam's birth, and my uncle's birth cert.  And that's as far as it goes.

I think my uncle knows something, because apparently his army medals have disappeared.  That's another thing, there's no match with army records.

I won't give up,  I'll wait until the next census is available, you never know, something might turn up.