I wonder....did my great aunts and uncles really know each other

[Ringrose]

My paternal grandfather was one of 10 children.A few years ago ,through Genes Reunited I was able to make contact with his brothers family.When I met up with a member of today's family they were amazed that they had other relations.I can't remember my father ever talking about his aunts and uncles and I do wonder if Ive found out more about them than my father or grandfather knew.
Certainly my parents would be amazed about the things Ive found out about their ancestors.
Ringrose

[LizzieW]

I knew of my g aunts and uncles.  And I actually met one of them, my maternal grandfather's sister who didn't die until I was 18.  Unfortunately, the only one who had children was my grandfather.  One of his sisters adopted a son (who from getting birth certs I found out was actually her husband's child with a maid who worked in a nearby house!) and I probably met him when I was a child but I don't remember.  My mother was always talking about her aunts and uncles on her mother's side of the family, and even about her g.aunts and uncles.  Although she'd never met her maternal g.aunts and uncles, her older sisters had.

On the other hand, my paternal grandfather told his family he was an orphan without siblings so his children never knew that they had paternal aunts and uncles.  They knew their maternal aunts and uncles, I even met four of them, 2 from my g.gran's first marriage (so I guess they were half g.aunts) and 2 from my g.gran's relationship with my g.grandfather.

[Ringrose]

Interesting....Some of mine moved away from the area they were brought up in and I had the thought that in those days their only contact would be by letter ...no phone calls  pre 1940 really with my lot.I think my Dad was the first to have a phone .
Ringrode

[Familysearch]

I must be very fortunate!!

As far as I know, I knew - and met - all of my great aunts and uncles! Admittedly, I was quite young in the case of some, and the memory is hazy.

However, have to say that the more recent connections are almost nil on the one side, and on the other side because that generation did not have that many children - then there are very few to know, but that side I have had contact with in the last few years. I guess with the death of my parents then the link begins to get a little thinner!

FS

[smudwhisk]

Slightly different, but my grandfather and his siblings apparently only knew one cousin, and she was a cousin once removed as her mother was actually their cousin, daughter of their mother's eldest brother (there was a 20 year age gap between their mother and her eldest sibling).  As their father was an only child, there weren't any first cousins on that side.  Research has shown on their mother's side they did have quite a number of cousins, many of whom lived in the same area of East London to them, so its sad that they only knew one cousin's daughter.  It may unfortunately have had something to do with the fact their parents had a "shotgun" wedding five months before my Great Aunt was born and then they ended up with the family home after their maternal grandmother died.  But who knows.   Family relationships can be strange things even now.

[roopat]

When I started looking into OH's family tree, he told me his father knew nothing about his paternal family "You won't find anything about them". To our surprise they were VERY easy to find, and in fact lived for many years a couple of miles away from OH's father, uncle and grandparents. There were several aunts, uncles and cousins. Father-in-law's mother was a tartar and apparently always implied she had 'married beneath her' OH remembers his grandfather being made to eat his meal in the scullery while they ate round the table  so we can only assume she forbade all contact with her husband's family. OH was quite upset his father had died before the first censuses came online, he would have loved to know that side of his family.
I was lucky - my grandmother was the eldest of a large family and the great-uncles were not much older than my dad, so I grew up knowing them and their families. 

[Marmalady]

My father never met most of his aunts, uncles & cousins -- on either side of his family

He knew of them through Christmas cards etc exchanged between the families but visits were non-existent

He grew up in Birmingham / Cheshire, his relations were in London, Weymouth, Gloucestershire so distances might have made meetings difficult but not impossible

[StanleysChesterton]

I think it's geographic and linked to "the oldest female".  While families are close in distance and the "old mum" is still alive, they'll naturally see each other several times/year when visiting mum.  The closer they are, the more opportunity they'll then have to arrange other get togethers.  If they live in the same street they'll be hanging out together a lot.

Once the oldest female dies, they've no central hub to congregate around for significant holidays and their households become the ones with the oldest female and their descendants do the same again.

More than 2 miles apart, they probably only saw each other 2-3x a year (mum/dad's birthdays, Xmas and possibly one big/local/annual feast day) ....

Travel is difficult and expensive - and time off is limited/precious.  Out of sight, out of mind.

[Ringrose]

Now of course with the Internet families living mikes away ,the other side of the world can actually see each other as they speak.Think my parents would have been amazed at modern technology....as indeed I am
Ringrose