Sending a letter

[Rosie Knees]

Sorry, I know letter writing has been discussed before lol.

Do you think this sounds a bit blunt? OH always says I come across as bossy

I apologise for writing to you out of the blue like this. I am researching my family history and wonder if you and I may be cousins.

My grandparents were George William Clayton and Ada Alice Kelly. They had six children: Alice Millicent, Dorothy, George William, Joyce Louisa, Five (my dad) and Six, all born in Lincoln. Millicent married Frederick Harley in about 1928 and I am writing to people in the Lincoln area with the surname of Harley in the hope that they are related.

I would love to hear from you, perhaps we are cousins? I have enclosed a stamped envelope if you would like to reply to me. Please could I ask you to post the empty envelope to me if you don’t wish to reply? That way I know this letter didn’t get lost in the post.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards

Thanks for any opinions.

[Jessbowbag]

personally i'd do a bit of deeper digging, so i could say

''I believe we are cousins''

[Rosie Knees]

Thanks Jess.

I have got the names of 8 children that Millicent and Fred had, I suppose I should list them on the letter (silly me lol).

[Night Owl]

I wouldn't be offended by that letter at all. Just one thought though, if you are sending out several letters it might be worth marking the SAEs in some way so that if you get any back empty you know who it came from.

Jackie

[Rosie Knees]

lol, had thought of that Jackie. I have printed out my list from 192.com and will number it. Inside the flap of the sae I will write the corresponding number ;)

[Grampa Jim]

Looks OK to me.

Best of luck with it.

[Rosie Knees]

thanks Jim.

[James]

If you put the ref no inside the flap will you be able to see it if they seal it down?

[Little Nell]

I'd put a heading Clayton-Kelly family or something like that. Then they know straight away its not a begging letter or trying to sell them double glazing.

[JBee]

Hope you don't mind me tinkering abit.

I would love to hear from you, as I believe we might be cousins and could have information to share.

My family is such and such etc which leads me to believe we're related.

I have enclosed a stamped envelope for you to use if you would care to reply to me. However if you prefer not to reply, could you possibly send the empty envelope back to me so that I know you received it and then I won't wonder if it got lost in the post.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Tom Tom]

Also put as many contact details on as possible - phone numbers and e-mails. I've sent out similar letters and people have rung me up or send e-mails.



Best of luck!

[Rosie Knees]

James, I would write it on the inside of the envelope, under the top flap of a self-seal thingy, if you see what I mean lol.

Nell, yes - I have headed the letter Harley and Clayton etc

JBee, your words are 'softer' than mine lol. I will probably amend my letter slightly.

Tom, yes I put all contact details on.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone

[Rosie Knees]

I sent 9 letters out 11 November and had a visit today from a first cousin! (while I was at work though). He had a chat with OH and confirmed some of the info I had sent to him and I have just given him a ring.

He was really nice, and very helpful. He told me all he could about his brothers and sisters, who they married and the children they had. It seems I have got more family in Australia and even some in South Africa!

His daughter dabbled a bit but only on her granddad's side and it is her grandmother who is our common ancestor. Hopefully this may spur her on and I'll see if I can get her to join us on here.

Early days and small steps, but a small success for me (I am determined to find some pics of ancestors somewhere lol).

Off to print out some more info for new-found cousin.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Oooh, well done Rosie!

I have got too scared to send out letters recently, as a while ago I traced three elderly grandchildren of someone on my tree who I thought was very interesting and hoped his descendants could tell me more. I wrote off three letters and had two replies. Sounds good, but they were both to tell me that X had died recently One reply was sent by a nextdoor neightbour and the person had died six weeks before and the other one by a person unknown who implied my relative had died about nine months previously.

About a year later I managed to find a fourth and last grandchild and with trepidation wrote to that one.............I don't think I need to tell you any more, do I? :(:o

[Rosie Knees]

oh dear Merry! Must admit that did cross my mind before I sent the letters out, but nothing ventured and all that lol.

I knew new cousin's parents had a first born baby who died at just a few months old and was wondering how to broach the subject. Counted through the children and said how many and he told me there was another very early on who had died as a baby, so I needn't have worried!

[Tom Tom]

I have sent three letters off last week so I hope to have some replies soon

[Rosie Knees]

fingers crossed for you Tom

[brenmac]

i think its fine,but i would agree send a stamped addressed envalope ,all the best.please let us know how you go on brenda xxx

[Rosie Knees]

had another reply today. Someone had written on the bottom of my letter that they are not related in any way, and put it in the sae which was nice of them.

[brenmac]

i have a book with all the mccartie,s around the world, i wrote 4 a week although i printed the same letter i sent the 4 a week,i got some back unopened,some wrong address,and i got 4 replies one was a definet.brenda xxx