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Post by fernwood on Apr 3, 2022 4:10:15 GMT -5
I think some of you will understand why I am so excited.
After over 40 years of searching, I found my half sisters who live in Australia.
We have had a fun couple of days so far exchanging photos of our dad, info about him, his wives and our families.
My sisters have been searching for their relatives in America for almost 50 years.
My dad has always been somewhat of a mystery to me, as my parents divorced when I was young. I knew he was married while stationed in Australia during WWII. I knew I had two sisters there.
Now my small family of 2 people + me, has expanded to over 30 people!
I am buckled in and excited for this new adventure.
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 3, 2022 4:43:38 GMT -5
Congratulations.
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Post by Peruano on Apr 3, 2022 5:46:01 GMT -5
And a great destination for the family reunions. Western Australia has lots of cool rocks.
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Post by fernwood on Apr 3, 2022 5:51:44 GMT -5
Just received a new twist. My oldest siter is contacting family members, all 40+ about providing funds for flight tickets for me, my daughter, her husband and their son to fly to Australia. She never asked me about this.
My sister and others live in Victoria State, where Melbourne is. I have ancestors who liberated the Melborne prison that some in an early war in England were sent to. My ancestor was sided with the losing King, but organized a prosoner revolt.
There is a community named after one of my ancestors near Melbourne. A huge statue honoring a G-Grandfather plus generations in Melbourne.
Very exciting, but scary at the same time.
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 3, 2022 8:39:46 GMT -5
Congratulations Beth!! That is beyond amazing news!!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 3, 2022 11:31:56 GMT -5
Beth, that is awesome news! I'm so glad for you and your family. A free trip to Australia is icing on the cake. If you all don't have passports, better start the process now. It takes a long time. I can't think of anything better than fossicking in Australia.
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LazerFlash
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The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
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Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Apr 4, 2022 23:20:06 GMT -5
After over 40 years of searching, I found my half sisters who live in Australia. Now my small family of 2 people + me, has expanded to over 30 people! Marvelous! You literally hit the genealogy jackpot!
How did you do your searching? Did you use Ancestry.com?
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Apr 4, 2022 23:29:42 GMT -5
If you all don't have passports, better start the process now. It takes a long time. Very true! FWIW, fernwood , it took my nephew's wife almost six months, start to finish. Of course, she started mid-pandemic... Your experience may vary. It's also kind of expensive - about $150.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Apr 4, 2022 23:30:34 GMT -5
I can't think of anything better than fossicking in Australia. LOL Make sure that you bring us all presents when you come home, fernwood !
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Post by fernwood on Apr 5, 2022 4:23:49 GMT -5
After over 40 years of searching, I found my half sisters who live in Australia. Now my small family of 2 people + me, has expanded to over 30 people! Marvelous! You literally hit the genealogy jackpot!
How did you do your searching? Did you use Ancestry.com?
I mostly use Family Search. And, a close cousin that is an expert genealogy researcher. She was Director of the National Archives for many years. I noticed a double record for my dad. Discovered it was entered by a relative of his 3rd wife. Asked my cousin if she could do a little investigating for me. She ended up finding a cousin of mine in Australia, who connected me to my sisters. My sisters are from my dad's first wife. Strange how things work out sometimes.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 5, 2022 7:43:18 GMT -5
What exciting news!!! I know how you feel. My dad's parents died young. I never knew much about his side until I met someone on Rootsweb who filled in all the blanks. I was over the moon as I'm sure you are.
My granddaughter just got a passport. It seems the backlog isn't so bad now. It took about a month.
I hope that the trip works out for you! That would be an amazing time.
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Post by fernwood on Apr 5, 2022 8:59:01 GMT -5
1t will take me 6-9 months to get a passport. Just how things are now.
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Post by rmf on Apr 5, 2022 15:16:34 GMT -5
Congrats on the family!! CAN YOU SAY OOOPALSSSS!!!!!! <-- /This is a rock forum after all
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Post by fernwood on Apr 8, 2022 7:14:16 GMT -5
Another twist. Found out my dad was married before in WWII. Had one child. They divorced after he enlisted. Now I have another sister to track down, or at least any of her fmaily members.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Apr 8, 2022 17:01:43 GMT -5
Another twist. Found out my dad was married before in WWII. Had one child. They divorced after he enlisted. Now I have another sister to track down, or at least any of her family members.
One place to check are his military records. If he was married at the time of his enlistment, his wife's name *should* be in the paperwork. Fold3.com is a good website dedicated entirely to military genealogy. I believe that it's owned by Ancestry.com, but they often have free weekends (usually wrapped around holidays like Memorial Day and Veterans Day). If you keep a list of what you want to search for, a weekend should be enough to get out what you want without incurring a fee. (FWIW, I do the same with Newspapers.com for things like obituaries and marriage notices.)
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Post by Rockoonz on Apr 9, 2022 1:22:58 GMT -5
I'm happy for you. Hope you have a great gathering.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 17, 2022 11:06:24 GMT -5
Awesome news....
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Post by Mel on Jun 13, 2022 17:21:44 GMT -5
How awesome, and probably overwhelming for you! I hope everything goes well. I have been doing a bit of genealogy here and there using Ancestry DNA and no crazy surprises so far; just proof that I am *not* related to Princess Diana, unfortunately
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2022 10:16:41 GMT -5
That’s really awesome. Hope all goes well for you and it is an enjoyable time.
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