A few weeks ago I wrote about John Boles, my 3rd great granduncle who just up and disappeared.
And then the coolest thing happened!
I got an email from a stranger named Helen. She came across my blog post and got curious. She decided to do a little digging and she found my family.
In South Africa.
I had not even considered South Africa before. She sent me a few documents she had found and I happily reviewed them and updated my tree with her excellent and accurate information. She also mentioned that she lives in Carluke, Scotland and would be happy to help in the future if I needed anything.
I instantly thought of this photo of my great grandmother.
I told Helen about the photo and asked if she might be able to recognize where Mary is standing. She replied that Carluke is a very small place and it’s quite possible she would be able to recognize it and to please send it to her along with Mary’s birth date.
So I did. I included Mary’s birth date and the address at which she was born – Chapel Street. I clicked send and wondered if I might finally know where Mary was standing.
A few hours later I received Helen’s delightful reply:
“I recognised it the moment I saw it, and when I saw the address Chapel Street I knew exactly where it was.”
She included photos from google maps. I compared and sure enough, Mary is standing in front of 76 Chapel Street, Carluke.
I finally know where Mary is standing!
She is standing in front of her home. The home in which she was born. And that home is still standing.
One day, I hope to stand in front of this home too.
Once again I am overwhelmingly grateful for the 52 Ancestors challenge. My one post led to a kind stranger solving two of my genealogy mysteries. Thank you Amy and thank you to my new friend Helen. I am so grateful.