Social Media and finding new family

[MaryA]

I know many of you on here don't like social media, such as Facebook, but I just wanted to tell you of a success story that might make you think again.

One of the groups I belong to is I'm from Kirkdale, where people will post photographs of the area and sometimes people. Just before Christmas a photograph of the Coronation party in Crealock Street was posted, this street name drew my attention as my grandmother's sister had lived there from before the 1911 census until the 1970's, although I never knew her and her family, they were in my tree.

While looking at the photograph and wondering if any of the people might have been cousins of mine, I realised that the surname of the person who posted it was familiar and on checking, sure enough there was somebody of that name descended from Alice. I checked with him if his mother's name was what I suspected and sure enough it was.

Now I'm in contact with him and another cousin, and have exchanged a number of photographs that I would never have seen, solved a family mystery and had another mystery confirmed that it exists but we may never resolve it.

Even if you don't like posting on Facebook, if you aren't on there, and perhaps following a couple of genealogy groups, you may be missing out on a valuable resource. Why not try it, you can always leave again if you don't like it.

[Fledge]

I've 'met' a large number of cousins I didn't know existed on Facebook from all lines of the family. I also found someone who knew my grandparents and was able to provide all kinds of little anecdotes and photos.

Local area old photograph/memories groups are great, too. I'm in contact with local historians all over the place, and if they find a photo or snippet of information they think might be of use to me they'll message me. Social networking is a marvellous resource.

[steveflan]

I managed to get back in touch with my cousins on my father's side through Facebook as they live all over the country.

Ended up in that one of them was getting married and all my paternal first cousins were there, and we've managed to get the only photographs of all of us together!