Nothing Like Some Success - Motivation Monday.

I  am all fired up with enthusiasm after a weekend of successes!

1.  I have had confirmed the identify of people in an unidentified  photograph (right)  that I featured in on an earlier posting Are These my American Ancestors?   My guess, judging by the family composition and age of the children, was that it showed John Mason and his wife Alice Rawcliffe, (sister of my great grandmother), their eldest daughter Jane and youngest children Florence and Harold.
   I was unaware of any  American connections in my family until a casual browsing of names on http://www.familysearch.org/. revealed that Alice had died in Jamesburg, New Jersey. Alice and James had six English-born children, with a further five born in the USA.   I was very keen to find out more, but meeting with very little success from message boards etc. But I yesterday I heard  from Bonny, the eldest  granddaughter of Florence,  who confirms that the young girl in the photograph above  is Florence, with her parents James and Alice Mason, and Florence's sister and brother.
   
   I am delighted to break through this brick wall after so many years.  We have made contact and will be exchanging information.
   
   So watch this space for more on my American connections.
   
2. Even better, I took advantage of fellow blogger tips on free weekend access to the 1930 USA Census and found Florence (husband Charles Urstadt)  and family.  Charles was supervisor at a snuff factory where his sister in law Jane was a weigher.  
3.  I also  also heard this morning from  a Danson descendant who has discovered my blog and got in touch. His great great great grandmother  Elizabeth Danson was the eldest sister of James, my great grandfather.  More to follow here, too.
4. Finally I discovered that a new book researching the names  on the Poulton War Memorial which features the names of my two great uncles - John and George Danson, so I have sent away for a copy and am eager to find out more, especially about John where the family information was very vague.

                                   

It is times like this that certainly give a major boost  to my family history activities!