Genealogy Forum UK

A few years ago ,during one of the world cups ,I think it was a night when England was playing , some genealogy and ancestry groups allowed people to go on line for free. On this night my daughter (who also has a interest in genealogy ) was trying to find out information for me . She found a handwritten letter from my granddad who was living in Abberley St Dudley ,applying for a the position of steam roller driver for Handsworth Council . it was dated about 1906 . I saw the letter, and was overjoyed to see this letter ,and wished i had taken it home. For some reason my daughter would not let me take the copy of the letter . Anyway it must have got lost with other papers and we have never seen it since . She could not remember where she found it , and for the last couple of years i have sent e.mails to everyone i can think of to no avail. I just thought if any of you clever people have any ideas you might let me know or if you know of any private collectors that might have this letter Thanks for reading

Could it have been on a tree on Ancestry? They sometimes have attached documents. Perhaps some one with full access will offer to search for you, and you can PM the name if you don't want to post it here.

Thanks for advice ,but i already have tried Ancestry ,as i have full access. but it could be one of the others . So if someone has full access to another group , I would be very happy for them to have a look for me .

I just looked, and Findmypast had free access while England was playing in 2010, including

"Under this free offer, you can view the census records from 1841-1911, parish records for baptisms, marriages and burials 1538 onwards, military records covering World War I and World War II, and migration records. Living Relatives searches and Memorial scrolls are not included."

I'm not sure if the record you mention would be included in that lot but I expect someone with FMP could look.

gardener wrote:I just looked, and Findmypast had free access while England was playing in 2010, including

"Under this free offer, you can view the census records from 1841-1911, parish records for baptisms, marriages and burials 1538 onwards, military records covering World War I and World War II, and migration records. Living Relatives searches and Memorial scrolls are not included."

I'm not sure if the record you mention would be included in that lot but I expect someone with FMP could look.

Many thanks Gardener, if someone does have FMP , and can access letters I would be very happy to give them my grandfathers details on PM . I have already been sent a PM by someone who is willing to help ,and i am very grateful for their experience in this daunting task . If anyone else wants to join the hunt it would be lovely . I just wish my daughter could remember what site she had it from . I am afraid she follows her mother , I tend to forget things too ,but I can blame my age

[quote="dudleytaylor"]A few years ago ,during one of the world cups ,I think it was a night when England was playing , some genealogy and ancestry groups allowed people to go on line for free. On this night my daughter (who also has a interest in genealogy ) was trying to find out information for me . She found a handwritten letter from my granddad who was living in Abberley St Dudley ,applying for a the position of steam roller driver for Handsworth Council . it was dated about 1906 . quote]


Just wondering -- is it worth going the other way and seeing if it is in Handsworth Council archives -- as it would have been sent it would now be in the hands of the recipient ---

maybe the site that was seen was a local council site/local family history group --

Maths girl wrote:

dudleytaylor wrote:A few years ago ,during one of the world cups ,I think it was a night when England was playing , some genealogy and ancestry groups allowed people to go on line for free. On this night my daughter (who also has a interest in genealogy ) was trying to find out information for me . She found a handwritten letter from my granddad who was living in Abberley St Dudley ,applying for a the position of steam roller driver for Handsworth Council . it was dated about 1906 . quote]


Just wondering -- is it worth going the other way and seeing if it is in Handsworth Council archives -- as it would have been sent it would now be in the hands of the recipient ---

maybe the site that was seen was a local council site/local family history group --

I have done all that , I sent E,mails to various Handsworth History Groups ,and they have all said they have not got the letter . I sent one to Handsworth Council , and they said everything would have gone to Birmingham Library . I was told by them that they had taken a look ,but could not find anything in their catalogs, but if I wished to visit , they would show me what they had got , but then they started to pack up for their move to new premises. I have spoken to my daughter today ,and she seems to think it might be Find My Past , but I do not know of any of my family who might be on there . It was a miracle to find it in the first place , so I think I will need another one Now . . Please don't worry about it . It was nice to have you trying for me .

could it be in the Access to Archive section - national archives ?

peterd wrote:could it be in the Access to Archive section - national archives ?

would they have thought it worth keeping ? I suppose I could give it ago . I must admit his handwriting was beautiful for a steam roller driver. I have just received a photograph of his steamroller. I would love to show you all ,but I cannot work out how to get the photo on here , Thanks to all

DT picture of a Marshall Steam roller Built at the Britainia works

Thanks Pete for putting my grandpa's Steamroller on the Forum XX

Did he bring it home and park it outside the house, just like people do today ?

, He would have done that if they would have let him . He had retired when I was old enough to understand , but I know he loved his steamroller , and my dad always spoke about it . My dad was allowed to ride on a similar Steamroller at one of the shows ,after he told the owner about my granddad . They are magic , even I love them .