I always get a kick out of reading "happy ending" (or sometimes, beginning, depending on which way you look at it) stories! Most of you know that I've been trying for years to assemble my WILSON family with the firm knowledge that amongst 14 children born to my great-grandparents, there must be at least a few living relatives floating around. A couple of years ago I finally came across one who lives in South Africa we have happily exchanged information and kept in touch. Yesterday, which would have been my late father's 87th birthday, I sat down at my computer and the first e-mail was from Harry Anthony WILSON from New Zealand and by this morning we have confirmed that we have another link! He is particularly moved and excited as he knows of no other living connections and himself has no siblings. I am so looking forward to puzzling out a great deal more information between the two of us. There have been so many times when I have been contacted by people responding to something I posted up to 10 years ago while trying to help somebody else, so the moral of this story is never give up and try to keep a constant e-mail address for your research! Regards Marielle

Hi Marielle, Please let me know if you find a Stephen Henry Kenneth WILSON (born c.1835/6, Lieut. 85th Regiment) who married Anne Emma Matilda MACLEAN, (born 27 May 1840). Anne was the daughter of Colonel Sir John MACLEAN (Lt. Governor of British Kaffaria and Natal) and Katherine Louisa Georgiana O'REILLY of Cove Rock, East London. Stephen WILSON married Anne MACLEAN on 6 July 1861 at Holy Trinity, King Williamstown. I am very keen to add their descendants to my O'REILLY family tree. The fact that your contact in New Zealand is named HARRY ANTHONY WILSON immediately caught my attention as both first names are O'REILLY names - especially 'Anthony' , which has come down the generations from my O'REILLY progenitor, Lt. Col. Anthony Alexander O'REILLY. A.A. was born at 'Baltrasna', Old Castle, County Meath around 1776, was the Brigade Major at Grahamstown from 1819 to 1848 and lived with his wife, Anne, born GRAVES (1780 - 1860) of Maryborough/Portlaoise, Ireland) next to Dr. ATHERSTONE in Beaufort Street, Grahamstown before dying at Cove Rockl, East London on 27 May 1870. I have loads of info going back centuries on the O'REILLY's but none on Stephen and Anne WILSON's descendants. Wouldn't it be great if we could help each other! Kind regards, Kathy O'Reilly On 29 October 2012 12:27, Marielle Ford <marielle@intekom.co.za> wrote: > I always get a kick out of reading "happy ending" (or sometimes, > beginning, depending on which way you look at it) stories! > > Most of you know that I've been trying for years to assemble my WILSON > family with the firm knowledge that amongst 14 children born to my > great-grandparents, there must be at least a few living relatives floating > around. A couple of years ago I finally came across one who lives in South > Africa we have happily exchanged information and kept in touch. > > Yesterday, which would have been my late father's 87th birthday, I sat > down at my computer and the first e-mail was from Harry Anthony WILSON from > New Zealand and by this morning we have confirmed that we have another > link! He is particularly moved and excited as he knows of no other living > connections and himself has no siblings. I am so looking forward to > puzzling out a great deal more information between the two of us. > > There have been so many times when I have been contacted by people > responding to something I posted up to 10 years ago while trying to help > somebody else, so the moral of this story is never give up and try to keep > a constant e-mail address for your research! > > Regards > Marielle > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SOUTH-AFRICA-EASTERN-CAPE-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >