Hello everyone I don't often contribute to the noticeboard but read the messages diligently every day. However - I thought everyone might be interested in knowing that, no matter how many brick walls you bang your head against, sometimes a stroke of good luck jumps up and smacks you in the face! I remember hearing lectures from people saying they had searched, fruitlessly, for years with no success and one day someone telephoned them............ The other day I received a telephone call out of the blue from someone who had found my name, address, email address and phone number in connection with my research and just wondered if we had some common interest. After a VERY long conversation we discovered we are cousins! Yes, I mean first cousins, not second cousins twice removed or anything like that! My family history has been conducted solely at record offices - my parents and grandparents just did not talk about the past - not like we talk to our grandchildren today. My cousin has so much more information about family history than I - I just can't wait to get together to see her photos and hear her memories. Incidentally, we both live in England (me in Kent and she in Essex) but she found my details from a contact in Australia! Isn't the Internet wonderful? Best regards and hope everyone gets a bit of good luck in 2004 Sheila Bransfield (any more Bransfields out there?)