EUREKA MOMENT
Karen Rye was delighted to find the Canadian cemetery in which her family members were buried. But the story did not end there, says Jon Bauckham
Karen Rye was delighted to find her ancestors’ graves in Canada – but the story didn’t end there
How long have you been doing your family history?
Over ten years. I initially started because I wanted to confirm whether or not my dad was Welsh, which turned out to be true.
After researching my grandparents, I thought: “Hang on a minute, I know my grandmother had three brothers and one sister, so I’ll just find them as well.” So I found them too and just kept going!
What had you managed to uncover before hitting your brick wall?
I had been researching a family member named Arthur Bardoe, who was the nephew of my 3x great grandfather, Thomas Bardoe.
Arthur was born in Northfleet, Kent, in 1883, and his wife Susan (née Britton) was born in Essex the previous year. The couple married in 1905 and had three sons, who were also born in Northfleet.
I had traced the family using the North West Kent parish registers on CityArk ( cityark.medway.gov.uk), as well as census records.
What was stopping you from progressing your research?
After the 1911 census the family disappeared. I couldn’t find any death records for Arthur, Susan or their three boys, so it really only left one alternative: they must have left Kent.
How did you try to solve this mystery?
Through passenger lists, I discovered that the family moved to Canada shortly before the First World War. Arthur arrived in March 1913, while Susan and the three boys emigrated in May 1914. I also found an attestation paper revealing that Arthur had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916.
Last year I did some more research and concluded that Arthur and Susan were buried at Milton Evergreen Cemetery in Ontario. I found the email address of the cemetery online and sent them a message simply asking whether they were “looking after” the couple. Shortly afterwards a lady named Anne replied saying that yes, Arthur and Susan were indeed buried there. She apologised for not having more information, other than that Arthur was in the British Legion section of the cemetery and only Susan had a headstone.
I told Anne that she had been very helpful and that at least I now knew where my relatives were buried.
What was your eureka moment?
Two days later, I discovered another message from Anne sitting in my inbox.
“You are not going to believe this, Karen!” she wrote. “A man has just walked into my
I couldn’t find any records for Arthur, Susan or their three boys
office saying he is related to the same two people you had been looking for!”
Anne went on to explain that she had mentioned me, but had not given out any of my personal details. However, William Ernest Preston or ‘Bill’ had left his own email address should I wish to get in contact.
I emailed Bill and said that I was sorry, but that I did not think we were related. He had said that Arthur and Susan were his maternal grandparents, which I didn’t think was possible, because they only had three sons.
Bill replied by saying that yes, Arthur and Susan did have three sons, but they also had four daughters after they arrived in Canada! One of the daughters was his mum, Kathleen.
Thanks to Anne and Bill, I found a whole new branch of the family I didn’t know existed. The fact that Arthur and Susan went on to have four other children after they emigrated is something I would have missed.
How did it feel when you discovered the connection?
You could have knocked me down with a feather! Bill said that he had not visited the cemetery in 50 years, and had only thought about doing so a couple of months earlier. I know it sounds silly, but it was as though Arthur and Susan wanted us to find each other.
Bill and his wife, Chris, said they were already planning to visit England and asked if we could get together. I said yes, and along with my husband Peter, we arranged to meet at the church in Northfleet where many of our ancestors had been baptised, married and buried. It was a step into the unknown – what would happen if we did not get on, or ran out of conversation?
I needn’t have worried. The hours flew by and we didn’t run out of things to say once. After showing Bill and Chris around the church, we went to a local restaurant in the evening to have dinner. All too soon it was time to say a very sad and emotional farewell.
Did you discover anything else along the way?
My exact connection to Bill is complicated. Although we found each other through Arthur and Susan, our shared ancestors are Joseph Bardoe and Florence Barlow, who are my 4x great grandparents and Bill’s great great grandparents. I believe that makes us third cousins twice removed.
But the story does not end there. After a little bit more digging I discovered that Bill’s great grandparents – George Bardoe and Mary Ann Earley – are also the great great uncle and aunt of my husband Peter!
What would your advice be to other family historians who hit an obstacle on their tree?
Just to keep trying! Sooner or later, you should be able to get through and find what you’re looking for.
Sometimes taking time away and looking at the problem with fresh eyes may also help you see things you missed.