Extended Family Friday

Blogging about my research and family history has reaped many rewards for me. The biggest being that I've been contacted by cousins that I didn't realize were out there. Earlier this year I was contacted by a second cousin once removed who lives in England. She was descended from my McCann family, and I'd been searching for a link to this family for years, reaching out on all message boards and anywhere else I could think of.

My Great Grandmother Margaret McCann Bellew left England in the mid 1920s. I have done many posts about her story in the past, you can read them by viewing the posts labeled Margaret's Envelope. But that wasn't the whole story, as Margaret had left England to join her husband, and many of her sisters and other extended family members remained there.

Today I write about two of Margaret's sisters, Elizabeth, my cousin's grandmother; and Alice Ann. Elizabeth McCann was born 9 Feb 1888 at 5, Newsham Street, Preston. Her parents were Hugh McCann and Alice Ann Smith. Elizabeth McCann married John Mee on 14 August 1911 at the Church of the Sacred heart, Preston and they had five children, two of whom died young. Her husband died in 1926 and Elizabeth married George Fowler in 1928 and they had one child. Elizabeth died in 1943. Alice Ann McCann was born in 1894 and never married. She remained in Preston until her death - dear cousin do you have her death record? Writing about some of the extended family also allows me to note gaps in my information :-)

My cousin's parents, John Mee (son of Elizabeth and John Mee) and Eleanor Maud Nicholson married on 26 July 1947 at St. Edmund's Roman Catholic Church in Northumberland. She was wonderful to share the photo below of their wedding day, showing many of the family members I thought I'd never lay eyes on.
This is a photo of John Mee's wedding - the son of Elizabeth McCann Mee. Imagine my excitement to see a photo of my great grandmother's sister Alice, who is second from the left. Also pictured are George Fowler (far left), John Mee (center with his bride) and Eleanor Maud Nicholson. The fourth from the right is Mary Mee, the groom's sister (born 19 May 1917) standing next to her new sister-in-law. What a beautiful occasion.

It's very rewarding to receive and share family information with extended family members you may not have known existed, yet they're so close in relation to you. I am very glad to have found my new cousin and with the help of message boards, blogging and our continuing research, we'll find even more family members to share with.