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Position:Home>Genealogy> Does anyone know the whereabouts of Nell and Alf Humphrey or John and Mary Reyno


Question:They used to run a Post Office in Crook, Co. Durham and then moved somewhere near Howarth but my Mum, Doll, has lost touch with her sister Nell and would love to hear from her or a member of the family. Family lived a long time in Oxfordshire so may have gone back in that direction.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: They used to run a Post Office in Crook, Co. Durham and then moved somewhere near Howarth but my Mum, Doll, has lost touch with her sister Nell and would love to hear from her or a member of the family. Family lived a long time in Oxfordshire so may have gone back in that direction.

Could you edit your question, please, and add any second initials you may know?
There are 19 Alfred Humphrey's in the UK; I need to narrow the field. Also is Nell short for Nelly, Nellie, Helen or Eleanor?
Have you tried "Friends Reunited" and www.192.com to see if they have a listed phone number somewhere in the UK?
If I manage to find any of them, we then have the problem of contacting you - I can't post personal details of living people on open boards.
P.S. Edit
I have an address for them, Oxfordshire, & the Reynolds (Electoral Roll approx 2-3 years old now). Ellen M Humphrey? Can you e-mail me, please. Click on my Avatar which will take you to my home page - my e-mail contact address is on there.
P.P.S. 9th November. I've just posted a letter to Nell & Alf saying that you are trying to find them for your Mum and hope they will be able to help me find her!!!
Any problems - come back on to this site.

For obvious reasons, most genealogists are better tracing dead people than living ones. Most of the time when working in the latter half of the 20th century one runs up against the 'Data Protection Act', so getting personal details of anyone still alive is quite a task.

There are two obvious plans of attack, but neither is foolproof and depends upon you knowing as much about a person as possible. Both involve going to some website like http://www.192.com and trying to see if (a) you can find a name and phone number or (b) you can find a current address on the electoral roll. The reason that neither is foolproof is because (a) people can take their phone number ex-directory and (b) since 2004 people have been able to "opt out" of the commercially available electoral roll which also means they are effectively ex-directory. This is basically a lottery. If you've got a rare surname or certain combination of first names, then you have a head start. If not, then you could get dozens or even hundreds of possible hits.

If they are relatives rather than casual friends, then the Salvation Armys People Tracing Service will help you. Google their website. If you think they might be living in Oxfordshire, then a letter to the letters page of a local newspaper might be in order to see if they or any friends and work colleagues recognise the name. Maybe the same letter sent to a Co. Durham newspaper might get you in touch with a former neighbour or family friend who knows where they moved to. You have to start thinking outside the box here, but you do have to be careful yourself that you do not reveal too much information about living people. They don't often appreciate it. Some people just don't want to be found!