Rhiana's thread about angels made me think of posting this here :

I have been researching my family tree for several years and got back to 1600's, but a big problem was when my grandfather died, there was no-one left alive who knew and no certificate. I had his birth certificate from 1857 which i then realised was a copy issued in 1927, so i assumed he died then and certificate was maybe needed by my grandmother for a life insurance policy. Anyway i got a company to search indexes for 1927 and nothing was found, so i had to leave it as it would have cost to much to search all possible years. Then after speaking to his spirit i got a date (a year), as usual it sort of flew towards me in my mind as if it was written on a piece of paper, whilst i was speaking to him, to cut a long story short, i got the company to search that year and today a certificate arived in the post and I had a shiver down my spine when i opened it and realised it was his without any doubt, Now there are two explanations :

1. Random chance, the year just apeared at the same time was i was speaking to him, given that there was only a range of possible dates, in fact anyone of 29 years that it could be, then they each have a probability of 0.0345 of being correct. Of course its like making a statistical analysis based on throwing one dice !

2. His spirit or other gave me the date to search

anyone got other ideas ?

I'd go for option 2 mysticcat. I don't believe in spirits, I don't need to. I know they're there. Wish I could get info from them like you do, the best I can do is pick up emotions and a sense of presence if you know what I mean.

Number 2 for me too (er if you see what I mean)

I've almost given up trying to explain the "how and why" of it to myself but Its No. 2 for me.

I wouldn't question it too closely, I would just be grateful for receiving the information that has allowed you to continue your research.

thats pretty amazing it'd be nice if my mum had that sort of luck - shes researching our family.
anyway ... for me it would have to be option no 2 as well.

I see a lot of people going for no 2s

Sorry couldn't resist

mmm, yeh, looks like number 2 is winning the vote so far, anyone else want to vote

Number 2 for me as well.


Blessings

Ed

I'd go for option no. 3: Way back, somebody in the family told you the year; you forgot about it until you needed it, when you dragged it out of your memory.