Family history: Canada man finds Limavady relatives online

Keith described the entire process as “unbelievable”.

“A lot of people do the research because they want to know about the past, but I want to know who is still out there that I’m related to,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have met two thirds of the people I’ve met if it wasn’t for Limavady Area Ancestry.

“My ultimate goal is to find a photo of my granny before she moved to Canada, taken back home in Limavady. Fiona has been a tremendous help through the entire process.”

Although they are still searching for that potential photograph, together the pair discovered that Keith’s grandmother had another half sibling who passed away before she moved to Canada aged 18.

“I had sent him a record for one of his ancestors, who I thought he had known about, so when I sent it to him and he didn’t come straight back to me, I could just sense his shock,” Fiona said.

This meant Keith’s relatives found out about an aunt they had never known – a great aunt of Keith’s.

“It was so shocking, none of my family knew of this,” he said.

“My granny had a large family when she moved [to Canada], two of which are still living.

“My auntie, who is in her late 80s, actually cried when she found out.”