Relative Connections exist to help you find the missing piece of your jigsaw; to provide answers to the questions that you’ve always had and to support you fully every step of the way.
That’s exactly what we did for James, John and Michael Buckley when we reunited them after 49 years. Unfortunately the story has a bittersweet ending. Proving that if you’re looking for someone you miss and really want to find, don’t wait until it’s too late.
James, John and Michael Buckley – photo by George Carrick
“I want people to know that even after all this time, it is possible to still trace your family so don’t ever give up hope. And act as soon as you can, because time is precious.” – James Buckley
This story was featured in the Daily Record on 1st April 2016. The Daily Record story was written by Jennifer Hyland and the photographs were taken by George Carrick. We wanted to talk to you about our side of the story. We want to publicly thank the Buckley brothers for trusting us to reunite them after so long. We were proud to play our part in their story and would love to play a part in yours.
When Michael Buckley contacted us to find his brother in September last year little did he know that time was running out. He’d been actively looking for his brother John for over 20 years but had never made any real progress with the search himself. Michael had tried online directories, sent letters and even tried using Facebook to locate his little brother but nothing had helped. His luck changed when he came to us. Here at Relative Connections we specialise in finding hard to trace people. We have access to data that’s just not available online and we love a challenge. We genuinely care about finding whoever you’re looking for and doing so with grace and consideration for all parties.
Michael filled in an enquiry form and then had a chat with Mel one of our trace consultants. If you’ve already filled in an enquiry form you can arrange a consultation by calling 0113 282 5900. As Michael found out the consultation is complementary and a great way for us to talk you through our services and advice you on how we can help you. If you’ve not already filled in an enquiry form you can fill one in by clicking here
After the consultation Michael decided to go ahead with a search for his brother and the search was passed into our trace room to be started. In this instance the researcher who was allocated the case was Jake. Jake has years of people tracing experience and dedicates his working day to specifically reuniting family members. We asked Jake why he works at Relative Connections he said “Reuniting friends and families is rewarding and you go home feeling like you have done something positive each day. I find it fascinating hearing peoples stories and looking at how their lives have developed through work, marriage, children and moving” – Jakes dedication to the search led to a breakthrough within three weeks. It changed everything for Michael, James and John. Jake had found an address for John. He wrote him a letter and ended up speaking to Johns wife who burst into tears as John also sobbed in the background, Jake had done it, he’d managed to reunite three brothers after 49 years!
Unfortunately their time together was cut short, nobody knew when the search started but sadly John Buckley was terminally ill when Jake located him. They had five months together, catching up and most importantly getting to know each other but then the inevitable happened, James said: “when that dreaded phone call came from Michael’s wife, I knew what she was going to say and I was just heartbroken when she said, ‘John passed away’ – Michael and I are so glad we never gave up looking and I want anyone out there who has lost family to keep looking as miracles can happen. If we had found John’s family after he had died, it would have been even harder. Instead we got to meet our brother again. He was a genuinely kind man, who loved his wife Betty of nearly 40 years and loved his stepchildren. Michael and I only wish we had John for longer and wish we had managed to find him sooner. I want people to know that even after all this time, it is possible to still trace your family so don’t ever give up hope. And act as soon as you can, because time is precious.”
If you would like to speak to us about finding someone you are missing, even if it’s just to see what your options are, call us now on 0113 282 5900
To download a guide to Relative Connections services Click here
To read the full article on the Daily Record website Click here