Re: Richard Clift (Cliff) - Wolverhampton 1901
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In reply to:
Re: Richard Clift (Cliff) - Wolverhampton 1901
Michael Clift 6/25/03
Prompted by your interest and curiosity on my own part, at the same time as posting my last message to you, I looked for B Clift living in the Wolverhampton area in BT's internet Directory Enquiries. There were only 2 and the second one turned out to be Basil. After he had got over the shock, we chatted for a while and it emerged that he and his wife, Betty were towing their caravan to a holiday spot a few miles from where I live. It also emerged that he had in his possession a 'Family Bible' in which the various members of his family's dates were recorded. I invited him to come over and see us when he had got himself established on the caravan site.
Basil and Betty duly arrived on Wednesday afternoon and we had a most enjoyable few hours of chat. I had only met him once or twice, in our mutual youth, and my main recollection of him was in 1946; me a 15 year old; he a 25 year old newly demobbed soldier at the bus stop in Pooles Lane, New Invention, discussing the bus times to the Commercial College in Wednesbury.
Sadly, I don't think his father is the relative you are seeking. His father, Richard Clift was born in Lane Head, a small village on the outskirts of (now a part of) Willenhall, to Joseph and Selina Clift on 15.6.1878, and he was 24 in 1901. So the year of his birth coincides with 'your' Richard Clift, but not the month. Basil says that his father was a coal miner in his early working life, not a harness maker. This Richard Clift had five siblings: Joseph, born 17.1.1863; Harriot, born 15.11.1865; Hannah, born 6.1.1867; William, born 7.10.1875; and Charles, born 31.19.1880.
I showed Basil our correspondence on GenForum and I think he was more than a little disappointed that his father was not the man for whom you are looking, and that he thus hadn't discovered a distant relative. Well, he isn't, as far as I know. a relative of mine either, but I greatly enjoyed renewing a vague acquaintance of many years ago and we parted hoping to meet again, either here or in New Invention, where he still lives.
Cheers,
Phil Clift.
More Replies:
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Re: Richard Clift (Cliff) - Wolverhampton 1901
Michael Clift 7/07/03
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Re: Richard Clift (Cliff) - Wolverhampton 1901
Philip Clift 7/07/03
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Re: Richard Clift (Cliff) - Wolverhampton 1901