Family members meet by chance at ancestor’s grave

Ian Brandon, 74, and Malcolm Atkins, 73, were visiting the grave of their great, great, great, grandfather Anthony Smith only to find a couple from the US doing the same.

Rand Smith, 69, and his wife Janeel had made the 3,700-mile journey from Kansas City to Raunds, Northants., to see where his forefathers originated from.

But the couple were left gobsmacked when strangers Ian and Malcolm arrived from London and Essex on September 22 - and discovered they were family.

The three men are fourth cousins and happened to visit the graveyard on the same day in a "12 billion to one chance" which they've hailed "divine intervention".

Grandad-of-two Malcolm, of Harold Hill, Romford ,East London, said he and Ian had spent seven years planning the trip to St Peter’s Church after researching his family tree.

The retired retail worker said: "I'm still in shock now. We’d been planning it years and years ago and we got together eventually.

“You couldn’t make it up. These other guys planned their trip a while ago, too.

"We met at that precise moment, and now people are saying it’s divine intervention.

"I don’t have a religious bone, but if we arrived half-an-hour later, we wouldn’t have known they were there.

“We’d actually gone up and got the car stuck while trying to find the car park.

“These two Americans went past the car and smiled as I was stuck. We found the road and parked up.

“Then these two people were literally standing by the headstone of my third great-gardener.

“I was looking at the stone and the wife Janeel said 'do you know that person?' and I said 'that's my third great-grandfather'.

"And that’s when Rand said 'that’s my third great grandfather'.

“It was amazing, it was like we all knew each other. Then we went to a nearby pub, where we found we had so much in common.

"They’d been there the previous day, they’d been to a pub and had a nice Sunday roast and made their way to the church that Monday.

"They got to the church and were let in by the warden. They looked around the church and played the organ.

"We’ve spoken to Rand and we’d love to see him again - I’d love to go to Kansas.”

Great-grandad-of-two Ian said the pair chose to visit the grave around 100 miles from both their homes last Monday purely by chance.

Retired mechanical engineer Ian, from Danbury, Essex, said: “It’s been something that we’ve been planning for a number of years.

"I suggested Monday and that’s when we went to Raunds.

“We basically turned up together, it was most strange. They were there two minutes before we were. They told me it was a 12 billion to one chance.

“It was strange as we were all looking at the same stones. Rand said it was his third great-grandfather and I said it was mine as well.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and we had so much in common. We certainly exchanged emails, it’s so unusual, so we’ll keep in contact.”

The cousins were visiting the market town after discovering Anthony Smith used to own a shoe factory in the area.

Family tree fanatic Malcolm discovered Anthony had initially married an American and had eight children before re-marrying after her death.

Malcolm added: "Anthony Smith had married an American lady and had eight children but she died quite young.

"Then he married an English lady who he had seven children with.

“My wife Linda always wondered how I could do such a boring hobby. It is just names on a piece of paper, but on one account I’ve got 2,000 names.

“It’s helped us dig into this which is incredible. You couldn't have written it. I'm still shocked by it, it's a day we'll never forget."

Rand said: "Forty years ago my grandfather travelled from the U.S. and visited the graves of our forefathers in at the St. Peter's Church in Raunds. 

"Since that time, I have had the same desire.  When my wife, Janeel, and I visited the graveyard and located the headstones, we were stunned to have several others come up and examine the same stones.

"No one else was in the cemetery. To learn that they are our fourth cousins was absolutely thrilling.

"We went to lunch together and it was like we had known them for years. 

"We feel that divine intervention put us together.  What a highlight of our lives."