Boyd's Marriage Index (1538–1840) East Anglia & Yorkshire: Year: 1631 Surname1: Brooks Sorename1: Gilb Surname2: Pledger Forename2: Sus Place: Widford County: Essex In other words, one Gilbert Brooks married, 1631 at Widford, Essex, Susan(na) Pledger. This marriage date does not work for Gilbert Brooks of Scituate, who we know was 14 years of age when he sailed on the Blessing in 1635. But might this be his father, remarrying? This was the only "hit" I got on the name Gilbert in Essex for the period 1610–1635. _The Great Migration Begins,_ 1:407, on Gilbert of Scituate, notes: "His early associations with WILLIAM VASSALL may indicate that Gilbert Brooks was from Essex in England [NGSQ 74:111]." Again from the website: "The original registers provide much more information than the index. eg. An index record: 1795 MUSSON, JN, KATH ABELL, DENBY. has the parish register entry: 25 August 1795 John Musson, of Eastwood, co Nottingham, aged 20 years, with consent of his mother, Mary Musson, widow, and Katherine Abell, aged 16, with consent of parents, by licence." Most parish registers in England are kept at county record offices. Microfilm copies of many registers were made by the LDS, and can be ordered from LDS Family History Centres. ESSEX: There are copies of the index at the Essex County Record Office and the Essex Archaeological Society. Essex Record Office also has offices in Colchester and Southend-on-Sea and Archive Access Points at Saffron Walden and Harlow. More information is given on the web site. Essex County Record Office Wharf Road, Chelmsford CM2 6YT Email: [email protected]" ================================= I ran out of pre-purchased "research credits" at this site before I could work my way through the preliminary hits. I never had a chance to see if the detailed register entries can be accessed at this site as well. I thought I would pass this on in case a descendant in the Scituate line was interested in following this thread. Chris