Hi Walter, Oh yes indeed! - they were all rock-ribbed Southern Methodist! :-)) And I've been told "they all knew each other, all up and down the Pacific Coast" as they would meet at the Annual Conference each year. In Watsonville in the 1870s - William Rider/Ryder WILSON married to Abby Bird (CAPEN) WILSON. She died 1876 and is buried in Watsonville, so I've been told. Her sister, Mary Elizabeth (CAPEN) CUNNINGHAM was married to John Switzer CUNNINGHAM (my gr-gr-grfather)and they lived in Castroville. Both families lived variously in Santa Cruz, Soquel, Castroville, Monterey. It gets really complicated, but eventually William Rider/Ryder WILSON ends up married to Mary Elizabeth (CAPEN) CUNNINGHAM and living in Soquel. As far as I know, I can't find a Methodist Church in Castroville at that time, so Watsonville quite possibly would have been the nearest church. Do you know, by chance, if the church records from that time are available somewhere? What a fun connection! I'll sure keep an eye out for your Wickes family! Regards, Carolyn Gentala@aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 12/7/98 5:59:00 AM Pacific Standard Time, > rhunterg@ix.netcom.com writes: > > > BTW - our families must have known each other if > > yours was in Watsonville in '73-'75. :-))) Fun! > > Good Luck, and I'll also keep an eye out for them > > Carolyn > ___Carolyn_______ > I really scrambled up your post in my own mind: addressed you by the wrong > name, and made lookup request to wrong party. Interesting that our families > were in Watsonville same time. One of Rev. Wickes's children, Wesley S. > Wickes, was probably born there, 1875. He died, 1970, at Guistine, age 95. > > Do you know the population of Watsonville at that time? What was your > family's surname and what did they do for a living when there? Were they > Methodists and possibly attend Rev. Wickes's church? > Walt > <A HREF="mailto:gentala@aol.com">gentala@aol.com</A> > ________________________________________wjg_______