Hi Denis -  Contra Costa is a county, largely suburban, in the San Francisco Bay Area, to the east of Alameda County, where the city of Oakland is.  Back in the 1870's, it would have been mostly agricultural.  My Harry family relatives had a big orchard there in Walnut Creek until the mid 1960's.  Here is a link that might be of use to you -  http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/  Happy hunting!Kitty, native of the SF Bay Area --- On Sat, 5/12/12, Denis Edwards <djedwds@bigpond.com> wrote: From: Denis Edwards <djedwds@bigpond.com> Subject: Re: [CORNISH] TREGELLAS.. To: cornish@rootsweb.com Date: Saturday, May 12, 2012, 4:35 PM hi Kitty and listers, thanks for your reply Kitty i spent some hours looking at records from California, yesterday. more of the story of this couple emerged but i still can't find what happened to them. Samuel Tregellas certainly went to America[ PA] sometime about 1850 as he is in that years census aged 20 occupation- blacksmith.He then heads to Melbourne Victoria Australia in the 1850's but before 1857 as he marries my relative Susan Edwards in 1857 and his son Thomas Henry Tregellas is born same yr 1857. 2 more sons are born between 1860 and 1862 neither survive 7 september 1862 sees them arrive in North America Sam takes American Citizenship in 1867 1870 census California Samuel Tregellas with wife Susan Son Thomas and Daughter Nellie born 1870 aged 3 months living at Township 3 Contra Costa California - where is this place 1880 census Susan is in San Francisco but has disappeared by 1890 Thomas is a Liquor Dealer and barman and married to Imogene Stanley -Born in California they have a daughter Alma Tregellas ,he disappears before 1906 I wonder if the daughter was named after the almaden mine LOL She marries James  Cokely [ who works for the dollar trading company out of the phillipines ]but no children so if anyone can help fill in some blanks etc i will be so greatful what records are available re CONTR COSTA and where was township three cheers denis edwards ------------------------------- Subscribe to digest by sending an email to CORNISH-D-request@rootsweb.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and body text.  If you want, MIME digests, email CORNISH-admin@rootsweb.com. Unsubscribe from either by sending an email to CORNISH-request@rootsweb.com. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CORNISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message