Please excuse this lengthy e-mail I wondered if anyone else is looking at Brown/Ching line from Plymouth/Slapton I am after a bit of help and verification if anyone could please I have a lady called Ann Elizabeth Brown in the 1851 census living in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight but listed as being born in Plymouth Her mother living with the family is Sarah Brown listed as being born in Crediton and as a widow I know from Ann's marriage cert that her father is a mariner and his name is John I have found a birth of Ann Elizabeth Brown in Stoke Damerel which I believe is in Plymouth with parents Sarah and John (3/12/1787) I am hoping that this is my Ann I then looked for the wedding and there is a wedding in Stoke Damerel of John Brown to Sarah Hancock(widow) in 1811 There is a Stephen Hancock marrying a Sarah Ching in Stoke Damerel in 1803 and the subsequent marriage to John Brown has a William Ching as witness. John Brown is a seaman in the marriage info However, for both marriages it says that the bride and groom are 'of this parish' The only Sarah Ching I can find of an appropriate age comes from Slapton but does have a brother William. There are also Chings living in Stoke Damerel and I wondered if Sarah had moved from Slapton to other family ion Plymouth where there may have been more work I am not sure if this would all be correct or not as in 1851 Sarah has said that she came from Crediton. When I checked a Hancock had married a Sarah Pearse in Stoke Damerel and there was a Sarah Pearse born in Crediton at the appropriate time but the Ching witness to the second marriage made me think that way Ann has a brother Joseph who is supposedly born in Dartmouth in 1826 but I can't find his birth The only 1841 entry for John and Sarah Brown in Devon is a family in Lympston who also have a 22 year old son living with them called Thomas Sarah Ching's parents are John and Elizabeth Manningand the only possible marriage for them that I can find is at East Allington in 1776 but I can't find any further information about them I cannot find out anything about John Brown If anyone can please help me in any way either to verify any of this or who is following the same line or who has other suggestions I would love to hear from you Many thanks Pauline