> Dear List > > Five years ago I hit a brick wall searching for > the ancestors of William COLES of Washfield. He > was my 4x GG and the GG of John COLES > (businessman) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coles_(businessman) > > Here is what I do know: > > The earliest record of the name COLES in > Washfield PRs was in 1755. The first reference to > William is the baptism of John COLES, son of > William, in 1766, followed by the baptism of Mary > in 1768 and the death of William?s first wife, > Elizabeth (SWETLAND) in Jan 1769. William married Sarah NORMAN in Oct > 1769. And, there is a baptism of a William Coles at Culmstock on 27 Dec 1723, father Samuel. This is from a transcription on Familysearch so doesn't contain all the details. I can't find copies of the Culmstock registers online yet, so a check with the DRO might be in order. Keith