In a message dated 29/09/2004 _dave.carney@rogers.com_ (mailto:dave.carney@rogers.com) writes: I have reached a stone wall in Kirkmahoe with an ancestor who lived there in the 1820's. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good history book or books that describe life in that Parish in that era? I am trying to find out where he came from, what attracted him to that area, and where he might have worked. I take it you haven't looked at the Old and New Statistical Accounts for Kirkmahoe. The first dates to around 1790 and the second about 50 years later. These are online at the Edinburgh University Website: Here is the 'horrendous' URL to take yo directly to the Kirkmahoe pages. _http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/stat-acc-scot.asp?session-id=0 6a45b0e9b933bc23402a9b97abfc50f_ (http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/stat-acc-scot.asp?session-id=06a45b0e9b933bc23402a9b97abfc50f) You will get a good insight as to what the Parish was like and how it changed in the 50-60 year period between the two publications. Sandy