Hello Jenny, Many thanks for all your "techniques" for extracting the information from the census returns- they have been a great help and I have had lots of fun exploring . Your discovery of a possible John Williamson senior though,in 1871, can't be correct because he had died before his wife Frances died early in 1867. Her death certificate shows her a widow. I have written to the holders of the Wellesley records and am hoping they come up with some clues about the boys' parentage. I will try the Mariners list too as I now feel sure I have the correct ship in 1861 and, as you say, someone is likely to know whether or not she went down, etc. Thanks once again, Eileen