The following story has taken me a long time to unravel. Although it has an unusual ending in the USA, it starts in the Sunderland area, and may be of interest to WILSONs and WADDLEs in particular. I can supply a lot more, but the following is the bones of it: My great-aunt Eleanor (Nellie) WILSON, born in Southwick June 5 1876, parents Samuel WILSON and his wife Margaret GILLESPIE, wed Stephen WADDLE on Oct. 26 1902, according to the family bible. I have never found the wedding, and assume it was in New York. They had two children, John, Aug 21 1903; and Margaret Oct 1 1905, both born in New York. John never married, but always lived with Margaret, who married a George WOLLENHAUPT. The Wollenhaupts were childless, and George, John and Margaret all died in New Jersey in 1985, 1998 and 1993 respectively. Because they sent their English cousins food parcels during the Second World War, and as a boy I met John Waddle who I very much liked, I was keen to find out why they were in the USA. We now go back to a Thomas Waddle who married a Margaret, who had at least five children in Monkwearmouth - Robert, 1842; Thomas, 1844; John 1851; Joseph 1858; Isabella 1860. Thomas Waddle the father was a Master Mariner, and his sons went into the same business. We will call his son John Sr. John Sr. wed a Hannah Emmerson Wilson, (born 1852 in Thornley Colliery) on Jan. 1st 1874 in Southwick Parish Church. (As far as I can find, her Wilsons are not connected to Samuel Wilson above). At this time John Sr. was described as Engineer, but the birth certificate of Stephen Waddle, 0ct 26 1875 is more specific and describes him as the Engineer of a Steam Ship. They had a second child Gertrude in 1879. In the 1881 census, Hannah and her two children are living at 23 Camden St. Southwick with her mother - presumably John Sr. was away on his ship. Also at the house were Hannah's siblings Stephen, John, Phoebe Ann, and William. Hannah died at the end of 1881, and this is where it starts to get interesting. It would appear that John Sr. decided to marry (maybe!) Phoebe Ann Wilson, who was his Deceased Wife's Sister, which was of course illegal at that time. So they went abroad. I have found no evidence that they ever came back to England, and if they did I suppose they could have been arrested. John Sr. and Phoebe, now called Mrs. Waddle, next appear in Mexico, where they may have married, but I have yet to find evidence, and where they had a daughter Phoebe in 1889, a son John Percival in 1891, Laurence in 1893, Beatrice in 1894, Thomas 1896. There was also a Margaret born in New York in 1899. Stephen and Gertrude probably lived in Mexico with their father and stepmother/aunt, because they are seen going through Ellis Island in 1892 on the way from Yucatan to England; Stephen was a butcher, and Gertrude at school. John Sr. and Phoebe moved to Cuba, probably around 1900, where he apparently worked for the New York and Cuba Mail Co. shipping line, but he bought a house for his retirement in New York - 423 41st St. - which was where Stephen and Eleanor lived. He must have been quite wealthy by then, because in the 1930 census it was valued at $11,300. The other children of John Sr. moved in and out of New York fairly often, although Laurence lived at least a few years back in England before going back to the USA, where the other children also settled. The unusual end to this story is that John Sr. and Phoebe regularly visited New York, and were logged in by the Ellis Island organisation. On John's last visit to New York, he and Phoebe embarked at Havana, and arrived in New York on May 1st. 1921. Phoebe was admitted for the purpose of visiting her son Stephen, while John was admitted as "Corpse in the care of Mrs. Waddle". As good as a death certificate? Adrian, Hants. This is also posted on the Northumbria list; apologies to anybody who tries to read it twice!