In a message dated 14/05/2007 09:22:04 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I have a Anne HEDWORTH that was born in 1616 at Whickham, Durham England. She married my 8th great grandfather James Harrison on the 12 Jun 1631 at Whickham, Durham England. The thing is that I have no info on my 8th great grandmother Anne parents. Given that the great County Historian, Robert Surtees, in his "History of the County Palatine of Durham" had to admit to not being able to properly trace, or connect together, all the various major branches of the once-widespread Hedworths, I doubt whether we will be able to add much to what he did manage to do! It appears that in Whickham parish there were "working" Hedworths in the early and mid-17th century, as well as land-owning ones, two having been killed in coal pits in the 1650s. Nevertheless, we should bear in mind that both Ryton Woodside and Harraton, in each of which there were established Hedworth families as land-owners, are within a few miles of Whickham parish. The most significant link between the Hedworths and the Harrisons seems to be the marriage, about 1594, of John Hedworth (son and heir of Robert Hedworth of Ryton Woodside, gent) and Isabel Harrison (daughter of William Harrison of Byermoor), to whom he was her first husband. No issue is mentioned of this marriage in Surtees' pedigree of "Harrison of Byermoor and Brian's Leap" (under Whickham parish), but in his pedigree of "Hedworth of Ryton Woodside" (under Ryton parish) he records three children, John, William and Elizabeth - but no Anne. I have not looked at the IGI, aka the "Family Search" (LDS) web-site, but if you have not already done so, that would be a good idea, remembering that all these places are close to Newcastle, which is included for IGI purposes along with Northumberland, so that county should be searched together with Co Durham. You could also try searching for, and in, any Hedworth and/or Harrison Wills of the period. I assume you have already had access to the registers themselves, or to facsimiles of them, and so you will know whether any of the material leading up to this connection states addresses, occupations or any other information not usually to be found in transcripts and indexes. The Surtees Society volumes on the Newcastle Hostmen and Merchant Adventurers, among others, may also shed some light on those land-owning families - if indeed they are yours! Geoff Nicholson