In a message dated 15/04/2007 10:08:48 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Thomas DENTON married Jane CALVERT at Sedgefield on 21 Jan 1793 - but where and when was he born/baptised? There is a possible record of his baptism in Durham, St Giles, ten miles from Sedgefield, in 1767. But I am wondering if anyone else is interested in this family and has a more definitive record. Pat: Do you know where and when he died? His age would probably be recorded in his burial record. Although such records are notoriously unreliable, nevertheless they are usually within a few years of the real one. Did he live to have his "age" recorded in the 1841 census or, better still, though much less likely, the 1851 census? Marrying in 1793, he probably continued to have children until after the start of the "Barrington period" (1798-1812) when very detailed records of baptism were the norm in Durham Diocese. Those records, similar to the "Dade" registers in use in some other Dioceses, should tell you the parish of which each parent was a native - ie where they had been born. You know about the Sedgefield wedding, but how much do you know? Have you just found a note of it in some transcript or index, or have you seen the original or a facsimile of it? If the latter then you will know whether it was after the calling of Banns, as was usual, or whether, as in a minority of cases, it was by Licence. If by Licence then you will be able to access the Bond and Allegation needed before the Licence could be issued. They are in Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections, and an index to them, originally compiled about a century ago but re-worked a few years ago by Original Indexes is now among the "Ancestral Indexes" material held by the NDFHS, and available on microfiche. The Durham St Giles baptism may well give the occupation of the father - or an address which makes the occupation possibly guessable (pit village, coal miner: isolated farm, farm worker, etc). You would then know whether or not that fitted with the occupations of the Sedgefield family. Never forget the possibility that family members may have left informative Wills! Geoff Nicholson