In a message dated 29/09/2007 10:48:31 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Is anyone researching the Leighton, Ainsley, Nicholson or Cole families? I would be interested in contacting anyone with these names in their trees. Re Nicholson sources: I have a fair amount of Nicholson information, including both editions of Rev Nigel Nicholson's book "Nicholson", the most comprehensive survey of (mostly landed families or ones containing lots of Arny Officers) Nicholson families from all over the world, including some from the north-east. The second edition is in two volumes packed full of nothing but Nicholson pedigrees - and experience with it tells me that the standard of accuracy is high. I also have numerous Nicholson references amongst my own database of over a million and a half entries and my own pedigree collection (some 2,000 pedigrees) includes several Nicholson ones. I also have J G Nicholson's book "The Clan Nicholson" (the 1988 edition plus a photocopy of the 1938 edition). Another book which will be of great interest to Nicholson researchers, including those of the very many such families originating in Cumbria, is Margaret Russell's book "The Family Forest". Although it deals with all branches of Margaret's Cumbrian ancestry, several of those branches turn out to be Nicholson ones. Margaret is well-known to family historians as the now retired Secretary and "Grand Old Lady" of the Cumbria Family History Society. If you e-mail me off-list, with your full Nicholson details, I will see whether anything I have could be of assistance. My own Nicholsons were Cumbrian coal miners in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Tyneside ones in the early 20th century. Geoff Nicholson