Hi all, I have recently joined this list and am particularly interested in the Maddisons of Tanfield and Whickham, County Durham, UK. Reading recent posts on this list (notably that of Geoff Nicholson on Sunday) has set me thinking, as I have a few Lionel Maddisons in my family and I wonder how they are connected (if at all) to the others in Dragon Villa and Newcastle. I apologise for the detail in this email but I hope someone out there will persist to the end and be able to help me! I have traced my family back to a Thomas Maddison 'Junr', born about 1741, who married Elizabeth Wray at Tanfield on 9 May 1771 and died in Tanfield on 2 September 1814 aged 73. There is also a Thomas Maddison 'Senr' (d. May 1779 in Tanfield), who was married to an Elizabeth (d. 23 Nov 1810 aged 94 in Tanfield). The only Thomas and Elizabeth Maddison I have so far found in all the surrounding parishes are Thomas Maddison and Elizabeth Leish, married in Whickham on 9 November 1740. Further, the only baptism I have found that appears to match my Thomas 'Junr' is that of Thomas, the youngest son of Thomas Maddison and Ruth Wood, baptised on 22 June 1740 at Whickham. Thomas and Ruth were married on 25 February 1722/3 at Whickham and have three other sons baptised in the parish: Michael (6 April 1729), Edward (19 March 1731/2) and Ralph (23 May 1736), but after their son Thomas is baptised in 1740, they vanish from the records. The families at Tanfield of the two Thomas Maddisons are as follows: Thomas MADDISON Senr & Elizabeth ? Thomas: brd. 10.5.1779. Elizabeth: bd. abt 1716, dd. 23.11.1810. Married: ? Children: William, bpd. 8.11.1740, brd. 24.7.1765. Lionel, bpd. 16.6.1744, brd. 25.7.1818. He married Ann BUDDLE (of Chester Le Street) on 11.5.1785. After Ann died on 5.7.1794 he married Mary JOHNSON (of Whickham) on 1.5.1797. Mary died on 20.7.1820. Ann, bpd. 14.2.1747/8. John, bpd. 1.7.1749, dd. 25.1.1798. Matthew, bpd. 12.2.1753, brd. 30.11.1767. Isabel, bpd. 25.1.1756, brd. 14.10.1778. Jane, bpd. 4.6.1758. Elizabeth, bpd. 23.11.1760. She married George FINDLEY/FINDLAY (of Tanfield) on 15.5.1783. --- Thomas MADDISON Junr & Elizabeth WRAY/WREY Thomas: bd. abt 1741, dd. 2.9.1814. Elizabeth: bpd. 17.4.1747, dd. 4.12.1821. Married: 9.5.1771. Children: Ann (bpd. 6.4.1772). John (bpd. 31.10.1773, dd. 23.8.1842). He married Ann TAYLOR (of Tanfield) on 31.8.1795. Elizabeth (bpd. 27.8.1775). She married John FENWICK (of Tanfield) on 19.8.1797. Jane (bpd. 21.9.1777). Isabel (bpd. 9.1.1780). She married John HANDY (of Tanfield) on 3.12.1804. Thomas (bpd. 26.5.1782, dd. 31.12.1798). George (bpd. 28.11.1784). He married Sarah SA(U)NDERS on 12.6.1804. Mary (bpd. 28.9.1788, dd. 9.4.1822). She married George WINTER (of Low Lampton/Chester Le Street) on 20.2.1813. William (bpd. 5.2.1792, brd. 18.6.1859). I am pretty sure he married Mary LAWS on 2.8.1817. The questions I have are these: i) Is the Thomas who married Ruth Wood the same as the one who married Elizabeth Leish? ii) Even if the Thomas Maddison who married Ruth Wood is not the same as the one who married Elizabeth Leish, what happened to Ruth? I cannot find her burial record in either the Tanfield or Whickham registers! iii) Is Thomas Maddison Senr the father of Thomas Maddison Junr? I can't see why one would be 'Senr' and one 'Junr' if they weren't father and son, but I have no definite proof that they are so related. iv) Who was the father of Thomas (d. 1779) - I have at least two possibilities from the Whickham registers, if indeed he came from there! Any help would be much appreciated for any of these problems! Further, if anyone is connected to the Maddisons of Tanfield, Whickham, or Collierley/Dipton (where my branch ended up), and has further information, I would really like to hear from them! Thanks in advance, Robert Maddison --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 20/2/2004