Jan, >Is Eastdean....classed as The Forest of Dean Yes. >The 1881 states he was a coal miner....would this be in the Welsh Coal >Mines? Probably not. The Forest of Dean has a long tradition of coal mining, and some small, one or two man mines still exist today. All the major mines have closed down now, and in the early part of this century, many coal miners in The Forest moved north to find work in the coalfields of Derbyshire and Lancashire. There is at least one mine that is now open as a tourist attraction, taking visitors below ground to see what the mines were like. (As an aside, The Forest also has a long tradition of iron mining. The Puzzle Woods, near Coleford were Roman iron workings, and I believe that the Clearwell Caves were also iron mines). Regards....Steve _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp