Hello Nigel.   The earliest BIRD name in my tree is that of Stephen BIRD, who married Sarah COTTERALL in 1755  at St Mary, Kingsclere.  In 1796, his youngest daughter Mary BIRD (ca. 1773) married Benjmanin MILES (ca. 1776) and they were my 3x great-grandparents.   Mary did have a sister Sarah BIRD born ca.1762 (an earlier Sarah had died in 1761), and I note from an earlier posting some time back by Dorothy JONES that, in 1783, there was a Bastardy Bond concerning the child of Sarah BIRD, living at the house of Stephen BIRD, labr, of Kingsclere, for which Jethro CURR & Robert BRUSHWOOD, both of Burghclere, yeomen, were bound in the sum of £100.  I don't know whether this was the same Sarah as in my tree but it seems entirely possible, as Sarah's father and brother were both called Stephen.   However, I don't know of any tie-up here with the MARTIN surname, unless this was another liaison by the same Sarah!  But we are now into the realms of pure speculation. As you say, there is too much fragmentary evidence to build up a coherent picture.   Regards, Mike --- On Sun, 29/11/09, Nigel St C Gerdes <nigel.gerdes@milnet.uk.net> wrote:   Mick, I am interested in the BIRD family because of the association with the MARTIN  Family.  My 3x Grandfather was the elusive Robert MARTIN born ca 1782 not in Hampshire buried 01 Aug 1842 at Burghclere with a given age of 60 and his wife Rachel born Hampshire ca 1782 for whom no marriage has yet been found. I have not been able to join up the numerous BIRD fragments into a coherent tree. Robert Bird aka Martin was born  ca 1779 at Greenham but I think he is a different MARTIN, to my 3x grandfather, since he was buried at St Mary Greenham 20 April 1853 had a wife Sarah (marriage not known) and the children were given the surname BIRD. Regards, Nigel Gerdes