You could try the Gale Digital collections site. If you go to this link you can sign up for a free trial and they have Manchester newspapers. You don't have to be affiliated with an institution, just read the info at the top . www.gale.com/GDCTrial My great grandmother was killed by a reckless driver of a horse and cart in Piccadilly. In 2005 I obtained a copy of the newspaper account from the Manchester Record Office but I had an actual date of the occurrence. I live in the US and they mailed me copies which of course I had to pay for. However I recently found it also on the Gale website. Good luck, Shirley USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne Lemon" <annelemon@xtra.co.nz> To: <ENG-MANCHESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:22 PM Subject: [ENG-MAN] SAUNDERS > Greetings, Listers, from a very stormy, wintry New Zealand > I am looking for assistance with the origins of a James SAUNDERS said to > be from Manchester. I will quote the family story in the hope that some > SAUNDERS researchers might recognise the people concerned: > > "The gossip current in the district was to the effect that he was > well-connected at Home, his people having a cotton mill in Lancashire. The > yarn went that one Sunday he and his brother were driving a pair of > spirited horses in a vehicle and were gaily careering through the streets > of Manchester. A church congregation was dispersing and the reckless young > men drove full tilt into them, injuring some rather severely. The judge > took a serious view of the occurrence and sentenced them both to be > transported to Botany Bay. When liberty came, Jimmy came over to NZ > whaling but the other brother stayed in Australia." > > James did come to NZ in 1834 on the whaler 'Mary and Elizabeth', from > Hobart, Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land). > We have tried convict ship manifests - can't find any with two young men > named SAUNDERS or a James SAUNDERS who fits Jimmy's description. He was > very tall and had such long legs he was nicknamed 'Jimmy the Needle'. > We feel the crime may have been committed between 1820 and 1825 but as we > don't know what length of sentence they were given, we are looking either > side of these dates as well. > A search using A2A provides a reference to a Quarter Sessions Petition at > Salford, Midsummer 1818 - Bill of costs of prosecution of James SAUNDERS, > c1818. We are going to follow this one up, but wonder why it doesn't > mention both young men. > > Newspapers of the day would be another good source - are there any > available online? If not, where would we go to access them? > > So we are still plodding on, but thought this request might be worthwhile. > > Regards to all > > Anne Lemon (my mum was a Mancunian, born 1914 in Harpurhey) > > > > > ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ > > Except for personal messages, please post replies to the list. > Other people can learn from them! > > ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-MANCHESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >