"Richard VanHouten" <richvh@citlink.net> wrote in message news:3C8B7A87.F4A4EAA2@citlink.net... > Marie Lees wrote: > > > > I have traced my family back to 1772 but there is a missing link. > > > > My family are connected to T&W Lees Hatworks (no longer there of > > course). The hat works was set up by two brother Thomas & William. > > William later became the Mayor of Stockport. The two brothers came > > from a large family. > > > > My great great grandfather is the nephew of these two brothers and my > > cousin and I are almost sure that their sister Martha gave birth to > > Alfred when she was only 13. Unfortunately, the birth is definitely > > not registered and I am having trouble finding his christening can any > > one help me? He was born in 1855. > > It might help if you told us where this Stockport is. There are at > least three in the United States. How true - I was assuming that the one in England was intended, and was about to advise a query to soc.genealogy.britain and a search for Alfred's marriage certificate. The 1861 census also comes to mind.... Lesley Robertson