Peter - There are a couple of points I would like to put forward. Firstly, you say "He "supposedly" marries a second time and so his natural children by Charlotte DE LAVAL now have a "Step-Mother",". The term 'natural children' used in this context is perhaps a mite confusing, in that it is very often used to indicate children born out of wedlock. Secondly, is it perhaps possible that the child 'adopted' by the second wife might in fact be the 'natural' child of Gaspard by her, conceived or born before the death of his first wife? In this case there would be a true blood relationship. I have a somewhat charming tale within my own tree along such lines. A Dundas HEIC sea captain, (who, it transpires, was an illegitimate son of a Dundas, but brought up as a 'cousin' by the family, had placed in his charge a charming 18 yo who was travelling out to Bombay. (Why she had no chaperone I know not.) During the voyage the dastardly sea captain 'took advantage' of her, and left her, many months pregnant, on the Bombay quay side, he having a wife and children at home. The final twist is that this girl later married a 'blood' relative of my wife and daughters, by name of Raffles! This I discovered in a very old type-script, a potted Dundas history put down on paper at the start of the C20th, kept by an ancient relative living in Edinburgh. She refused me permission to photo-copy it, for fear that the harmful rays might spoil the document! (I had travelled up to Scotland with my portable photo-copier in the hope of finding just such a treasure there or at Arniston House). Yours Aye Andrew Sellon East Anglia Lord Dudley was one of the most absent men I think I ever met in society. One day he met me in the street, and invited me to meet myself. 'Dine with me today; dine with me and I will get Sydney Smith to meet you.' I admitted the temptation he held out to me, but said I was engaged to meet him elsewhere. Rev. Sydney Smith 1771-1854, Canon of St. Paul's. From: <[email protected]> <snip> > > He "supposedly" marries a second time and so his > natural children by Charlotte DE LAVAL now have a > "Step-Mother", simply put, she is no relative to > Gaspard descendents other than that, the second wife. >