Dear Lister's. My name is EDWARD FELSTEAD and I live in West Lancashire,England. I am searching for my G-G-Grandfather - WILLIAM PHEALSTEAD/FEALSTEAD/FELSTEAD who was born in "AMERICA-BRITISH SUBJECT" in 1838/39. On his marriage certificate in Chester,England his name is given as PHEALSTEAD but on the 1861 census it is FEALSTEAD. The ONLY place I have ever seen the spelling FEALSTEAD is a reference to a GEORGE K FEALSTEAD from TYRONE,IRELAND. This ref (given below) is in TORONTO,CANADA. However I have found further refs to FELSTEAD connections to IRISH people in CANADA and these are also listed below. I am posting to the list in the hope that someone,somewhere may recognise one or more of these names and maybe help me track down my long lost ancestor. I apologise for such a long posting but I hope you will be sympathetic as I have really run out of places to look. Thank you for reading this posting Best wishes Edward Here are the references I have found to date - SAMUEL H. DEFRIES was born in Toronto, being the son of Robert Defries, a native of Devonport, County of Devon, England, who came to Little York, now Toronto, in 1829. The latter was for thirty-six years Postmaster in the Legislative Assembly, and after Confederation occupied the same position in the House of Commons, till his death in 1871. He died at his residence on Old Mill Road, and was buried by the York Pioneers, of which body he was a member. His wife was Susan, daughter of George K. Fealstead, from Tyrone, Ireland, by whom he had a family of six sons, viz.: Richard, Robert, George, Samuel, John and Mark; the last named was shot at Ridgeway, during the Fenian Raid of 1866, being at that time Corporal in No. 3 Company, Queen's Own Rifles. The subject of this sketch, Samuel H., at the age of fourteen went on a whaling voyage in the ship Navigator, of Edgartown, Mass., U.S., which occupation he followed seven years, then returned to Toronto, and has since been in the employ of the Grand Trunk Railway Company. In 1859, he married Sophia, daughter of George Ernest, of Toronto, by whom he has one child, a daughter. The only other surviving member of the family of Robert Defries is Richard, the eldest son. (vol. II, p. 38) WILLIAM FELSTEAD age 25,Bachelor,residenceYork township,York County,born ENGLAND Son of JAMES and SARAH FELSTEAD Married by license 21st March 1859,St James Cathedral,Toronto,Canada MARY PALMER age 20,Spinster,of the township of York,born IRELAND Daughter of BERNARD and BRIDGET PALMER Witnesses James Buchanan of York Twp and Margaret ONeill of Toronto St James Cathedral,Toronto. 6 May 1847, George Felstead, Bachelor, of the township of York to Anne Kingston, Spinster, of the City of Toronto ( Born IRELAND) By license Witnesses: Robert Defries and Mark Kingston Married by Henry J. Grasett. Marriage Reg.#14882 - 1887, Patrick Norton, age 50 of Toronto, born Nenagh, Tip., Ireland, widower, brick manufacturer, parents Martin and Ann married Jane Felstead, age 27, of Toronto, born Toronto, single, parents George and Annie Felstead. Wit: Malcolm McFarlane and Annie Norton. Marriage took place in Toronto on 20 Oct 1887. He was RC and she was C of E