The histories that you have described are wonderful and it what makes family history so interesting. It isn't just about dates but finding out how our ancestors lived and sometimes simply survived. When you see child after child dying in some families you wonder how they coped. Although infant mortality was high each one was a tragedy. I thank them all for their lives as it means I am here today! Linda in soggy Dorset. Lancs interests: WRIGHT ELY BARRON NAYLOR WHITTLE MERCER GERRARD

Just another little story. My Grandmother was a very strong Catholic and didn't recognize my sister, my brother or myself because our mum and dad weren't married. I'll not go into the whys and wherefores of their stories but I would like to tell you about my search for my grandmother. I left her family until the last as she was a SMITH. Before I could find her, I had to get her marriage certificate to give me her fathers' name which tuned out to be John SMITH (I kid you not) I began to look for her marriage to grand dad just 9 months before my father was born (as you do) He was the eldest. I searched and searched with no luck and so I decided to start with my fathers birth and work backwards from there. I found them married just 6 days before dad was born! The reason for the delay was the fact that my grand dad wasn't 16 years old until then. Grandma was 2 years older. He was a protestant and she was a catholic and I have no idea how they ever came to talk to each other let alone do anything else. They had sex outside of marriage and grand dad wasn't old enough so it was illegal. When they had their Golden Wedding, there was a piece in the paper in Wigan where they lived, together with a photograph. My eldest half sister had a copy of the paper but it had got tatty. She asked me if I could get a copy from the History Shop in Wigan. I went and searched myself and then got help from the staff as I couldn't find the paper. Neither could they. I did look a few times after that but to no avail. I then found it while looking for something else, 12 months earlier than it should have been. Obviously they didn't want anyone to know that they 'had to get married'. Sad really. Pauline in Darwen