This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/0EB.2ACE/417.1 Message Board Post: Carol - Have you looked into the possibility that your John Eldredge could be the son of Bearse Eldredge and Rebecca Nickerson (#960 of the Nickerson Family) Eldredge of Chatham? They had a son John b. 27 Jan 1803, d. 13 Mar 1874 in Chatham of "liver complaint". This John was a mariner. In the Nickerson Family books, John is shown marrying a Ruth Nickerson (#2615). John Eldredge was her second husband, she having been previously m. to Michael Daggett Nickerson (#461) as his second wife, who d. in Harwich 13 July, 1856. As you can see from the above, John and Ruth did not marry until after July, 1856. They are shown in the 1860 US Census thusly: John Eldredge 55, mariner, wife Ruth 53 and children George 15 and Maria 13 (Nickerson children) living in Chatham. This would have given John plenty of time for a sojourn in Lyme, CT, a first marriage, divorce and return to Chatham, sans his own children. He was at least 53 when he m. Ruth Nickerson. Perhaps their wedding documents are available wherin it might say if this was John's first or second marriage. Also, there is the name Bearse.......Bearse was the son of Thomas4 (John3, Joseph2, Robert1) Eldredge and his wife Elizabeth (Bearse) Eldredge. Bearse d. 1 Apr 1846, Chatham. Rebecca Nickerson Eldredge was the daughter of Jeremiah (#358) and Ruth (Hinckley) Nickerson. She d. 9 Aug 1846, Chatham. All of the above citations are from the publication of the Nickerson Family Association: The Nickerson Family , The Descendants of William Nickerson 1604-1689, First Settler of Chatham, Massachusetts Parts I, II, & III and Part IV, 1997. Judy Chace Needham jcneedham1@adelphia.net