Hi Karen Downie and fellow list members. My mental antennae twitch at any mention of Thomsons in Edinburgh in the early C19! I have reached a dead end in tracing the family of one James Thomson whose army papers record a d.o.b. of March 31, 1810 in Edinburgh. After the 1841 English census I have traced his life and career - but haven't tracked him in OPRs or any Scottish source. He rose through the ranks in the Royal Artillery - primarily in the UK but also seeing service in Spain and ending his career as a Major. In one English census (1851) his place of birth is given as Edinburgh St Cuthberts. Other relevant info is that some of his children were baptized into the Presbyterian church, others into the Church of England. I understand a little of Scottish naming conventions of the time so it may be relevant that his children were: James Robert THOMSON (1836- ) George THOMSON (1839- ) Ellen Jane THOMSON (1841- ) Charles THOMSON (1842- ) Janet (on some documents Jennet) Anderson THOMSON (1845-1884) William THOMSON (1847- ) Henry Alexander James THOMSON (1851-1897) Martha Elizabeth THOMSON (1857-1933) George Alexander THOMSON (1859-aft1928). If there's anything her that connects to Karen Downie's tree - or anyone else's, do please mail me ALASTAIR THOMSON (GG Grandson of James Thomson b. 1810))