Gee, I wish we had a kinship there. But I don't know. It sounds possible. Bridget must have been a common Irish name. I have found so many Bridget Wallace's and Bridget Mathews................ I just found the June 1860 NY Manhattan Census: James Mathews 28 a tinsmith born Ireland Bridget Mathews 25 born Irelnd Anna Mathews 9 born NY Catherine Mathews 7 born NY Sarah Mathews 5 born NY William Mathews 2 born NY Robert Mathews 8 mths born NY 1880 Census James Mathews 50 widow Roofer Catherine 26 keeping house Sarah 24 at home William 22 roofer Robert 20 roofer Andrew 18 drug clerk James Mathews Nephew 18 George Steele grandson born July 1879 Would love to have the 1870 and 1890 census. I will just keep on searching. Our Bridget Wallace Mathews was not with the family in 1880 as well as Anna (may be that she married) and the oldest daughter Catherine was head of the house. Sarah, our gg grandmother had just given birth to George William Steele in July 1879. Elinor Mathews, never married, and she wrote to me that the Steele let her use the name but they did not marry. Well I did find a Mary Steele and son George W Steele living next door to John and Anne Mathews in Manhattan. Geo was a policeman and I am just wondering if maybe Sarah met Geo when she was visiting the Mathews next door to the Steele? George was near the same age as Sarah. Can we send pictures to this list? I have a close up of George the son and Sarah Mathews the mother. She had black (dark) hair and that seems to be a factor in the Mathews genes........dark hair that doesn't turn gray as we get older............ You say James Mathews was a brick layer, well our James and Simon and George Stanley were brick masons. I have Simon Stanley's bricklayer's trade card complete with sealing wax dated July 30, 1849 so I don't think they came to America until after 1850. The Mathews may have come in the 1840's I want to say Bridget and James did not marry until they came to America. Oh I wish I knew more. I use Godfrey Memorial Library for my research. I always use the ancestryplus when the public library let us go in from our home computers but this year they cut that out and I refuse to spend a lot of money . Godfrey is reasonable for a year, $35.00. Janelle Warden STANLEY, STEELE, MATHEWS, DEACON, RODENBURG, GRAHAM, GLEBE {NJ and NY)