Hi all, For quite some time I have searched for the vanishing brother of my John BUDD, Esq. and son of Eli BUDD. Wesley BUDD b. abt. 1775 NJ and d. unk. (until now) was a Blacksmith and Forge owner. He was m. to 1) a Sarah BUDD May, 16, 1799, and 2) Sophia Fowler, DEC. 13, 1806 with whom he had 1 child, Eliza Sophia BUDD, b. Sept. 9, 1828. Apparently Sophia d. bef. 1837 and Wesley disappears from the Cumberland Co, NJ area and tax lists. It is purported that he had a son out of wedlock with a Hannah "Helen" Dunckle, (b. 1820, Mass. and d. Nov. 30, 1882, Georgia) named Francis Henry BUDD, b. May 31, 1836 in Suffolk Co, Mass, d. April 1, 1927 in Chatham Co, GA. He was adopted by Helen's sister and brother in law, David and Harriet Thomson, and raised as Francis "Henry" (BUDD) Thomson in Georgia. About 1840 his real mother married a man named McIntyre and was living in NYC. She later was widowed and moved to GA and was living with her sister and brother in law in Chatham GA. By 1880 she is living with her son "Henry" F. (BUDD) Thomson prior to her death in 1882. Where or why Wesley went after leaving a forge business in Cumberland Co, NJ has been a mystery. I found him living in NYC in the 1840 census listed as "Westerly" BUDD and then lost him. Now I have found him in a new feature on Ancestry.com for NY Newspaper Death Extracts 1801-1890 where his DOD is listed as Oct. 5, 1847: New York, Death Newspaper Extracts, 1801-1890 (Barber Collection) Record about Wesley Budd Name: Wesley Budd Publication Date: 7 Oct 1847 DOD: Oct. 5, 1847 age 72 New York Evening Post It is interesting to note that Wesley's son, Francis Henry BUDD Thomson was also a Blacksmith and alternately known as Henry and then Frank. He was known as the Swordmaker of the Confederacy: ARTICLE: Francis Henry Thomson "The Sword Maker of the Confederacy" By D Colin Young and/or Gordon B. Smith Fall, 1994 Footstones, page 3 At the outbreak of the War for Southern Independence in 1861 the South was primarily an agrarian culture with few factories. Prior to hostilities, weapons had been supplied by Northern factories. The Southern armies were forced to rely on stockpiles already in the south and upon arms smuggled through the Union blockade. The majority of these "blockade run" weapons were of English origin. However a few factories were established in Georgia, and among those was the firm of Louis Haiman and Brother in Columbus. The swords produced by this firm were noted for their beauty and quality. The blades for these weapons were wrought by a Savannahian named Francis Henry Thomson. Title: The Life and Times of Francis Henry Thomson Author: W. Kemp Nussbaum, III Note: Excellent Repository: Call Number: Media: Manuscript Page: page 2 Named "Swordmaker of the Confederacy" ID: I0129 Name: Francis Henry Budd THOMSON 1 2 3 Sex: M Name: Francis Henry BUDD 4 Name: Frank H. THOMSON 5 6 3 Birth: 31 MAY 1836 in Charlestown, Suffolk County, Massachusetts 7 8 9 1 2 Death: 1 APR 1927 in Thunderbolt, Chatham County, Georgia 2 3 of Arterial Sclerosis 10 ADOP: Adopted by David and Harriet Dunckle Thomson, his Aunt and Uncle 11 Military Service: CSA, Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia 12 13 14 Occupation: BET. 1861 - 1865 Sword Maker 15 Occupation: BET. 1850 - 1855 Blacksmith 16 15 15 Hope this information is helpful. Regards, Joan