I found my info on William Leith, son of J. D. Leith. After he left the Orkneys, he was a tailor in Canada at $8/month and then joined the Gold Rush in California. He made his stake, sailed to Panama, crossed the Isthmus on foot, sailed to the Orkneys where he married Margaret on March 17, 1853. They settled in Eldorado township near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he speculated in land and died on July 7, 1869. They had two children: William and Margaret Ann. William the son never married and died young. I'm descended from Margaret Ann Leith, my great grandmother, who married a second cousin also named William. Notice a naming pattern here? I have some more information. Who was your cousin descended from in the third generation if William the tailor is the first generation? Obviously, we're cousins. Rena > > A cousin passed away before explaining to anyone what all her genealogy notes meant. Her daughter and I have been able to decipher many of them, and I'm trying to follow up on some of them. One note mentions the TEA CLIPPER, 'MARY NELSON" with the date 18 Nov 1872. At first I suspected this might be one the ships that WILLIAM LEITH (b. Sept. 15,1822) worked on. However he died in 1869 (if my records are correct) Does anyone have more on this ship? > > He sailed back to Orkney in 1853 and married MARGARET ANN CLOUSON. William is the son of J.D. LEITH. That is all we know about their ancestry right now. Is anyone is looking into Leiths or Cloustons?. > > Kate > yarbro@wctc.net >