Thanks to all who have replied, I seem to be getting a lot of dead ends tracing CHALK(E)/CHAULK families the only one that goes all the way back to 1500's is from Downton, Wiltshire and there is no Abel there either. The only other CHAULKs I have found come from Oxfordshire area at this time, all areas spell it CHALK or CHALKE. They went to Canada at some time and Abel marries in Newfoundland in 1858. Nigel Chalk