Hello fellow list members I've been lurking on this list for a while, so now I'd like to introduce myself and hope someone will be able to point me in the right direction. You all seem to be located in the US: I'm in England, and although I've been engaged in genealogical research here in the UK for over 20 years I've very little idea how to set about tracing ancestors in the US. William Augustin MATHEWS apparently left England 'suddenly' in 1839 and went to America. He may have been accompanied by a wife (Mary) - he certainly left behind in London a son of 20 who became my Gt.Gt.Grandfather. I have found an entry for William in Philadelphia Naturalisation Records (page 430) as having made a Declaration of Intent on 28 Sep 1854, and taken the Oath of Allegiance on 12 Oct 1863. I have obtained copies of these through my brother (who lives in Florida) and they say that he was resident at Montgomery Township. (But they don't help me to trace him back as he is only described as 'a native of England'.) I believe that William died before 25 Dec 1874, as his son's second marriage certificate states under details of father 'William Augustin Mathews, Baptist Minister (deceased)'. I assume therefore that there will be a record of his death or burial, also I assume he will appear in the census records for 1840, 50, and 60. I suppose he might have owned property, and made a will. He may have had children born in the US, or have had younger children who emigrated with him. There is a book 'A History of Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery Township' written by Edward MATHEWS in 1895 which I've ordered a microfilm copy to view from the LDS (but it takes about seven weeks) which I'm hopeful may provide some more information. Although William is described as a 'native of England' and from his given age was born about 1795, I haven't found a likely baptism in the IGI in the British Isles. There is however a IGI entry for William Augustin Mathews, son of Samuel and Abigail on 10 March 1800 at Hartland Township, Windsor, Vermont. The name is so unusual that I assume there must be a connection. What I want to discover is both his ancestry and whether there are descendants in the US. I've noticed a reference on a post on this list to 'Pennsylvania Welsh' As Montgomery is the name of a Welsh county, am I right in assuming that there is some connection? Could someone explain how I can best set about finding out more about this man, given my lack of knowledge of the American way of doing things and the distance involved? Dick Mathews in Southend on Sea, Essex How would I check these records given the impracticality of searching in Philadelphia in person? Are there any other lines of enquiry I should pursue? Thanks in advance. Dick Mathews