My search began a little differently as well in that while there were few family members to consult, I had a rough family tree handed down from my grandmother which had been drawn up in 1859 by her grandfather. Although it is missing some dates, it begins with a Thomas Wilkes, artist, died Wednesbury, Staffordshire 27th February 1782, aged 42 years. and Ann Wilkes, wife of the above died 11th February 1790. It also lists a son, Thomas, died 21st May 1785, aged 18 years. Back in the beginning of time, I did all my research by snail mail. I wrote to the church, St. Bartholomew's, in Wednesbury, and they confirmed the above information. Later I was able to order in film of the parish registers and was able to confirm the information for myself. It appears that only one son of the above Thomas and Ann survived, a John, who according to his son, also John Wilkes, moved to Birmingham where he carried on business as a gun manufacturer afterwards removed to London where he died 1825, lies in Bunhill Fields. (This I have been unable to confirm. As his children were baptized in 1827 in Whitechapel, London and their father is described as a gunsmith of John St., I question his date of death.) The younger John Wilkes went on to describe his own siblings. He said he was the youngest and only surviving son, was born in London 17 Feb 1825. A sister, Mary Anne, married James Chambers of London (with the excise for many years) and had Ann, Samuel and Elizabeth. I have found a record of their baptisms in St. Dunstan's, Stepney. The only other sibling who appears to have had children was a sister, Maria Louisa, who married Andrew Merrick Lees of West Bromwich 7 Sep 1828, died in London of cholera shortly after the birth of her son Merrick Andrew Lees c. 1833 St. Mary, Whitechapel, London, later of Great Bridge Tipton, Ironmonger. The John in the next generation married, had 4 daughters, all unmarried, one son who died aged 2, and my great grandfather, Leopold Wilkes. Leopold did marry, had one daughter, but both he and my great-grandmother died of fevers in South Africa where he was a schoolmaster. My grandmother was sent back to England to live with relatives. I am stuck back with Thomas Wilkes. He married Anne Short at St. Bartholomew's, Wednesbury, 4 Dec 1762. I think he may have had a sister Anne, c. 25 Dec 1736, m. John Burkett 12 Nov 1757, and that their parents were William Wilkes and Mary Ares (Harris?) m. 8 Mar 1735, St. B., Wed. but cannot figure out how to prove this. If these are the correct parents, then Thomas was c. 28 Sep 1740 I have further speculated that Anne Short was the daughter of John Short and Eleanor Davis m. 14 Jan 1737, also St. B., Wed. but again it is only by process of elimination in the films I've brought in through the LDS church, and putting together possible family groups. I'd be delighted if anyone is able to give me some suggestions on how to confirm that I have made the correct assumptions for parents of Thomas Wilkes and Anne Short. If anyone on the list has any interest in any of these names, I would be most interested in hearing from them. There cannot be many descendents of this family, and none carrying the Wilkes name as far as I can tell. Margot Jorgensen, Courtenay B. C., Canada