I have re-sent this message, as I inadvertently sent it in HTML format. I apologize! I am new to e-mail, and thanks for pointing that setting out - I changed it, now! Hi- my name is Melissa Thomas and I am looking to map out my lineage. According to my father, a group of Thomas's left Wales for Nova Scotia, in Canada. He never specified when, exactly, but I assume that it was somewhere in the 1800's- (mostly because this was a time when many Irish immigrants left Great Britain for North America, due to the potato famine, and it is likely that many welsh and Scottish immigrants followed. Also, the crown was in its colonizing hey- day and loved sending unruly and impoverished "criminals" off to Australia permanently. The perfect setting for my ancestors to venture out elsewhere.) Any way, a rather intriguing piece of family trivia suggests a close relation to the poet, Dylan Thomas. According to people in my family, the relation is said to be through my paternal grandfather, Paul Thomas, who is theoretically second cousins with the afore- mentioned author. The majority of the Thomas's to whom I refer currently live in New England. It is said that the original clan moved south after landing in Canada, settling in Maine. Eventually, the following generations continued south, resting in Connecticut (where I and most of my patrilineal family members live). I believe a few Thomas's still live in Maine, while one family (my uncle, Alfred Thomas along with his two sons Christian and Matthew) lives in Vermont. So, that's my story (believe it or not, I made it as brief as possible). If you yourself have any information that may help in this process, I'd be very happy to hear (or read?) what you've gathered. Thanks in advance! --- Melissa Thomas, New Haven CT