I've hunted through the list archives, I've scoured each & every digest coming my way... with nary a whisper of a clue to this family! So here's what I have, with hopes that someone "out there" may connect. All of these families were living in Erdington, and all of the baptisms & marriages were performed at St. Peter & St. Paul's Church; I suspect that there is a connection with William Thomas, who was Vicar of Aston: he died in 1731; I need to spend yet more hours in front of the film reader. What follows is what I can prove with parish records; speculation on my part is noted. Richard THOMAS (b. ?1740-1745) & Ann (name unknown): (date of marriage unknown) Ann, bap. June 17, 1772 *Richard, bap. Sept. 17, 1773 Thomas, bap. Oct. 6, 1776 Esther, bap. Nov. 22, 1776 (yes, same year.. don't know why) **Unexplained gap... did they move away? Jane, bap. Jan. 7, 1787 *Richard THOMAS married (Mary) Elizabeth (I suspect SIMPSON, if so they married Jan. 24, 1791) Mary Ann, bap. Dec. 25, 1799 *Richard, bap. Dec. 25, 1801 Ann, bap. Jan. 6, 1804 The children's baptismal registry entries show either "Elizabeth" or "Mary Elizabeth" as the mother, but it's the same family (I hope!!). *Richard THOMAS m. Elizabeth (name unknown) (date of marriage unknown)(1851 Census shows her place of birth as Walsall) *Alfred, born 1830? (waiting for films!), Birmingham Fanny, born 1840-41, Walsall Alfred married Ann JONES (father James JONES, occ: slater) in Aston Dec. 10, 1849. George, born April 1850, Wednesbury **There are more children here I haven't found, undoubtedly a Richard among them! Philip, born 1860, Lancaster, Lancashire Walter, born 1862, Burton in Kendal, Westmorland *Alfred, born March 25, 1864, Diss, Norfolk Jessie, bap. August 17, 1868, Ely, Cambridgeshire It is Alfred who is my direct ancestor. The 1851 Census shows Alfred & Ann living with Richard & Elizabeth; their occupation is listed as "brass founder", however, the marriage entry for Alfred & Ann in 1849 shows "Gas Fitter" as occupation for both Alfred and his father. All of Alfred's sons were managers of gas works, and Jessie married a gas engineer! By the 1881 Census, Alfred & Ann were living in Basingstoke, Hampshire, where he managed the gas works. His son Alfred went to the Isle of Wight in 1883 & worked at the gas works there before coming to Canada to managed the gas works in Nanaimo, BC in 1888 or so. The 1891 Canadian Census shows Walter as manager (the first one) of the Vancouver Gas Works; Alfred as the manager of the Nanaimo Gas Works; and Clarke JEFFERY (Jessie's husband) the first manager of the New Westminster Gas Works. I've included a lot of detail hoping some small thing might trigger recognition; thanks for your patience in reading this. Linda de Gonzalez