To all list members who responded to my original posting I have now established that William KERSHAW snr was almost certainly William KERSHAW jnr's first cousin rather than his father and obtained corroborated evidence that my gt gt gt grandfather Henry KERSHAW married one of his first cousins.This opened a floodgate to two further corroborated generations. Thank you again for all the useful comments Alan Boocock ----- Original Message ----- From: "alan boocock" <baboocock@pd.jaring.my> To: <yorksgen@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 8:39 PM Subject: SUFFIXES and FIRST COUSIN MARRIAGES > To all list members who responded to my posting > Thank you for all the informative emails that I received on the above > topic > which were extremely useful in broadening the scope of my thinking. > I have an ancestor Henry KERSHAW who is well documented in his middle age > but his parents, the date of his birth and death and their whereabouts > have > so far eluded me. One of his sons, however, namely John Hugh KERSHAW > married > Elizabeth Mildred TWIGG in Aug 1842 at Leeds PC when his father Henry > KERSHAW was recorded as a Merchant and this was reported on Sat 3 Sep > 1842 > in the Leeds Intelligencer, West Yorkshire as follows:- Monday last, at > the > parish church, by the Rev. George Mills, Mr. John Hugh KERSHAW, nephew of > the late Wm. KERSHAW, jun. Esq., of Halifax, to Elizabeth Mildred, > youngest > daughter of Mr. Edwd. TWIGG, of Springfield-place in this town. This would > normally mean that Henry and William jnr were brothers whose father was > William KERSHAW snr. All the evidence that I have collated to date, > however, > indicates that William jnr's father was James KERSHAW which would mean > that > James was also Henry's father and points towards James's brother or father > being William snr. The matter is further complicated by the fact that > James > KERSHAW's probable wife Martha HAIGH was the sister of Henry's mother in > law, thus would mean that first cousins had married. I am collecting > additional information which hopefully will either prove that my current > thoughts based on evidence to date are flawed and incorrect OR that > William > snr was the uncle or grandfather of William jnr and that Henry KERSHAW > married one of his first cousins. > Alan Boocock >

Last Sunday I came across this gravestone in the Fraser Cemetery, above the fast moving Fraser River (now very deep and wide with the snow melting off the mountains). It was next to one I was searching for - a pioneer in New Westminster. The gravestone refers to "here," which would be New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. (15 miles from Vancouver on the Pacific Coast). The word "Yorkshire" caught my eye. So I do hope that John Peck is a name that one of our online friends is researching. Seems that many generations of Pecks lived in Belton. Here is what the standing stone has engraved on it: HERE LIES WESLEY PECK BORN HOPEWELL, NEW BRUNSWICK, JUNE 18, 1827. DIED HERE OCT. 5, 1920 DESCENDANT IN 29TH GENERATION FROM JOHN PECK OF BELTON YORKSHIRE AND IN 8TH GENERATION FROM JOSEPH PECK WHO ARRIVED MASSACHUSETTS BAY 1638 AND IN 4TH GENERATION FROM ABIEL PECK WHO CAME TO HOPEWELL, N.B. 1762 AND HIS WIFE MARY S. ROGERS BORN HOPEWELL, N.B. FEB 25, 1840 DIED HERE JAN 12, 1928 ___________________________ I have a photo of the gravestone if someone would like me to scan it over. ____________________ Ellen Edwards in B.C.