Maureen's posting about the Pontefract liquorice festival prompted me to write. (And I do miss Pontefract Cakes). I apologize now for the length of this missive but it is a holiday! Does anyone from Pontefract remember Dr. Freda WALTON or her parents? She lived at 4 Carleton Park Avenue, Pontefract and had her surgery at 16 Argyle Road, Ferrybridge. Throughout my childhood we had sporadic, unannounced, visits from Aunt Freda (no relation) and she never forgot my birthday. She had met my parents at University in Leeds and they remained life long friends. Freda never married and was a GP in Pontefract from the time she qualified until she retired and, although I saw her as late as 1990, I knew little about her life. Her parents may have lived in Pontefract but I'm not certain about that. The family had some association with Knuzden near Blackburn, Lancs and she (or her parents) named their house in Pontefract 'Knuzden'. I don’t know when or where she was born but there are several birth records on FreeBMD that are possible. I would say that she was about the same age as my mother who was born in 1921. She died in the late 1990s. Not knowing the names of Freda's parents is a problem because I am trying to find a connection between Freda's family and a Tom Naisby born in Blackburn in 1909, son of George William Naisby and wife Margaret Sharrat (married 1904 in Blackburn). Tom was a news reader for 23 years and died in 1972. 'On January 26th, 1971 BBC Radio Blackburn went on air at noon, opened by Tom Naisby, who had been the voice of the old BBC North Region (in Manchester).' Tom had two sons, John and Stephen. In 1971 or 1972 (date based on the fact that the stamps on the envelope are decimal currency and Tom died in 1972) someone mailed to T. Naisby, Esq at 405 Audley Range, Blackburn the hand written autobiography of Miles Nightingale (1826 – 1899.) Miles was baptized 29 Jan 1826 at St Katherine, Blackrod, Lancs. In 1893 he started a Temperance Band called the String Band of the United Methodist Free Church Knuzden and two members of the band were George William Naisby and Robert Walton. So I can make a connection between the names Nightingale, Naisby, Walton and Knuzden but not a connection between the Robert Walton in the band and Freda Walton in Pontefract. I also don’t know if any of these Nightingales, Naisbys and Waltons were related or just friends and neighbours. At some point this same autobiography was mailed to Freda Walton in Pontefract. No envelope survives from that mailing so I don’t know when she received it. My mother acquired the book on Freda’s death and now I have it. Any help would be much appreciated. I have found all the census records for Miles and his descendants and some for the Naisbys so it is help with Freda’s parents and their connection to Robert Walton, Knuzden, and the Naisbys that would be most valuable. One other possible relevant piece of information is that a John Walton was baptized at Immanuel, Oswaldtwistle on 28 Mar 1862, parents James and Luisa and their abode was Cabin End, Oswaldtwistle. Miles Nightingale lived at Cabin End in 1861 and the next street on the census sheet is Knuzden Brook. Before I kick the bucket I would like to see this autobiography in the hands of one of Miles descendants. He had ten children so it seems that somewhere a descendant must exist. I have traced some of the children and grandchildren up to 1911 and possible great, great, grandchildren Lynn, Andrea and Stephen William Nightingale, the latter born Garstand in 1970 but connections are tenuous at best and I have not been able to contact them. Happy 4th. Jane Charlottesville, VA