From: "Christine Benson" <christinebenson313@btinternet.com> > I think Ann meant that if she found a Thomas in the censuses and he > was alive in 1861 then he could not be her Thomas as she knew hers was > dead. > > One of the trees I looked at gave the parents as witnesses. However > that leaves the question - How can you know that witnesses are parents?> I have seen lots of marriage certificates on which a witness could have been a father or a brother with the same name, equally a mother or a sister. There is no way of telling that I am aware of, except by "killing one of them off"! -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE

Hello Roy and list, Thanks Roy for your input. Someone else did say that 'maybe' the witness Thos Briggs was not the father of my GG Grandfather Thomas (Jnr). However, Thomas Briggs (gardener) is written in as the parent. I have the certificate here. It may be that I will never solve this riddle. Thanks again for your input. Kind regards Ann Spiro Perth, Western Australia research@sbse.net.au OLD site: The Blacksmiths & Related Occupations Website : http://tinyurl.com/2948r4v  NEW site: The Blacksmiths & Related Occupations Website http://blacksmiths@mygenwebs.com