Hi Again Bob...

I have been looking a bit more into 'my' Willet's wife's family, the Robertsons.

Willet Brooks married a "Mellisa L Robertson" in 1860 in Hastings County but I could never find out much about her other than her parents were William and Miram Robertson.

But I think I found some of her siblings - a Lucy Robertson b. abt 1840, a Reuben Robertson b. abt. 1839 and a Henry Robertson b. abt 1845 all had parents "William Robertson & Miriam" all lived in the area of Prince Edward County, and across in Lennox & Addington County. These border Hastings County and the people of these 3 counties were quite fluid during the 1830-1860 time frame as new lands opened up etc.

But the strange thing is that the Robertson family, as a group, does not appear on the 1851 Canadian Census and I have checked a variety of spellings. So, I am thinking perhaps it is a case of one or both of the parents dying and the children being farmed out to various families in the surrounding community. This might explain why my "Melissa Robertson" maybe went by other names, perhaps "Louisa" was her middle name and indeed we have the right couple Bob???

Speculation but this does explain a bit more if indeed your Willet Brooks is my Willet Brooks...both he and perhaps his wife were orphaned young, raised by relatives or friends and so, had no real links to their past and thus who knows how much they actually knew to pass on to their children?!?!?

Let me know Bob if this at all makes some sense to you?

Susan