Hello,
My ggg grandfather, Jonathan Barker, was born in England around 1820, and came to the US sometime around 1840. The old family story goes, he was on board a ship near the coast, ended up in the brig, then escaped, swam to shore, and was never caught.

I have very little info about him, and don't know which part of England he was from, so don't know where to start searching in England.

I'm hoping someone who has researched the Barker surname can at least provide some information about where I might want to search - if there is a specific part of England where I would be more likely to find Barkers.

Thanks!
John