Hi Cheryl and others

My wife is another descendant of Ralph HEGINBOTHAM (abt 1738 - 1796, of Romiley) and his wife Martha CLAYTON (abt 1741 - 1789). That's where the lineages part. My wife is descended through Ralph and Martha's son Joseph (1771 - 1848, of Romiley) and her line remained in the Romiley area to the present day.

Interestingly, I also have distant relations of my own who moved from a place close to Romiley (Chapel-en-le-Frith) to Lawrence: Lomas. But as soon as they put foot on American soil they became Loomis.

The Lomases (Abraham Matthews and his sister Mary LOMAS who were not close relations of the Martha LOMAS who married Joseph HEGINBOTHAM b 1807 Romiley) moved before 1857 but the Joseph and wife Mary HEGINBOTHAM and moved in 1863 shortly after marrying. Joseph's sister Hannah also moved to Lawrence, later. Like very many others, these families were skilled in textile manufacture (weaving) so the move to Lawrence might be explained by the availability of well-paid work. 1863 was a time of great suffering in the Northwest of England -the Cotton Famine- from the blockade of raw cotton imports from the southern states. Does anybody know what was happening in Lawrence at the time -was textile work to be had there at that time?

I am keen to learn about information from journals, bibles and other family-held documents that confirm the pedigree drawn up by Frank Higenbotham, John K Clarke, Dorothy M Derrick (nee Longden), Dorothy Stamper (nee Howarth) and colleagues back in the early 1980s.

John Powell