Kathleen
Thank you for the detailed reply.Sorry about the delay in returning.

My grandfathers full name was George Gilbert Norman and sailed to Philadelphia on the SS Southwark on 5/4/1895 arriving Phil. 25/4/1895 from where he made his way to Boston, Ma.

There is then a gap in knowledge until 6/12/1895 when a daughter (Alice) was born in Boston Ma, Ward 24 Suffolk (not sure what the Suffolk means). Mother was Mary Ellen Norman ne' Ward. They had two more children before returning to the UK in 1900. I do not know the ship name and I have no address for their home in Boston.

They are recorded in the English census of 1901 for George's home town of Rotherham. I have since found out that they they had a futher child in July 1900, which died in December and was buried in Rotherham, so I did not think that they would be in the US 1900 census but maybe they are. Do you know how I could access it.

I would really like to find out if they married in Boston/the USA as I cannot find a record of marriage over here in the UK. and I would like to find out from where Mary Ward (full name Mary Ellen Ward) sailed to the USA. I have not been able to track her down in Galway , Ireland or Birkenhead where she was supposed to e living before emmigrating to the US. AND Ive not been able to identify a ship from Liverpool or Queenstown, Ireland with her name on the passenger list.

Thanks for all the information you have posted.