You are all so kind and helpful - thank you.

After Keyboard's message about the 1841 census I tried a bit of lateral thinking on the IGI and, starting with George, worked alphabetically through all the common male names until I too found the marriage of William to Esther Oakes. Then I looked for baptisms of children to William and Esther and found in addition to the three mentioned born at Heath, Ann born 1824 in Barlborough - not a million miles away.

Then the long arm of coincidence creeps in; a William Hollingworth Beech is baptized in 1790 at Bolsover - my Thornally tribe were there at that time and Hollingworth is a name connected with my mother in law's family. This William H is son of a Thomas and Mary and a Thomas and Mary Smith were married at Staveley in 1789, and my own maternal side have a long connection with Staveley. Coming forward, my father in law's parents, another William and Jane ended their lives in Staveley.

It never cease to amaze me that the further back I go the more likely it is that so many of my forbears probably knew each other.

After all that, my main line of Beech's are in fact from the Worksop/East Retford are of Nottinghamshire but it would be nice if I could join them up.

Eileen