Hello Alan. It's never too late to respond and your note is very helpful. A few of us have been inching our way through the morass for many months, and we're making progress bit by bit with this family.

The burial for a Thomas Cottier is in the IOM Burial list compiled by Brian Lawson. It's 11 July 1843 age 35 in Ballaugh (not Braddan). Ballaugh is where widow Mary is in 1851 with her parents and her two New York-born children at "Mill Rent" and where her parents Charles & Mary Lawson als Gelling/Cavendish were in 1841 at "Mill Easement". It might be a different Thomas Cottier, however, so should be checked. If it turns out to be him, then the family moved back soon after the last child was born in Dec 1841 in New York.

The FamilySearch Ancestry File information is interesting. I wonder what the basis is? It is quite plausible. My estimate for birth year for JG (husb of Isabella Cavendish md 1788) is about 1765, and the John born to William GELLING & Catharine COWLEY was baptized 1 Sep 1765 Braddan. Father William died in 1769 and his will (I have an extraction) mentions 4 children: William, John, "Easter" & Cathrine, plus wife Catharine Gelling als Cowley. Esther married John Corlett in 1787 and she died 1798. The Manx Notebook extraction for Esther Corlett mentions her husband and children, her mother Catharine Gelling, and maternal uncles of the children William & John Gelling. So we know this John lived at least 1798. The mother Catharine died 1811 age 78 but Brian's index doesn't list a will.

William GELLING & Catharine COWLEY married 5 Aug 1758 Braddan: children William 1759, Esther 1761, Catharine 1763, John 1765.

I think the above William will be the one bapt 14 Jun 1736 Braddan, son of William & Isabella als Craine. William GELLING & Isabella CRAINE married 1 Dec 1730 Braddan, and I've counted 11 children 1731 to 1747. This latter couple were from Ballaclybane. His will 1782 mentions sons Ewan, Thos, Robt, and daughters Eliz'th & Cath'n, with son John and dau Jane as Exec's. One of the children not mentioned is William, but of course he died earlier in 1769. Wife Isabella died in 1779 and her will mentions the same children & unnamed husband plus "grandson Wm Gelling son of her son William" who'd be about 20.

Re the latter William b 1759, I wonder if he's the Wm Gelling (Creg y Cowin) buried 30 Jun 1826 Braddan age 67 years. We left a will but I haven't seen it. If all of this holds together, then he's the prime candidate to be the brother of the JG md Isabella Cavendish. I don't know if William married. There is a 22 Oct 1785 Braddan marriage to Anne COTTIER (4 children 1787-94) and a 28 Nov 1793 Braddan marriage to Elizabeth CAINE (no issue on IGI).

I should mention that William Gelling and Isabella Craine of Ballaclybane were ancestors of Brian Lawson, through son Evan (md Ann Hampton 1776) and granddaughter Ann (md John Kelly 1805).

William doesn't seem to appear on the IGI. However there is a will of Jane Gelling als Cannell 1738 that mentions son William, grandson Evan Gelling and granddaughter Isabel, amongst several other people. She matches the Jane Cannell who married Thomas Gelling 23 Apr 1695 Braddan. I think William will either be the eldest (ca 1695-6) or the youngest (ca 1708) as 6 other children (Margaret, Thomas, John, Robert, Catharine, Jane) fill up the period 1698 to 1706. The 1782 burial of William has his age as 87, which works out to 1695. Father Thomas's 1724 will mentions 6 of the 7 children; only Margaret not mentioned.

I have John Gelling & Ellin Quayne as parents of Thomas, but I didn't note why. John left a 1691 will and Ellin a 1694 will, both with son Thomas as Exec. But is this the right connection? I don't know and it needs more research.

So, bottom line, we'd like to find out if the Family Search family connection is correct, and how they figured it out. If it is, we've made a huge find.

So who is the witness John Gelling? Something to ponder. Need to check if there were a lot of witnesses named John Gelling at that time, in which case he likely was a clerk or an official and possibly not connected at all.