Hi Karen. Just saw your message and it reminds me that one of these days I need to get my genealogy hat back on and do some work. My maternal great grandfather was Wm Bridson Christian, son of Wm Christian and brother to Margaret Christian, one of the 2 grandchildren Matthias Bridson made a bequest to in his will. Wm Bridson Christian was christened at Saint Mathews Church, Douglas IOM, on 02 Jun 1844. I have a birth for him of 25 May 1844. Family tradition has it that Christiana (Bridson) Christian died in or after childbirth with Wm B. From your note, may I assume she was a daughter of Matthias and would not be in the will since she was deceased? Without some research into notes, etc., I'm sketchy on this, but after Christiana died, Wm B. and Margaret were in the care of family and frends (The name Creer (sp?) and Goldsmith come to mind) and of course their father Wm until he left for the United States. I believe he arrived in 1849; he appears on the 1850 U.S. Census in Placerville, CA (where I was born and raised BTW). In the 1852 Special California Census, he also appears and gave the place of last residence as the state of Illinois. There are Christian's in Illinois, although I have spent no time trying to make a connection. He could very well have stopped and visited family there while on his journey westward. I have a cousin who insists that both Wm and son, Wm B., came to the U.S. together, although she has never shared the source of this. He would only have been a 5-6 year old. I am under the impression that he came sometime after his father and before his sister, Margaret. Margaret left Liverpool, England 07 Nov 1860 on the steamer, Glasgow, under the care of Henry Lea (Lee?). I believe he was a trusted friend of Margaret's father. They arrived in New York on 21 Nov 1860 (Castle Garden). According to a note from a family member, she and Lea married 13 Jul 1861, but he died shortly after the marriage. I have no record of his death or burial. In 1863 she remarried her father's closest friend, Wm Henry Cole, also from the IOM and that begins another story :-) You mention one family tree has the Christian line going to California. Is that tree available somewhere? Maybe I have answered a question or two for you. Again, I greatly need to get back to this family history business and especially my Manx heritage. Where to you live? Cheers! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Did you ever find a death/burial record for Christiana? Garth