Thanks Frances, I am new to this. Does s/o mean son of? Are you saying that his parents were possibly the 2 names you gave? He was indeed a Manx man ... as I am 1/8 (Manxwoman, that is) and find it more and more fascinating. I will use this site I think as it will probably have all the information I need. Thanks. My g grandfather was John Spence antique dealer and my aunt says he may have owned the Marlborough Hotel - (she didn't know). Both my Irish g grandfather and Irish grandfathers loved the place (Isle of Man) and spent a lot of time there.