RootsChat.Com

Absolutely wonderful! Thank you very much for your very generous help. I have a diary written by a German-Texan ancestor who undertook this migration. The diary covers many aspects of life in Germany and Texas and the crossing from Germany in 1849. But the diarist is silent about the migration to Mexico. This article is invaluable giving an insight on the event.

Thank You

Thanks very much for your very helpful replies. The link does not seem to work. The link to the page on the 'Illustrated Civil War' page does not work. It appears to be a set up problem on the server. I'm trying to find a way through or around. How frustrating!

Hi Heather,

Two Heather's reply to my posting?  Amazing!

Thanks both of you for your help.

Here is a link to the church's website:

http://www.stmarkwithchristchurch.co.uk/

It has a 'Find Us' tab at the top which leads to a map etc.  I would be so very grateful if you can help obtain a photo of the tablet.

A couple of years ago I did visit the church and the school during a brief visit.  Both were closed up at the time but I was able to take photos of the outside.  It was frustrating.  I knew about the history of how the buildings came to be built and about the foundation stone in the school.  Though I don't know if that is still visible.  I couldn't spot it from the outside.
I've only very recently learned about the tablet in the church and the fact that Edward was awarded arms.  James and much of his family are buried in a tomb in nearby Greenacres cemetery.
I live in West Devon.  Too far away to visit very easily.  This isn't the first time I've used RootsChat to seek local help. 

Wenda (not Wendy) Collinge was the descendant of James Collinge - the uncle of the James who built the school.  It was this James who started the firm of Collinge and Lancashire, one of the first of the cotton mills in Oldham.  Just down the road from where the church would later be built.  James retired to Kinnerton Lodge in 1855 where the family lived for over 150 years.  Wenda was the last of that line.  If anyone is interested, I collected boxes of old photographs from Kinnerton Lodge.  They are scanned and available online.

Best Regards,

Martin

Hello
Would anyone be willing and able to pay a visit to Christ Church, Glodwick in Oldham armed with a camera?  I believe there is a white marble tablet on the north side of the nave dedicated to the memory of my two times great grandfather, Edward Collinge.  Edward was granted arms, so there may be some heraldry on the plaque.  It would be wonderful to have a photograph.
Thanks,

Martin

Thank you everyone.
I just phoned the Lancashire Record Office and they do hold the originals of the wills listed in the indexes.  The indexes were compiled from lists, not from the documents themselves.  Also, while most of the wills survive there have been some losses.  The state of preservation varies substantially too.

So they have told me to email them with the details.  They will confirm that they hold the document and the state of preservation.  Depending on this they will send me a quote to make a copy together with some forms, including a copyright agreement, to sign.  This will take from a week to ten days.

Thank you all again.  Very much.  I've sent the email.  Now I'm going to wait in a state of nervous excitement for their reply.