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No, not yet, but looking at the marriages in Alston on Genuki, it's clear that there must have been connections, because there are a lot of the same surnames in common with Weardale.  I see that as well as Featherstons there were a number of Keenlisides in Alston for example, and other names like Nattrass, Todd, Bell, Walton, Emerson, Harrison, Peart etc.  I suppose it's not that far up the road and over the border from Weardale, so not so surprising really.  I think I have actually been through Alston, after visiting Weardale in 2007

Ok. My husband's 3x GGM Mary Featherston (1797-1840) was a daughter of John Featherston and Margaret Emerson who were married in 1781 in St John's Chapel Stanhope Durham. Mary Featherston married Henry Featherston, 1790 - 1847, son of Ralph Featherston and Margaret Vannon, who were married in 1771.  Henry and Mary lived at Middle Rigg Weardale Durham.  I believe that at neighbouring High Rigg was the family of Thomas, 1784- 1862, a brother of Mary, who married Jane Keenliside and possibly had a previous wife Hannah,  and that another brother John 1790 -1864, wife Jane Hodgson and their family also lived at High Rigg before emigrating to Canada in the late 1820s. Joseph born 1829, son of Henry and Mary, married his first cousin Mary b 1829, daughter of Thomas and Jane.  My husband's 2x GGF was Ralph, another son of Henry and Mary.  He emigrated to Victoria Australia in 1853 with his wife Mary Greggs and two small children, who both died soon after arrival, but the couple had another 8 children in Australia who all survived and produced descendants.  Two other brothers of Ralph also emigrated, as did Thomas b 1832, a son of Thomas. There are a number of other Featherston/e emigrants from Durham to Australia that I would also like to be able to tie in, and of course I would also like to work out the relationship between Henry and Mary.