CLOSE one-name study

I'm aiming to include here some stories I've come across in the course of my CLOSE one-name study, and to start off, here's a brief history of John CLOSE of Bourne, Lincolnshire, who made a bad start in life but seems to have done pretty well for himself in the end!  born           1816                   Bourne, Lincolnshire married      16 Nov 1835     Esther SMITH,  Bourne, Lincs married      21 Jul 1848       Sophia SMALL, Camden, NSW died            19 Apr 1873     Bob's Range, Camden, NSW    John Close , labourer, of Bourne, Lincolnshire, was tr ied at the Kesteven Sessions, Bourne, on 3 April 1838, aged 23. [ England & Wales Criminal Registers, 1838, County of Lincoln, F559] He was accused of t

Here's a brief report on how far this CLOSE one-name study has progressed so far.  England & Wales data collection so far includes complete census data from 1841, 1851, 1871, 1891, 1901 and 1911, and BMDs 1837-1950.  I also have almost 3,000 England & Wales christenings, over 700 pre-1837  marriages and around 300 burials in my database. When it comes to the rest of the world, my collection looks much more sparse, compared to the amount of information out there.  Co-researchers in other parts of the world - particularly the USA, Australia and New Zealand - are urgently needed!  Let's crack this together! It's my intention to post here not just statistical information, but some stories about notable CLOSEs from various locations and historical periods. Pictured here is James CLOSE (1900-1971) of Horwich, Lancashire. If there's someone you think deserves a mention, then do let me know! Have a look at my Guild of One-Name Studies profile page here: www.one-na