Alan & Liz Christison England

I am currently researching all branches of my family and my husband's family.

I have discovered that a lot of Hollinshead's, sometimes spelt Hollingshead, appear mostly in America and not many in the UK hence the difficulty contacting anyone with any relevant information.

My paternal family history goes back to Staffordshire 1841, England, where my great grandfather was a Shoemaker. My maternal family history is in the Newcastle/Durham area of England and my husbands goes back to Scotland.

I had difficulties initially with the spelling of my surname Hollinshead, as my father's birth certificate had his name spelt with a 'g', but on checking his fathers birth certificate it did not have a 'g' in it - hence the spelling comes down to who was doing the B.C. at that particular time, as the person registering the birth of the child couldn't spell and it was therefore left it the 'hands of god' so to speak.

I have found that I have the family names: Giles, Middlebrook, Pratt, Carylyle and Wilkinson.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.