The Comberton branch of our family are directly related through Richard Wallis who was born on January 25th.1759, in Barrington. He married Sarah Dunham in July 1805. Richard was the brother of Mary Wallis born in Barrington on December 28th.1763. Mary married Page Sergeant, my great, great, great grandfather.

     Richard and Sarah farmed in Comberton, three miles West of Cambridge. They had three children: Emma born February 11th. 1802, Thomas born August 14th. 1803 and Richard, born: December 29th. 1805

     Richard (jnr) worked on his father’s farm and married Mary Anne Hatley in Caxton on July 29th.1841.They had three children: Walter born in 1842, Annie born May 5th. 1844 and Kidman born December 5th. 1847 after they arrived in Canada..

Thomas found work as a stable / boot boy at the Manor of Wimpole. Here he befriended Anne Smith one of the Wimpole family members. They were from different backgrounds and it would seem that her family disinherited her. Nevertheless they married at Wimpole on June 18th. 1833. This marriage produced five children: Sarah born December 23rd. 1835; John born June 12th. 1837; Emma born in1839; Annie born in 1845 and George born July 16th. 1848. Anne Smith had received something from her family when she married. She insisted this be spent on her husband’s education and he went to Cambridge University.  He attended college and qualified as an Engineer/Surveyor. And qualified in 1845, he also received a commission to go to Canada in order to survey for the Canadian Pacific Rail Road. It is possible that his College made all the arrangements. for Thomas and his family to sail for Canada.

Richard had sold the farm in October 1844. Some of the land was purchased by Ann Markham who later became related through the Gee family wealthy farmers in Cambridge. He had moved his family in with his sister Emma, the family believe Thomas also moved there with his family. Their sister Emma had married Samuel Parkhouse in 1831, and they had a small business brewing beer and trading in spirits locally. Thomas’s son John would pull the wagon of beer and spirits for the Parkhouse’s and sell the produce. Even though John was only eight years old and had never went to school, Emma soon found his book keeping was first class, he was always honest with his customers and was never known to be cheated!

      At this time things were not going at all well for the farming community. The