"My mother told me that Jack (my father) used to visit his grandparents who lived in a castle in Northern England.

I never knew Grandfather Buckley, as he died of beri-beri. He was a machinery salesman for Armstrong & Whitworth Co. He got beri beri in Para (now Belem) Brazil. My Dad told me his father always carried a gun on these trips to South America. When transporting his luggage, he always required the porters to carry his merchandise ahead of him so they wouldn't run away with his goods. Beri beri can be cured easily with vitamin C. The Englishmen found out the hard way. They found that taking lime juice would prevent beri beri so that is why they are called Limeys. Traveling to Brazil in those days took about three months by sailing vessel. Evidently the ships stopped at New York, New Orleans, etc." - Al Buckley, Autobiography, 1986

Note: I think Dad must have meant his great grandfather, John Buckley, who only lived to be 36 years old, died of beri-beri. His grandfather, William James Buckley, died in 1918 when Dad was nine. Dad might not have known his grandfather but because Dad had emigrated with his parents in 1911 - not because his grandfather died of beri-beri. I also wonder if it was John or Willaim James who lived in a castle in Northern England. - Jim Buckley 1999

And from an email exchange in December, 2007 with Susan a direct descendant of a discrete branch of the Buckleys of Birkenhead since the eighteenth century and who still lives nearby*.

I've looked for Willaim J.Buckley and his wife in Manchester and they are on the 1881 census living in Manchester. He's 29 and she's 27. She is called Margaret so they could be your great grandparents! He was an iron turner and she was a wife from Scotland. They lived at 208 Bradford Road at the time and the little boy, John J. Buckley was about 3 years old. There was a daughter, Elizabeth, aged 18 months. William J.s brother John (aged 24) was living with them too and worked as a book keeper. Apart from Margaret, they were all born in Manchester.

Anyway, I've tried to go further back for William J. If he was 29 at the time of the 1881 census, he would have been born around 1852.

There are a number of William Buckleys born in 1852 but only one listed as William J Buckley and it turns out that he was from Ancoats as you said.

William J. was living at 2 Tavery Street. His father was called John Buckley, aged 41 and was a cotton spinner. There is an iron turner in the road too which links in with the above and social class. His wife was called Mary A. Buckley. The children were William J. (as we've mentioned), Sarah, John and Elizabeth - ages 9,7,4 and 2 respectively. John Buckley was from Manchester, his wife from Salford (which is a town near to Manchester) and the children were all born in Manchester. He seems to have been in his early thirties when the family had the first child. It sound like John Buckley was born around 1820.

You might be better just joining ancestry.co.uk because the census information is on there. I'm almost sure they are your family but you'll be able to see for yourself. It's not bad if you don't get worldwide membership and you can do as many hits as you want.

Also try the mormon IGI site. It's likely you'll find marriage records there. I'll look for you and let you know if you like.

Susan