Dear Gillian, I was born a Colpitts in western Oregon, USA and growing up thought that we were the only Colpitts in the world! As I have been doing a little research, it has been interesting to find all the Colpitts connections and place names in northern England. I have traced back to one Robert Sutton Colpitts (b.1812 in Newcastle on Tyne) who came to Illinois, USA, around 1842 with his wife, Elizabeth Anne Harrison, and 3 kids. (We THINK his parents were Thomas Colpitts, b.1785 in Newcastle, and Mary Sutton.) Anyway, Robert Sutton Colpitts' eldest son, Thomas Sutton Colpitts,( b.11 June 1836 in Newcastle) survived a cholera epidemic and later his family moved west to Colorado and by the early 20th century some of the next generation had moved on to Oregon. I would be very interested in any information you might have about the Newcastle branch, as well as any general information about the Colpitts family on your side of the pond....for example, you mentioned the "Freemanship of Newcastle".. what does that mean? Hope to hear from you either on this Board or at meggie@alaska.net. I live in Petersburg, Alaska. Sincerely, Cathy Colpitts Cronlund