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I am researching the Skells family and have come to something of a dead stop at one Richard Skells born ABT 1826 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire as I can't find his parents names. I note Skells seemed to be spelled as Skeels more often in the early 1800s.

Richard married Sarah Scott in 1849. They lived in Weston, Lincolnshire and had children John, Sally, Daws, Jesse and Richard.

I MAY have Richard living in Thorney in the 1841 census as a fifteen year old with the young family of one William Skells (born ABT 1816) but with no clue as to the relationship between William and Richard. The 1861 census suggests William had a sister Ann born ABT 1911.

I've seen a list of baptisms for Wisbech St Mary parish but nothing that is quite right for either William or Richard (Richard baptised in 1925, the son of Daws and Mary Skeels seems close but I suspect is actually a different Richard).

As Richard named a son Daws one could speculate wildly that all these Skeels are related and the origin of the name could be one Ann Daws who married Richard Skeels (b. ABT 1739) in 1761. However I can't make the particular branch of the family I'm interested in fit in with the others in assorted trees.

Any help greatfully received.

Have you possibly come that far without meeting FreeBMD?

http://www.freebmd.org.uk

Search for Sarah Scott marrying Richard in 1849, click on the page numbers to find the right one, click on the spectacles next to the right one to see the image and make sure the info is correctly transcribed, order the marriage certificate:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

and know Richard's father's name. That's as far back as registration will take you, but there isn't much point guessing when the answer is waiting for you.

And the IGI -- not that either??

http://www.familysearch.org

click advanced search, click International Genealogy Index.

Search for Richard Skells born 1826 +/- 5 for good measure. There's one baptized in Cambridgeshire in 1827 who could be your man -- but how interesting; born in 1815. Puts that one closer in age to that William you have. But maybe the Richard born/baptized in 1822 is a better fit.

Once you have his father's name from his marriage certificate, you'll know whether it matches up with that birth/baptism, and you can start trying to figure out why he was baptized so late and dated his birth from his baptism. ;) ... or go checking for mistranscriptions in that extracted record.