THE question fired out of the blue from across the Atlantic at Blackburn reader Mrs Carmela Ainsworth hit the wrong spot, but she hopes that 'Looking Back' might steer it in the right direction.

For what American ancestor-hunter Lester Ainsworth asked her was: 'Are we related?' She's not, but are you?

Lester was inspired to send a shot-in-the-dark letter to her from his home in Massachusetts because his roots lie in these parts - perhaps at Chorley - in the shape of his great-grandparents, John and Sarah Ainsworth, who lived from about 1830 to around 1905 and, in between running a store and a farm, had 17 children.

One of them was Lester's grandfather, Enoch, who, in 1875, at the age of 12 - having begun work in Blackburn's cotton mills when he was only seven - stowed away on a ship to Canada and ended up in New England where Lester lives.

Another of the couple's big all-Biblically-named brood was their son, John - possibly the eldest - who composed hymns and as a music conductor performed for Queen Victoria .

A copy of one of his hymns suggests that he or his family may have lived outside Chorley, where Enoch was born on New Year's Day in 1863 - in the village of Brinscall. For it gives the composer's address as "Brinscall," Chorley.

If these clues suggest you and Lester are related, he will be delighted to hear. He's at 315 Westwood Avenue, East Longmeadow, MA 01028, USA, and on e-mail at nelles@aol.com.

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