It hasn't been easy but I am at last getting somewhere with my Lydall line.

My initial search began when I purchased a birth certificate for my gt granddad, and discovered his mums name was Harriett Lydall, she was one of 10 children, born circa 1817 to James Lydall & Mary West in Whitwick Leicestershire, England.
Harriett, and two of her sisters, Maria b.1815 and Eliza b.1820 are the only ones so far that I have found that actually stayed in England. The rest emigrated at various times to Connecticut/New York, USA, and prospered there.
Henry Lydall b. 1831 at Whitwick, Initially, his occupation was Needle-making as he had apprenticed to a probable uncle and then moved to Nottingham where he met and married his wife Lucy. They then emigrated to the USA with their two children on the ship Cynosure. By 1860 they can be found on the Connecticut Census in Hartford, New Britain. Again listed as a Needle-maker with his wife and now 4 children.

He joined partnership with his brother in law William Foulds and the Lydall & Foulds paper company was born. Henry was a very interesting person to research and I discovered that he fought in the American civil war, he left a wonderful legacy and fathered seven children, he is an inspiration to me and just goes to show that if you want something bad enough, then it IS possible to get it.

I have so far discovered that James b. 1793, (Henrys father) came from Whitwick and was one of possibly 12 children to Henry Lydall b. 1751 & Mary Toon b. 1753. Though I do need to get back to Leicester R/O and check these baptisms out and try and track/plot this line, I also have possible parents for Henry Lydall namely William Lydall b. 1715 and Elizabeth Bayley b. 1717.