WHAT have an American college professor and former Chorley mayor's attendant got in common?

Quite a lot, it appears.

For Ken Smalley, 64, of Marlborough Street, Chorley and Allen Stern, aged 48, of Proctorville, Ohio discovered they are almost certainly related following a family search that started with a cpmputer e-mail to the Citizen from the States at the start of the year.

The pair met up last week when Allen made a one-day fleeting visit to Chorley to trace his roots while on holiday in Britain.

Allen had asked our readers if they knew of his ancestors who came from Chorley.

Great grandfather August (Joe) Smalley was involved in the town's butcher trade before he emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1907.

And when Ken, a mayor's attendant in the borough for 17 years before retiring last November, saw our article he just had to check out the family tree.

Ken found that a Joseph Smalley was his great uncle and among Joseph's brothers and sisters were Edwin, Thomas, Alice Barker and Ken's grandfather Bill.

He sent off for three birth certificates and added: "If Thomas Smalley and Anna Smalley are Joseph's mother and father, that will make Joseph Smalley, who was Allen Stern's granddad and my granddad brothers, so that would make us cousins, or half cousins.

"We are 90 per cent certain that we are related, so he's on the right track."

Allen, an occupational safety and health lecturer at Marshall University, West Virginia, said: "I've just come to get more information. It's interesting to know where your relatives or ancestors did emigrate from way back when."

Ken enjoyed showing his new 'cuz' around Chorley for the day. They visited family, and places such as historic Astley Hall.

"It's been a pleasure to take him round," said Ken. And Allen's verdict on Chorley? "It's a very lovely little town."

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