Kirk, I’ve looked at the tree on Ancestry which I’m guessing is yours (Mayer Radcliffe Ancestry ?), and also at other trees which have your g g grandfather James Radcliffe as a direct ancestor. Of all the official US records attached to those trees, I can’t see any which has a definite birth date for James. All I can see is James Radcliffe (without a middle name ) in the following records---- “age 37 in 1880 census”, “age 43 on 3 May 1886 at death—from NJ deaths and burial index” , and “ Father, James Radcliffe 1843-1887 ----cemetery memorial stone presumably erected many years later by the family of one of his children”.

The birthplace of James in his own 1880 US census, and in the many US censuses of his children under “father’s birthplace” is, in almost every instance, given as “England”, with only one exception, ie the 1915 New Jersey State Census of son John Franklin Radcliffe b 1881, in which it is given as “Isle of Man”. So the question is---since James F Radcliffe b 1881 was only a 5 year old when his father died, did he grow up being told by his mother that his Radcliffe family originated in the Isle of Man ? Is it possible that James Radcliffe b circa 1844 could have been born in England to a Manx father ?

Do you have access to any official records which could definitely show that James b 1844 himself claimed to have been born in the IOM ? If not, then it would be a good idea to throw the net wider and search for James in England. Another possibility is that James was illegitimate, baptised on the IOM with his birth mother’s surname, but using his birth father’s surname thereafter.

The twins Robert and James Radcliffe you mentioned, baptised 12 Oct 1845 Lezayre to John Radcliffe and Ann Corlett, both died in Jan 1846 (Robert 21st and James 29th).

You mention DNA matches to trees with Corletts from Lezayre------how far back do the links go eg 3rd cousins ?

It would be good to sort out an answer to this knotty problem !

Jean C