AN elderly American man fears time is running out in his bid to get in touch with North-East relatives.

Edwin Hawley, of Texas, is in his 80s and would like to trace his relatives in County Durham.

He is hoping to find relatives of his mother, Isabella Field, known as Bella. She was born in 1889, in County Durham, and lived in Chilton, near Sedgefield.

She emigrated to the US in 1914 and settled in Brownwood, Brown County, Texas, where she married Sipio Hawley.

Her parents stayed in Chilton. Isabella had three brothers Thomas, Robert and William.

Thomas went to live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and worked in the mines. He married Jessie and had two children, Wilfred and Dulcie, who may have come back to live in the area during the 1940s.

Robert was a miner. William married Emily and lived at 7 Institute Terrace, Bearpark, Durham. The couple had a son, Tom, who worked in the mines, with his father.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Jan Boyes, at 6 Merville Avenue, Stockton, TS19 7AQ or e-mail her at markandjanboyes

l Kenneth Parker, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Mr Parker, 77, and his wife, Joan, are trying to trace two old friends from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, who were on the same ship, Achille Lauro, when they emigrated to Australia in the 1960s.

The couple lost contact with Terry and Jenny (whose surname they cannot recall) in the 1970s, but remained friends in Australia when the Parkers lived in Melbourne and Terry and Jenny moved to Sydney.

After the Parkers returned to England, their friends moved to Queensland.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Parkers on (01723) 864840, or write to them at 23 Leighton Close, Crossgates, Scarborough, YO12 4LA.

l John McAree, of Darlington. Mr McAree is searching for Pamela, who worked at Walker and Wilsons, in Park Lane, Darlington, between 1965 and 1970, and lived in North Road.

Mr McAree can be contacted on (01325) 356394.