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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Berkshire => Topic started by: janjim on Tuesday 01 May 18 12:22 BST (UK)
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Hi,
My GGG grandfather Henry Ruffey was born in Donnington, Berkshire in 1777. Henry married Phebe Burgess in 1819.
While going through Ancestry records, I note that there is a Henry Ruffey who appears to have been in the military, with documentation on the 18th March, 1818 saying a Henry Ruffy was registered UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions & Discharges, birthplace, Donnelton, Berkshire.
Am thinking that this is probably a misprint, meant to be Donnington.
However, I cannot get access to these records to confirm that this is our relation. Wondering if there is anyone out there that can assist me to confirm any military records for him in the early 1800's.
As far as we know, he died in 1848. His grandchildren were in the military, which leads me to believe that it is quite possible that our Henry Ruffy may have been involved in the Napoleonic War just prior to his marriage to Phebe.
Jan
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I think that the 'P' on the 1841 census would stand for Pensioner.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/files/eng/LIN/census_abbrev.txt
Debra :)
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The only additional info is that his former trade was tanner and his age in 1818 when he went to pension after 2 years in the 82nd Foot then almost 23 years in the 35th Foot was 40. Elsewhere the place of birth is written as Dannelton Newberry (sic) Berkshire but the clerks may well have got that wrong. Difficult to read but there is an entry in 1848 which looks like died. Enlisted in Gibraltar in 1795.
MaxD
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The only additional info is that his former trade was tanner and his age in 1818 when he went to pension after 2 years in the 82nd Foot then almost 23 years in the 35th Foot was 40. Elsewhere the place of birth is written as Dannelton Newberry (sic) Berkshire but the clerks may well have got that wrong. Difficult to read but there is an entry in 1848 which looks like died. Enlisted in Gibraltar in 1795.
MaxD
/quote]
Max, thank you so much for all of this information. I would think that this is probably the man we are looking for. Dannelton, not sure if that is a mistake or not, can only assume it was meant to be Donnington.
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Would love to know more about Henry's involvement in the Battle of Waterloo, where he was stationed etc. not quite sure where to go for more information on his 25 year term.
Jan
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He doesn't appear on the Waterloo medal roll. The 2nd Battalion 35th Foot were there but presumably he was serving with the 1st Battalion in the Greek islands.
Your best approach is to look for histories of the two regiments he served with. May 1793 to Dec 95 82nd Foot and Dec 95 to March 1818 35th Foot. There is a history of the 82nd at :
https://archive.org/details/historicalrecor00jarvgoog
and for the 35th at:
https://archive.org/details/anhistoricalmem00trimgoog (click the pages to turn them).
Be aware though that we don't know which battalion of the regiments he served in (except at the time of Waterloo)
MaxD
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Date of Decease was 12 February 1848 per the army pension record. Age 61.
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Date of Decease was 12 February 1848 per the army pension record. Age 61.
He should have been 71 years of age, born 1777, though.
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He doesn't appear on the Waterloo medal roll. The 2nd Battalion 35th Foot were there but presumably he was serving with the 1st Battalion in the Greek islands.
Your best approach is to look for histories of the two regiments he served with. May 1793 to Dec 95 82nd Foot and Dec 95 to March 1818 35th Foot. There is a history of the 82nd at :
https://archive.org/details/historicalrecor00jarvgoog
and for the 35th at:
https://archive.org/details/anhistoricalmem00trimgoog (click the pages to turn them).
Be aware though that we don't know which battalion of the regiments he served in (except at the time of Waterloo)
MaxD
Max great to have this information, thank you. Wish we knew which battalion he served in though.
jan
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He should have been 71 years of age, born 1777, though.
The army pension record is obviously incorrect in that respect. It does say 61. The GRO index says 70.
When he attested in Gibraltar on 5 December 1795 he said he was 21.
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Not entirely impossible to find his battalion but you would need to go to Kew (and take your sandwiches :). He would have been entered every quarter in the battalion muster books so knowing he was with the 1st Battalion in 1815, one could start with the book for that period http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2464799 and then work backwards and forwards through the lists for the relevant time, they would show when he changed battalion.
Not easy - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C150238
Same for the 82nd.
MaxD
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Max, thanks so much for this, but unfortunately I live in Australia, and not possible, at least I now have a bit of an idea on Henry's life, lot coming together now, as we see his grandchildren and other descendants very involved in various Wars over the years.
Shaun that's quite possible, records not very good in those days, and maybe he put his age up to go into the military.
jan
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So the records we already have where it is noted in London, either for his discharge from military or from hospital, maybe he was injured and finally discharged on the 18.3.1818, difficult to decipher from what is shown in the two records I have found on Ancestry.
Maybe you have a better idea on what that record actually means. I see H. Ruffey aged 40, P2 foot, 22 3/12 years plus 2 7/12 years, long service, shown as being 5 feet 11 3/4 inches light grey hair, he was a Tanner coming from Dannelton, Berkshire, with light grey fair. Very difficult to read. So how do we know that he served in the Greek Islands, I wonder?
jan
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So how do we know that he served in the Greek Islands, I wonder?
The December 1813 paylist for 1st Battalion confirms that he was stationed in the Ionian Islands, attached to number 3 company.
maybe he was injured
"He was discharged from the army "in consequence of length of service". It was a time of of major reduction in the army.
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Shaun, thank you for more information, so keen to find out where he served during those years.
Jan
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Thanks ShaunJ for the confirmation.
I'd done that from a process of elimination. He wasn't at Waterloo so not with 2nd Battalion, the history tells us the 1st Battalion was in the Ionian Islands at that time. QED.
The muster books/pay lists are the only way!
MaxD
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Thanks again, both of you, getting a better picture all the time, wonder where he was in the earlier days, but as you say the Muster is the only way, unfortunately live too far away to do that.
cheers Jan
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You have the links to the Regimental histories. They will tell you the movements of each battalion.
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Thanks, sorry I will check them. Haven't been able to find any Private number at this stage in the Pension records.
Jan
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Shaun, have read through the Historical Memoir of the 35th Regiment now, so very interesting, what a life Henry had 17 years in the Mediterranean.
I have only been able to see Henry's Pension records, cannot see where he was in the 1st Battalion, just wondering where you would have found that information.
Jan
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Have you searched for Henry Ruffey in the military records on Ancestry? You should see a hit in "UK, British Army Muster Books and Pay Lists, 1812-1817"
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Thanks Shaun, I will get on to that a little later.
Jan
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No Shaun I can't find it, maybe I needed to have Premium Membership. Well I will take your word for it that Henry was in the 1st Regiment.
Jan
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ShaunJ has cited the 1812-1817 Muster Books on Ancestry. Try entering the word Muster in the card catalogue search.
In defence of my earlier post about going to Kew, it should be explained that the books on Ancestry are representative samples and the "1812-1817" is a misnomer. The books represented are in that period, not for the whole 6 years. So the 35th Foot book covers 1814 and 1815 and as ShaunJ says, he appears (in each quarter). There are fourteen books in total covering the 35th while your man was with them, only the one cited is on Ancestry.
Janjim
I have sent you a PM.
MaxD