Author Topic: 1840s UK military records questions  (Read 382 times)

Offline familydar

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 979
    • View Profile
1840s UK military records questions
« on: Saturday 10 June 17 13:40 BST (UK) »
I have an ancestor who may possibly have been in the military during the 1840s.  Throughout the censuses he's been spectacularly inconsistent about his birthplace, to the extent that I have no idea where he might have been from, even what country.  Perhaps he didn't know, his father having died when he was very small and I think his father's widow may have been a second wife, ie not my man's mother.  Based purely on a name and dates (well I've got to start somewhere), I've found a record on FindMyPast of someone who could be my man and wonder how to go about proving/disproving my theory.

He was medically discharged in Glasgow in May 1851 at the age of about 24.  He must have been present because he signed the papers.  Yet if my man, he was in London for the 1851 census 6 weeks before, apparently visiting family, and he didn't give his occ as soldier.  Is it possible that he'd already been informally let go prior to the official discharge (which says conduct good so I don't think he was AWOL at the end of March)?

The other thing that doesn't "fit" is that this particular soldier was discharged as a young man because of lung problems.  My man lived into his sixties despite spending the majority of his time living in a very poor part of London.

Another question - do any military papers of the time provide father's name?  My man was 17 when he enlisted in this particular regiment but I don't know what he was doing beforehand.

I suspect the consensus will be that this particular soldier ISN'T my man, but this is my first foray into military records and I'm not sure what info is available.  I am planning a trip to Kew to try to find another soldier  :o, so any tips will be welcome.

Jane :-)
ALLEN
BARR, BARRATT, BERRY, BRADLEY,BRAMLEY,BRISTOW,BROWN,BUGBIRD,BUTLER
CAIN,CARR,CHAPMAN,CHARLES,CH*LTON,CHESTER,COCKETT
COLLASON,COLLYER,CORKERY
DARLING, DENYER,DICKERSON,DOLLING,DURBAN
FARMER,FURNELL
GIBSON,GILES,GROOMBRIDGE
HALL,HAMBIDGE,HARMES,HART,HICKS,HILL,HOLLOWAY
JACKSON
K*AT*S
LANCASTER,LINTON
MCDONALD,MCFADEN,MEARS,MILLARD
NICOLAS,NOAK,NORTH
PARFIT,PORTER
RIPPINGALE,ROBINS
SEARLE,SPENCER,STEDHAM
TYLER,TILLY,TUCKWELL
WADE,WAGER,WALKER,WATSON,WEBB,WITHRINGTON,WOOD