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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: littlefishlock on Saturday 22 March 08 10:44 GMT (UK)
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I think this is probably a photo of a minature. There is some writing on the back that I cannot work out. Can anyone help?
This topic was origanlly posted here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,293922.0.html
Thanks in advance
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Contrary to what has been said on the other board...(pse DO see my comments there...It appears you have someone VERY famous in your tree...)
This is an English officer of the 46th of Foot
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=46th+foot&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
a
I would go with the late 18th century ideation and go for the American War of Independence...
With a name such as Surtees he should be quite easy to pin down and follow his career...
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Hi scrimnet. I've been looking, but I dont really know what I'm looking for. I'm very new at this type of research and I'm still feeling my way about. I only found out what an IGI batch number was a few days ago, so you can imagine how busy I've been.. lol.
I've got a feeling this chaps name might not be Surtees. The reverse name does't look like it to me, although I cant tell what it says.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction :)
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The writing at the bottom might be the best clue. Looks like some form of "Parkinson Millcroft" (Parkerson? Millsap?)
At top word is clearly "Wallis".
Middle looks like [something] "Mil group"
nick
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Hi nick, thanks for your imput. I'll look for someone on those lines.
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Hi again. I should have mentioned that I had done some looking, but no success.
I think the best thing would be to look at/develop the Surtees tree. Some people have partial ones on the web.
(example: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=militarycaste&id=I50463 )
It looks like Robert Smith Surtees was one of 8 children of Anthony Surtees, who was himself a son of Robert Surtees.
This Robert Surtees appears to have written a 4 volume work on the History of Durham, and perhaps looking at this would shed some light on the portrait of interest. An encyclopedia article on Robert Surtees says that he collected antiquities and genealogical data for his work.
Nick
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hi all :)
the surtees were highborn/ famous but i think it's going to take a major
investigation to track down the family
what a shame this woman struggled through her final years , although she did
have a certain class :)
wealth tends to in a straight line downwards while those on the edges can get
nothing and yet you wonder what happened to her
after the first world war many women never married because so many men had
been killed
i think this would have had a greater effect on upper class ladies , to find
a good husband/any husband that could support them
i take nothing away from those lower down the social scale(eg me ;) ) who suffered as well
ev
ps i didn't suffer i'm just lower down the social scale :)
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hi
so is this a photograph ?
it does look like a miniature portrait that was photographed then cut out
losing most of the info. in the process :(
you think it would be sent to the lady in question and then she cut it out
and kept it(or got it as it was)
ev :-\
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Hi could it be "Major Wallis" and you can just see the jor before the Wallis? I have no idea of rank etc, but does it look like a major uniform? I think if anyone has the ability to search the English military records they may find a Major Wallis of the correct time frame.
I am useless at research so afraid I can't help you much, but you can have my two cents worth for free ;D ;D ;D
Good luck with it
Lones :D
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Hi Lones, your two cents worth is well appreciated. Likeme. not that good at the searching bit, but I'm sure in time all will be revealed.
regards
Chrissi
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Did a search on 19th century newspapers for a Major Wallis in the 1800 to 1830's period and the only one mentioned is Major James Wallis of the 46th Regiment. He has a biog in the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020518b.htm
Some of the newspaper references:
Arrived in the Clyde from Calcutta ( Caledonian Mercury 22/3/1827)
Birth of twin sons, one stillborn, at York Place Clifton 12/6/1838 (various papers in Exeter, Bristol and Dublin)
Died 12/7/1858 aged 76, at Prestbury Green nr Cheltenham (Morning Chronicle 26/7/1858)
His wife Mary Ann died 15/4/1869 at Prestbury Green ( Bristol Mercury)
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Thanks ShaunJ. I'm just going to work. Will look when I get back!
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hi all
an artist as well ?
https://www.artnet.com/artist/638251/james-major-wallis.html
the dates match 1785 - 1858
ev
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Yes, an artist too - some more of his work here: http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/artist/1305/james-wallis.aspx?related=work
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Just to tag on here .... ::)
James WALLIS
Name WALLIS, James
Other Names WALLIS, Captain James
Culture Irish | Male
Context Australia
Birth Date 1785
Birth Place Cork, Ireland
Death Date 12 July 1858
Death Place Gloucestershire, England
Movements Australia 1814 (Wyndham) - 1819 (Bengal Merchant)
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Dear Littlefishlock
Your story about the old lady who gave you the box of material relating to the Surtees and Wallis families is fascinating. I have been doing some research on Major James Wallis (1785-1858) whose life and pictures have interested me greatly. I think I may have solved the riddle of how the portrait of the officer in the 46th Regiment came to be with the other items in the box. For a start, I do believe this is James Wallis, painted around 1812/3. In 1836 Wallis married Mary Ann Breach (c. 1798 -1869). They did not have children. His sister Ann (c. 1796 -?) married Alexander Taylor (Tayler) in 1817. Their daughter, also Ann (1822-1897) married Thomas Hilton (1813-1883). Their sixth child and third daughter, Dora (1849-1897) married John Baker White. Their eldest daughter Mary Baker White (1869- ?) married William Villiers Surtees, and their sixth child and second daughter, Barbara (Doreen) Feliciana Surtees (1899-1989), who was unmarried, is your lady. I wonder if you still have the portrait (which does look like a later black and white photograph of an original (coloured) watercolour on ivory), and the other material?
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thank you Lucyville for linking these all together. Very impressive. I'm so pleased to have connected Major James Wallis to the family.
I have yet to find any members of the Surtees family except an inlaws married in line in America.
I do still have all of Barbara's treasure including the little portrait of James Wallis. I've had them over 20 years now.
One day I intend to 'transcribe' all the diaries : ) Barbara suffered much hardship during her later years and often worried about paying the rent. I know she suffered a lot of physical pain and the doctor had told her she had cancer and was treating her for it. Yet in a later diary the police came and told her the doctor had in fact been taking her prescribed medication and was stuck off I think. I could never work out whether she had cancer or not. I know she suffered daily and couldn't wait to be released from the pain. The sadest part was a diary dated about 10 years after the others, nothing in between, but she was still alive and still suffering. : (
She had so few possession at the end of her life, but the photo's were obviously something she treasured. she must have had some stories to tell : )
Thank you for helping with this.
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I seek permission to reproduce the portrait thought to be Major Wallis, in a monograph I have prepared on the settlers of Wallis Plains (Maitland) NSW Australia. Can I contact the relevant person?
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Hi Wallis Creek, if you in box me your email address I will contact you directly. thank you.
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Email address PM'd to littlefishlock
With thanks
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James Wallis had a first wife, Anne Mann b. 1794 d. 1735. They married in 1820. Mary Ann Breach was second wife, and they had one child Frederick James Henry Turner Barnwell Wallis b. 12 Jun 1838 York Place, Clifton, Gloucestershire and died 12 Apr 1841. Alexander Tayler and Anne Wallis, sister to James, are my husband's 3rd great grandparents through their son Alexander. The bible of Lucy Hewson, mother of Anne and James Wallis and their siblings, went down the family line through Anne, and I have a copy.
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Thats very interesting ,, in the bible of Lucy Hewson.can you tell me who the other siblings of James and Anne were please.. am trying to link with source a george 1784-1818..
thank you
James Wallis had a first wife, Anne Mann b. 1794 d. 1735. They married in 1820. Mary Ann Breach was second wife, and they had one child Frederick James Henry Turner Barnwell Wallis b. 12 Jun 1838 York Place, Clifton, Gloucestershire and died 12 Apr 1841. Alexander Tayler and Anne Wallis, sister to James, are my husband's 3rd great grandparents through their son Alexander. The bible of Lucy Hewson, mother of Anne and James Wallis and their siblings, went down the family line through Anne, and I have a copy.
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Per Lucy’s bible, children are:
George 24Aug1784-15Apr1818
James 11Oct1785-12Jul1858
Margaret 7Jul1787-8Sep1877
Anne 1789-29Mar1870
William 11Feb1793-Mar1801
John 1794-still alive when she passed, based on comments in bible he got into trouble involving dishonesty of some type, we think he may have been transported to Australia as punishment (ultimate irony, if so). Found a record that seems to match but have not been able to confirm with 100% certainty.
If you are unaware, husband James, d. 13May1800 and Lucy d. 14Mar1825, both are buried in the family tomb in the churchyard of St. Finbarr’s Cathedral, in Cork. Several family are there - I don’t know who else, and the church records for this old part are not available online.
There is a note that George tore out and took bible pages pertaining to his family after Lucy died. If you know descendants, perhaps they still have them. There would have been general family info recorded by Lucy, or others on her behalf after she learned to write (taught by a son), on the reverse.
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Thank you very kind of you , i have been trying for a while to get a source to George the son of Lucy, as I working on a project for someone,
I have been two sources away from completing it , and and now thanks to you, only one more and thats his Son , another George , George 1784 married, Alicia Freeman (1781-1846) and had son George 1814-1891 i just need to find his birth to connect him to the above ....
thank you
Per Lucy’s bible, children are:
George 24Aug1784-15Apr1818
James 11Oct1785-12Jul1858
Margaret 7Jul1787-8Sep1877
Anne 1789-29Mar1870
William 11Feb1793-Mar1801
John 1794-still alive when she passed, based on comments in bible he got into trouble involving dishonesty of some type, we think he may have been transported to Australia as punishment (ultimate irony, if so). Found a record that seems to match but have not been able to confirm with 100% certainty.
If you are unaware, husband James, d. 13May1800 and Lucy d. 14Mar1825, both are buried in the family tomb in the churchyard of St. Finbarr’s Cathedral, in Cork. Several family are there - I don’t know who else, and the church records for this old part are not available online.
There is a note that George tore out and took bible pages pertaining to his family after Lucy died. If you know descendants, perhaps they still have them. There would have been general family info recorded by Lucy, or others on her behalf after she learned to write (taught by a son), on the reverse.