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I know that boys have often claimed to be older in order to join up at a young age - but might there be any reason why, in the early 1800s, someone would claim to be 3 years YOUNGER  than they actually were? I ask because I've found a near-match for an ancestor in parish records, but about 3 years younger than his military records indicate - the latter give his birthdate as 1794, but the person in the parish records was born in 1791.  I'm not sure what year he joined up, but have seen records from 1815. Just wondered if there's anything that would explain such a discrepancy.

I have lots of missing ancestors from census returns, yet for example a female ancestor I know where they were because they gave birth around census time and a few days later baptised their child locally yet I can't find them(their husband or any of their other children) anywhere in their own  home or elsewhere

It can be so frustrating! I wanted to find James because there are a lot of James Hiltons in Lancashire, and the two census returns that I have found give different birthplaces. Maybe you're right and Elizabeth forgot to include him - trying to remember all the children was probably challenge enough!

On Family Search there is a baptism for a William Brundish  baptised at  Fressingfield   12th June 1791. His father is James and mother Sarah.

I don't know if this is the one you are looking for.

Regards   Amber39

Yes, this is the one I'm wondering about. The William BrAndish I'm looking at was born, according to his army records, in November 1794 and came from Fressingfield. In the same battalion there was a James BrAndish - his brother? So I'm wondering about the William and James BrUndish born Fressingfield, but in 1790 and 1791. Also, I know that William BrAndish died in 1835 - and William BrUndish doesn't appear on the censuses, although James is there. But how to explain the different dates and surname? (though I can accept that there could have been confusion over the latter, especially if they were illiterate). Brundish seems more likely for that area, as the village of that name is nearby, and Brandish seems to occur in Norfolk rather than Suffolk.

I've been unable to trace a baptism for William Brandish, apparently born Suffolk, possibly in or around Fressingfield, c1793/1794. Indeed, I can't see any Brandish family on the C of E records for that area, births, marriages or deaths - though there is a Brundish family with a William born just a couple of years earlier.  I'm wondering if this William is mine, though birth date as well as surname don't tally with his army records. But I'd like to check any Non-Conformist records that are available to see if I can at least confirm whether there was a family with this surname in the area. Can anyone tell me anything about possible churches, indexes, records and availability?