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Hello
I'm trying to find the background of my GGfather Patrick McDonald born 1840. His father was Walter, a "farm laborer". Patrick became a soldier in the British Army enlisting at York 4th December 1862. See detail attached. I have more details of his subsequent life but I've come to a full stop here. He married in England in 1870 Bridget Brangan age 26 born in either Sligo or Tipperary, daughter of John Brangan, shoemaker and his wife Charlotte. My family oral history thinks that an ancestor of either Bridget or Patrick fought at Waterloo (possible name Walter McMahon).
Can anyone help?
I can provide more details if required but they don't for the moment seem relevant.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ian McDonald

Hello

I'm trying to trace the ancestry of Patrick McDonald, born Castlebar in 1841 or 1842. He joined the British Army in December 1862 at York when his "age last birthday" was 22. His birthplace looks like "Parish Angles, Castle Barr" (could this be the enlisting officer mishearing Aglish???).His occupation was given as "Farm Labor". Family legend is that he had an ancestor Walter McMahon (or similar) who fought at Waterloo but I have no documentary evidence of that. In 1870 in Brighton he married Bridget Brangan of either Clare or Tipperary (Clare in 1891 census, Tipperary in 1911 census). She was the daughter of John Brangan, shoemaker, and his wife Bridget whose ancestors I would also like to trace but perhaps that's another topic.

This topic is related to http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,358842.msg2357688.html#msg2357688


Any help warmly welcomed.

Thanks
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Can anyone tell me how to trace the service records of these two soldiers (my great-grandfather and grandfather)?

Here’s what I know.

Patrick McDonald was a Trooper (Private?) in the 10th Hussars (according to family papers) or possibly 21st Hussars (according to his wife’s death certificate). According to the 1891 census he was born in Belfast about 1841 but in the 1911 census this has changed to Castlebar, County Mayo in 1840. In May 1870 he married Bridget Brangan, born County Clare c 1844, in Brighton, East Sussex. At the time of his marriage Patrick was resident in Preston Cavalry Barracks, Brighton. In 1871 Bridget was living with her mother in Brighton with no mention of Patrick who was presumably away soldiering. Bridget had four children born in 1872 in Colchester, 1873 in Canterbury, 1878 in Matra, India and 1882 back in Brighton. In 1891 the whole family was living together in Brighton with Patrick now a Pensioner. !n 1901 he and his wife were in an old people’s home in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, Sussex. Bridget remained there till her death in 1917 but by 1911 Patrick was apparently an inmate in Steyning Workhouse. According to (not very reliable) family papers, Patrick died in 1924 in Chelsea Hospital and was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, but I haven’t been able to verify any of those facts (date, place of death, place of burial). Also according to family papers, Patrick's father (or more likely grandfather) Walter McDonald, fought at Waterloo, but maybe I should post that in a separate topic.

John McDonald was born in 1978 in Matra India. In 1905, possibly on leave from his posting at The Curragh, County Kildare, he married Mary Dorette Sophie Flora McDonald (or possibly MacDonald) at a Catholic Church in Kensington High St. He (or rather she!) had 5 children born The Curragh 1908, Guildford 1909 and 1911, Preston (Lancashire) 1912 and Blackburn 1913 (my father). In 1905 he was a sergeant in the East Lancashire Regiment. In 1911 his wife was at a military base in Guildford with 3 children but no sign of husband. From family papers I understand he ended WWI as a Lieutenant and Quartermaster but haven’t been able to verify this. He died around 1951 at which time he was a resident Chelsea Pensioner. What happened to him between the end of WWI and his death I don’t know. His wife died aged 37 in 1915 and he apparently had very brief compassionate leave from France to organise his children which he did by scattering them to relatives around the country and, in my father’s case, to an orphanage.

I have been trying to build up a better picture of the careers of these two men but don’t know how to find out about their military records. Can anyone help?

Thank you for reading this far.

Ian
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Hello

I'm trying to trace the parents of Margaret Kennedy who in August 1947 was living at 174 E 12th Ave, New Westminster, British Columbia. At that time both her parents were alive.

Margaret had an Aunt Maggie aka Mrs Simpson living in 1947 in Aberdeenshire (and probably in Aberdeen).

Margaret was also the niece of my grandmother born (illegitimate) Helen Cheyne in Kintore Aberdeenshire in June 1886. Helen's mother was Christina Simpson.

I have a letter dated August 1947 from Margaret Kennedy addressed to my mother, to whom she refers as her cousin, which says "Mother heard from Aunt Maggie you had a son" (me!).

I would be grateful to anyone who could help or simply point me in the right direction.

Thanks

Ian
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This picture probably shows my Grandmother Helen Cheyne born June 1886, her Aunt Aggie (DOB not known but possibly early 1880s) and two earlier generation folk one of whom may be my great-grandmother born 1871 (yes - that's right! My Grandmother was born to a 14 yr old). Picture probably taken in or around Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire.

My dating guess was late 1920s/early 30s but I'm no expert.

Any guidance would be very welcome.