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Topics - meowkat

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Armed Forces / Can anyone recommend any good sites for identifying uniforms, insignia and medal

« on: Saturday 02 February 13 16:09 GMT (UK) »

Can anyone recommend any good sites for identifying uniforms, insignia and medals?

I did have a good site for identifying medals, but I seem to have lost the link. I've just spent two hours on the web trying to find a site to help me identify a uniform with no success. Surely such a resource must be out there, or at least a book, one with good photos. I'm mainly interested in UK military.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Kat

Armed Forces / Can you help me identify which armed force/ regiment from photo

« on: Saturday 02 February 13 13:57 GMT (UK) »

I hoping you can see the photo I've tried to attach to this message. Sorry it is very faint, but it's all we have.

I'm trying to trace information about my great uncle who served in the 2nd World War. My dad thinks he was in the air force and was a prisoner of war. I know that the info. on Find My Past isn't complete, but we've looked for him in the POW records there and the only people whose names match were in the army. The regiments they served in are nearly all local to us, so if he was in the army, not the air force, then it would be logical that he would be in those regiments. Although, saying that, the surname is indigenous to this area and very, very common.

I'm quite confident that there will be people on this forum who can identify an armed force, and maybe even a regiment, just by the uniform. So I'm crossing my fingers in hope that some of you can help me.

Thank you,

Katrina

Ireland / Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?

« on: Monday 31 December 12 17:45 GMT (UK) »

Most of my ancestors are Scottish. However, a large chunk of my ancestors came over to Scotland from Ireland in between 1840-1860.
So far, I've not been able to trace my Irish ancestors within Ireland. Although, each day there are more and more resources available online. I've just carried out an index search on find my past for my x4 great grandmother using her maiden name and have found 4 plausible matches. However, the dates are about the time her daughter was leaving for Scotland, by which time, you'd assume she would be long married and using her husband's surname.
If Ireland used the English naming patten, it would suggest that either, she is not my ancestor, or that my x3 great grandmother was illegitimate.
However, if Ireland used the Scottish naming pattern, this could very well be my x4 great grandmother, as married women often continued to use their maiden names on records, or used them interchangeably.

My gut says that she probably isn't. However, it would be very useful to my research to know whether or not married Irish women are often found on contemporary records under their maiden names.

Thank you for any help

Happy New Year to all!

Katrina

Armed Forces / What could he have been doing? Soldier:1876-1889

« on: Monday 26 March 12 15:29 BST (UK) »

Hello,

I have recently found out that my ancestor was in the Army between 1876 and 1889. He spent some time at home, in which is listed as being a coal miner on his children's birth records, which makes me think that he was probably in the Army reserves.

When he was abroad he was stationed at the following places:

-"Mediterranean": 26th July 1877 (for 1 year and 328 days)
-"Gibraltar": 15 September 1880 (for 1 year and 324 days)
-"Egypt": 7th August 1882 (for 324 days) during which time he received a medal for the Egyptian Campaign and two clasps one of which was for Tel-El-Kebir.

I know the Egyptian Campaign was significant and I can find plenty of resources on that. However, I do wonder what he could have been doing in the Mediterranean (and where exactly he might have been) and Gibraltar.

He served in the "57th Regiment" and then the "2nd Royal Lanark"- which I believe to be an abbreviation of 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Any help would be appreciated.

London & Middlesex Lookup Requests / St Paul's, Parish Church of Shadwell baptism record look up request- Anderson

« on: Tuesday 20 December 11 22:01 GMT (UK) »

My ancestors married in St Paul's, Parish Church of Shadwell on 19th January 1860. Their names were Henry Alexander Anderson (or Alexander Henry Anderson) and Fanny Maria Rutherford (or Rutterford).

Henry was a mariner who was at sea when the 1861 census was taken. Fanny was living at St George in the East, Middlesex at the time. I can trace either of them on the 1871 census. By 1881 they are living in South Shields with my great grandmother, who was born there in 1877. I can't believe that a couple who married in 1860 did not have a single child until 1877.

As they married at St Paul's in Shadwell, I though that might be the best place to look for other children. I've checked the BMD index and their appear to have been 43 Andersons born within the Stepney registration district between 1861 and 1876 and a few of those names look promising.

I'm hoping someone who has access to the Shadwell parish records could have a quick look to see if there are any Anderson baptisms registered whose parents are Henry or Alexander Anderson and Fanny Rutherford/Rutterford.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Australia / How do you find out if someone has died?

« on: Monday 18 July 11 21:52 BST (UK) »

Hi, everyone.

This might sound strange, but I'd like to know where to look to find out if my uncle has died. My dad's brother moved to Australia in the 1970's and hasn't been back to the UK in about 25 years. He lived alone. He was divorced and we have no contact details for his adopted children. He was usually very good at sending birthday cards to my dad and cards at christmas. We haven't had anything for near 2 years now, so we're beginning to think he might have died, or may be very ill. My dad has sent him a letter a while ago, but hasn't received a reply.

Is there somewhere I could check to see if he has died? If he were alive he'd be 80 years old.

If anyone is familiar with the Australian death records and could do a quick check up for me, his name is Joseph William Rutherford (known as Bill Rutherford) and he was born in Scotland in 1931. If he is dead, he would have died in the last 2 years more or less.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as my dad is quite concerned.

Thank you xxxx

Dumfriesshire / Fanny Rutherford b1905 Annan

« on: Saturday 11 June 11 19:47 BST (UK) »

I am trying to trace my grandfather's sister. I have no idea what became of her. I know she was born at Scott's Street, Annan on 16th May 1905 and that she was living at somewhere called Watchhill in Annan on the 1911 census. I have no other information on her. I have searched, Scotlands people, familysearch.org and freebmdindex.org.uk and so far have not come up with anything.

Her parents were Joseph Andrew Rutherford (1867-1950) and Margaret Anderson (1877- 1906). She had 3 siblings, Margaret Jane (1897- 1955) Joseph Henry (1900- 1914) and Andrew Robinson (1903- 1976).

Any help would be appreciated.

Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Can anyone decipher this ship name and port?

« on: Wednesday 28 October 09 15:40 GMT (UK) »

Hi,

I'm trying to trace my ancestor's marine service. He is the second person in the image Henry A Anderson.
I'm stuck with the 5th column. It's the name of his previous ship and just above it in the top right hand corner of the box is the name of the port the ship belonged to. The document was written in 1882 .

Thanks for any ideas.

Regards,

Katrina

Down / PEW SHANKS HASTIE

« on: Friday 19 June 09 22:32 BST (UK) »

My ancestors came from County Down, I don't know where thought and so far I haven't been able to trace them before they arrived in Scotland.

I do have some dates for them, hopefully somewhere there will be a record of them. They moved to Scotland about 1840.

Thomas PEW married Elizabeth SHANKS, daughter of Robert Shanks and Elizabeth BOLTON, probably some time before 1819
They emigrated to Scotland with the Following children:

Robert Pew born County Down about 1819
Elizabeth Pew aborn about 1824
Marther Pew born about 1828
Agnes born about 1830
Isabella Smith Pew born about 1833
Thomas Pew was born in County Down on 12 April 1837.

Their eldest known child, Robert married a Janet HASTIE (daughter of Jamed HASTIE and Mary BELL) in County Down in 1837, she was also born in County Down about 1819.
They had at least two children in Ireland before moving to Scotland before the 1841 census.
Elizabeth and Alexander, Elizabeth was the eldest.

The Irish resources baffle me. I've tried searching my ancestors online, but nothing has come up. I was hoping that someone might be able to help me.

Thank you