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Messages - CaroSG

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1
Armed Forces Resources / Re: Which British regiments in the Cape, South Africa between 1800 and say 1840 ?
« on: Friday 28 June 19 19:29 BST (UK)  »
Yes, of course, you are probably right about lots of people not being on records.  I always think if I look hard enough I will be lucky.

And no, I probably have not searched as many sources as I could have, because sometimes it feels as if I am wading through treacle.  I am always aware that reseach has to be very methodical and yet sometimes I just stab around!  Ever the optimist.

It is only recently too that a lot of South African records have been scanned and put onto Familysearch, as before that SA was very unfavoured in that regard.

Since you sent me the message earlier and gave me some clues on the regiments I have done some research on  those regiments at the Cape and found a very interesting book online at Google "History of the Cape Colony" - "History of South Africa since 1795" where it mentions all the regiments that came and went (happily) and this is the upshot (below) and it seems that the regiment that fits our George is the 98th (which you mentioned) which arrived in 1824 and left in 1837, nothing else quite matches his dates - although the 75th could do with some researching.

Nov 1821 the 6th arrived
Feb 1822 the 72 was removed
March 1822 the 38th and 54th were replaced by the 49th and 55th
August 1824 the 98th arrived from England
March 1825 the 6th left for Bombay
October 1828 the 49th was replaced by the 72nd
August 1830 the 75th arrived
September 1830 the 55th was removed
In 1834 three regiments 72nd, 75th and 98th remained, less that fifteen hundred men all told


I have probed and probed on the National Archives for this regiment and still nothing remotely resembling George's first or surname comes up.  Perhaps the Muster rolls will reveal something?   I guess one could still go to Kew and search these rolls as long as one was not too disappointed to find nothing relevant. 

Or just be philosophical and realise it is to far to travel to satisfy a line on the family tree.   :(

Kind regards
Caroline

P.S.    1843/06/00   75th.      Skeleton leave for England, more than half the men having taken their discharge in South Africa.  It must have been the sunshine.




Just in case anyone else ever needs this information:
1822/02/00   72nd   1st Battalion leaves
1828/10/00   72nd   1st Battalion arrives
1840/04/00   72nd   1st Battalion leaves for England

1822/03/00   38th   Leaves

1822/03/00   54th   Leaves

1821/11/00   6th   Arrives
1825/03/00   6th   Leaves

1822/03/00   49th   Arrives
1822/10/00   49th   Leaves
      
1822/03/00   55th   Arrives
1830/09/00   55th   Leaves
      
1824/08/00   98th   Arrives
1837/04/00   98th   Leaves

1830/08/00   75th   Arrives
1843/06/00   75th   Skeleton leave for england, more than half the men having taken their discharge in South Africa

1835/08/00   27th   Arrives from Cork

1839/04/00   91st   A wing of the 1st batallion arrives
1842/04/00   91st   The remainder of the 1st batallion arrives from St Helena
1842/08/00   91st   The 2nd batalion arrive from england

1840/04/00   25th   Arrives
1842/04/00   25th   Leaves for India

1843/02/00   12th   The reserve battalion on its way to Mauritius is detained and remains 3 months at the Cape

1843/05/00   45th   The 1st battalion arrives from Cork

1843/07/00   7th   Dragoon guards.  Arive from England


2
Armed Forces Resources / Re: Which British regiments in the Cape, South Africa between 1800 and say 1840 ?
« on: Friday 28 June 19 16:03 BST (UK)  »
Oh Wow.  Gee!   Thanks so much for this reply.  I would never have got anything like this information scratching around on my own, that is for sure.

I have recently made contact with one of George's 3x g.grandsons from Australia, who is fortuitously going to England next week to watch some World Cup Cricket and he would like to spend a bit of time finding his family-named Dunsdon ggggrandfather, so your info is really, really going to give us something to work with.

I guess George had another first name and perhaps he dropped it in favour of George?  It will be difficult to find out, but as least we can now make a good effort.

I myself had a reprobate Irish no good soldier who joined (maybe not  of his own volition) the 59th Regiment and spent a good 20 years in India who I found on the National Archives with a lucky break, but the point is that he was on the Archives, whereas George can't be found - which is odd.

Well, thanks so much.  It's very kind of you to help.

Regards
Caroline

3
Armed Forces Resources / Re: Which British regiments in the Cape, South Africa between 1800 and say 1840 ?
« on: Friday 28 June 19 12:44 BST (UK)  »
Thank you.  I will certainly do that.

Regards

4
Armed Forces Resources / Which British regiments in the Cape, South Africa between 1800 and say 1840 ?
« on: Friday 28 June 19 11:46 BST (UK)  »
Good day everyone

A forbear, George Dunsdon was born in Wantage in Wiltshire in 1801.  (so his family recorded on his Death Notice).  His gravestone says 1807 and his marriage certificate works out that he was born in 1792.  (Wantage was actually in Berkshire)

His death took place as follows:  18 Feb 1867, Caledon, Western Cape., 66 years. Tradesman 4 major, 5 minor children named on death certificate, one already deceased.

The family story is that he "came out to South Africa with the British Army of Occupation and took his discharge in 1836."  Nothing further is known about his youth.

Dunsdons are prolific in England.  George Dunsdons not prolific, and seaching on each one through Ancestry indicates not even one likely match.

It seems the only place to trace him could be through a military record.
So far nothing on the National Archives at Kew shows him, hoping for a quick and easy hit.
So the next thing is to trace which regiments were actually in the Cape during those years, which is the difficult part.  There is a lot of history of what the army was up to but not much detail.

I have found two marriages in 1829 and 1832 in Somerset West near Cape town for two soldiers from the 72nd Regiment, so that is one clue.  George's wife came from Somerset West

After that I don't really know where to look.

Ancestry has nothing valuable.  Findmypast has a George Dunsdon in the Royal Berkshire Regiment but the year turns out to be 1881, years too late to be my George.

Is there a military buff out there who knows something about the Regiments that could help? or who could point me to a website where I could find out more?

Many thanks
Caroline





5
Armed Forces / Re: Wo 96 - Militia Service Records 1806-1915 - George Dunsdon/Dunsden
« on: Saturday 22 June 19 11:44 BST (UK)  »

Ah no!

That man does not exist in England!   There are thousands of Dunsdons in England at that time which I have searched, and he is not among them.  I am beginning to wonder ..............  ???

It's odd that, if he was part of the British occupancy of the Cape of Good Hope which a relative of his says - joining in about 1820 and being discharged about 1836, that there are no British military records of it.  Usually the military records are so comprehensive.

Thanks so much for looking at this for me - it does put that nagging feeling out of the way that it could be him.

Regards
Caroline

6
Armed Forces / Wo 96 - Militia Service Records 1806-1915 - George Dunsdon/Dunsden
« on: Friday 21 June 19 12:20 BST (UK)  »
Good day to everyone ,
 
This is the person I am looking for:
George Dunsdon/Dunsden
Wo 96 - Militia Service Records 1806-1915
Royal Berkshire Regiment

I have a George Dunsdon who went out to South Africa in about the 1820s in some sort of military capacity.  He settled there, but although it says on his death certificate that he was born in 1801 (although his marriage index indicates he was born in 1792) in Wantage, Berkshire, I can find no birth to even suggest I have found him.  There are no military records on Ancestry which show him.
So this is really my only hope.

Many thanks
Caroline

7
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland - Dewar pre 1800
« on: Sunday 11 March 18 16:19 GMT (UK)  »
Oh, I do see now that Chirnside is available on Familysearch. 

8
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland - Dewar pre 1800
« on: Sunday 11 March 18 15:48 GMT (UK)  »
Thanks for these replies.  So "Solidrock" and "Falkyrn" you have given me Dewars in Chirnside, Berwick and apart from the d.o.b. the record would be promising for John b.1797 as his father is John and mother Isabel, both names which were used for his own children.  Is there nothing for a James however?  If not, then I fear your John would not be my John, don't you think?  This Chirnside place....... is that on Ancestry or similar, or have you accessed this information from original records?  Because if you have accessed it yourself, it makes me think there are other records available not on Ancestry or Familysearc.

And "sgf28" there is a mariner record for 1845 for a John Dewar b. 1800, from Berwick Berwickshire (which I had seen on FindMyPast but not been able to access - which I am really pleased to have, it just may be my Robert's record - it looks promising)

But.    The one niggle in my mind is that both James' hospital record and Robert's census records state born in Berwick-upon-Tweed.   How likely is it that they were born in Berwick, and not Northumberland, and simply that their geography was bad?  Surely they would have stated Berwick-upon-Tweed, and not Berwick - for the recorder to write it down incorrectly.  Or was it a common error?  Robert does say he was born in Scotland, but perhaps he just was not "with it" in history.

This is certainly more information I have today than yesterday, so thanks very much indeed.

Would you have any idea if all available records for Presbyterian, Wesleyan etc religions are on Ancestry, FindMyPast and Familysearch?   Perhaps only the Anglican church has been transcribed.  If I thought there were some other records, I would make a real effort to get hold of them.


Thanks "solidrock" yes this is my Robert Dewar and his family.   I have been searching his records for ages looking for a way through his own birth brick wall.  Sometimes I look at everything again, just in case I missed something.

9
Family History Beginners Board / Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland - Dewar pre 1800
« on: Saturday 10 March 18 11:58 GMT (UK)  »
Good day, I hope I can obtain a bit of help on these two ancestors of mine.  I cannot find any information on their births or baptisms or indeed origins, apart from what I state below.


They both state on Middlesex records that they were born in Berwick-upon-Tweed, but I simply cannot find birth or baptism records for them on Familysearch, Ancestry, or Findmypast. 

I was wondering if there are records in existence that are not available on those three abovementioned websites and if I should go to the Library of LDS here in Johannesburg in South Africa to look at the microfilms.

There are many people on Ancestry who have linked these two men (erroneously I think) to a Peter Dewar and Jane Craig Dewar, who married (I think they must be the same couple) 18 MAY 1799 Coldingham, Berwick, Scotland who have several children baptised at Chapel Street or Shaws Lane or Relief Chap Berwick upon Tweed England.  Everyone seems to see the Robert, and assumes he is Robert Dewar b. 1801.

Here are the children of Peter and Jane.   
John b. 1800 bapt 1800
Jane b. 1803, bapt 1803
Robert no dob, bapt 1804
Alice b 1808, bapt 1808
Peter b. 1811, bapt 1811
Eliza b. 1815, bapt 1815
 
It is also noticeable that my Robert Dewar b.1801 has children named, John James, Robert, James William, Bathsheba Isabella (after her mother Nash) George Elliott (after his g.father Nash), Richard, and Elizabeth Esther.  Most noticeable that there are no children named Peter or Jane, and indeed there is absolutely no Peter in the records of these two Dewar men.

This is what I know.

JAMES DEWAR, a Mate. 
---------------------------
He married 9 July 1826, St Matthews, Bethnal Green, of that parish.

On the Dreadnought Hospital records on 11 Dec 1836, is 43 years old (thus born in 1794) and states born Berwick-upon-Tweed. A Mate.  5 yrs Royal Navy, 24 years Merchant Navy.  (Goodness me... did he start at sea age 14???)

I cannot find him on 1841 census.  I think he must have been away at sea.

He dies on 26 November 1848 in St George East, Middlesex. 
Wesleyan, Non-conformist burial register

I do not think he had any children.

ROBERT DEWAR, a mariner.
------------------------------
Estimate birth year to be 1801.

Married 22 Aug 1831, St Leonard, Shoreditch, England of that parish.

1841 census. I cannot find him although I can find his wife and children.   I think he must have been away at sea.

1851 census aged 50, says b. Scotland, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

1861 census aged 60, says under where born Berwick.

1971 census aged 72, says Berwick on Tweed, Scotland.

Dies 1880, states age 79.


If James served 5 + 24 years at sea and is 43 when this is stated it means he was 14 when he joined the Navy.  Would that mean he came down from Scotland with his parents?  There is a 7 year age gap between him and his brother Robert (assumed brother, because these two men married sisters), so there could be other siblings between them.  Believe me I have hunted all over the websites to find another Dewar residing in England born in Berwick upon Tweed on a Census, BMor D and have had no luck.  Although it doesn't rule out that his parents left Scotland just after their births and had other children born in England of course.

Half the problem is that I don't know if there is actually anywhere else to look.  The year 1800 does not seem very far back to be honest, so perhaps there are records I just have not accessed.  Possibly because Non-conformist records are not online?  I simply can't make out which parishes or congregations are on Familysearch and even if there are some missing.

Could some kind soul who knows these Northumberland records give me some assistance please? Or perhaps someone can "see" something I cannot. 

Many thanks
Caroline
(my mother was Daphne Dewar)



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