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Yes, this is the George Mulgrue I am pursuing, here with his second wife Lucy.  From a previous marriage he had seven children, some of whom were born in India,sometimes recorded on the census as East Indies, presumably because of the name of the East India Company. An ongoing query on the Warwickshire page has provided me with a large amount of information, and another Mulgrue researcher has been in touch, but we don't know much about George's army career.  She did however say that he was in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, which could help us to find out more.

Thanks again for your help.
Regards,

Gill 

Searching for records of George Mulgrue, born Sligo, who was probably recruited by the East India Company in the 1870s or 80s.  He and his brother James Arthur Mulgrue were soldiers in India.  Where do I start, please? 

This is very helpful, Valda.  I am relying to a certain extent on my family's memory of what my grandmother told us.  The "adoption" by the Atkinsons before 1891 fits in with her account of being put with another family, though I don't know how old she was at that time.  It could be that she lost contact with her birth family, and that her memory in turn was confused, if she was very young when placed with the Atkinsons. 

Because Halstead was a common Burnley name there are quite a number of John Halsteads marrying in the appropriate period, and there are also quite a few John Higsons, but no John Higson Halsteads, as far as I can see.  There is an interesting marriage of John Higson and Ruth Halstead in Sep qtr 1878, but that's too late for Ada, unless she was illegitimate.  Another correspondent has pointed out that there were several Halsteads living in the same street as the Higsons in 1881. 

I have found the IGI to contain several mistakes, eg Ada's husband was Alfred, not as transcribed Alferd, also he was born in Easton, Hunts, not Burnley. 

Perhaps if I give the Lancs Cert Centre a few alternative dates and references they will come up with the right answer for me.  In her letter the Registrar says she has checked all Burnley entries for 1877 without success. 

Thanks again, and regards,
Gill

Lancs Cert Centre has just informed me that the Ada Halstead born Burnley March Qtr 1877  Vol 8e Page 270 is not after all my grandmother, as the father's name is incorrect.  However, another Ada born Burnley has now appeared on FreeBMD in Dec Qtr 1876 Vol 8e Page 199, who might fit the bill.  Does anyone have access to these records to check for me, please?  According to her marriage cert, her father's name is John Higson Halstead, and in the 1881 census she appears with him, her grandfather Matthew Higson and others.  I do not know, and would like to know the name of her mother, who I assume was dead by 1881.  By 1891 she has been "adopted" by James and Olive Atkinson, but has retained her surname. In 1901 she is living with her husband Alfred Fairey and his family, still in Burnley.  Ada and Alfred were married in September 1896 at St James, Burnley, at which time she gave her age as 19.  Thanks