Have I any chance of success?

[saoralba]

Hi,

I am trying to find out about my ancestor, Thomas Burnett. All I have on him, is an 1841 census return for Aberdeenshire saying he was born in Ireland. I also have his parents names(Thomas Burnett & Ann Forbes). Does anyone have any hints on what I can do now to find out more?

[Christopher]

Hi,

You have a reasonable chance of getting further information. http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php You will have to come forwards to go backwards since Thomas appeared on the 1841 census in England. I took a look at Surname Search which covers Griffiths Valuation of Ireland (1848-64) and noted that both the surnames Burnett  and Forbes were in seven parishes in Ireland during that period. The parishes were Antrim, Belfast City, Derry, Down, Dublin, Longford and Tyrone. http://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm

Best Wishes, Christopher

[saoralba]

Thanks very much for the links. I'm not even sure he was from Ireland now because in the 1861 census he lists his birthplace as Aberdeenshire(ps Sorry to be picky, Aberdeenshire is in Scotland, not England), although I think that must be a mistake.  I also now have a record of his marriage from the IGI, and he was married in Ardersier near Inverness. His daughters death certificate also lists him as an Army Pensioner. I know that Ardersier is near Fort George, a big military fort in the Highlands, so i'm guessing he might have been stationed there. Do you know if there are any records of Irish army regiments for the early nineteenth century?

[lesleystree]

Have you tried his death certificate? If he died in Scotland after 1855, you may find out more about his family e.g. parents names, maybe where he was from?