missing years of my grandfather Beard(with the BUFFS ?)

[bowman]

I am trying to trace the missing years of my grandfather Henry John Beard 1866-1899, he married my grandmother in 1899 at the age of 33, I have their marriage cert, his WW1 medal card as a reservist in the 16th York & Lancs regt, and his death cert for 1930. I have been unable to find any reference to him or his family in the census for the whole of this period. I know he gave his place of birth as Chalk Farm Parish London when he signed up for WW1, his father is stated as being a wheelwright on the marriage cert with his name being Philip Henry Beard. My father always said that he and his brothers had to learn and then recite the the battle honours of 'The Buffs' which suggests to me that bthe re was a lot of pride in Grandads service with the Buffs prior to his marriage, I have the index to the militia attestations for the Buffs(3rd foot East Kent Regt 1874-1895 but he ain't on there either, I would appreciate any help that is available in my quest. many thanks Bowman

[casalguidi]

Hi Bowman

Can you not find him in the 1901 census either?  Would it help us to have some details from the marriage certificate ie. when/where/any address/occupation/names of witnesses?

Casalguidi

[Kevwood]

Did he marry a Sophia, if he did i have him in the 1891 census.

rg12/1077 folio 25 page 42

Kev.

[bowman]

No he didn't marry Sophia, he married Selina Smith and he doesn't figure in the 1901 census even though his daughter was only a few weeks old,the marriage took place June 11th 1899 at Holy Trinity Church in Southamptonhe was 33 yrs old Selina20 yrs old, he is down as a labourer with his father Philip Henry Beard (deceased) wheelwright; and no father for Selina, they were living at 27 Craven St/16 Craven St respectively in Southampton, in the 1901 census Selina is shown as living at 88Radcliffe Rd Southampton with her newly born daughter Winifred, Bowman

[Kevwood]

Hi, bowman, will have a thorough look tomorrow, shame it wasn't Sophia, there are a hell of a lot of mistranscriptions on the census, but looks to me like he may have been in the boer war in 1901.

Kev.

[Kevwood]

Hi, the Buffs did serve in the boer war.

http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/003Buffs.htm

So he may have been there with them.

Kev.

[bowman]

Kev,
On his marriage cert it has him down as a dock labourer, there is anectdotal evidence of him going on 'heavy benders' and it is this that makes not only myself and other family members.who have been researching a lot longer than I have, think he was away from home at the 1901 census. We have a census sheet of the 1851 census ref RG10 1473 that could be of GREAT GRANDFATHER and his family living at 9 Marlborough Villas in St Leonards parish in Shoreditch, if this can proved correct we have jumped BACK a generation with still no sign of my Grandad, on grandads death cert it states he was an Army Pensioner and there a belief that he was a Chelsea out-pensioner, I hope that this may be of help, many thanks for your interest Bowman

[Kevwood]

Something else odd.

I have checked all the beard births for 1865 and 1866 and not one Henry John Beard registered at all??

Kev.

[bowman]

Kev, there certainly is a mystery as to Henry Johns birth, some in the family say that there is a Scottish connection with it we just don't know, the other thing is that he is down on his WW1 medal card,which I have, as
27171 Pte JOHN Beard of the York and Lancs 16th, he was 47 at the outbreak of WW1 so we presume he was on the reserves, any way many thanks for your time and efforts Bowman