Yorkshire soldier in Canada in 1840s

[Martin Briscoe]

I wonder if anyone here has any ideas about my Great Great Grandfather?

We know very little about him, there is a family story about someone going to Canada, being killed and family returning though it is mixed up with a later generation.

What we know is

In 1851, my Great Great Grandmother Catherine O'SHEA (other censuses show her born Quebec or Canada so I am inclined to think she was from an Irish family in Canada though she could have gone there as an infant).

     1851 British Census, 1851 Census Rec. Date: 30 Mar 1851, HO107/2281 Folio 440 Page 2.  Cit. Date: 10 Apr 2004 Laverton
Catherine HAMMOND H W 28 Pauper (formerly a soldier's wife) Ireland
John HAMMOND S - 6 Scholar North America Quebeck
Isabella HAMMOND D - 4 Scholar Cheshire Chester
Elizabeth PARKER Lodger U 30 Pauper Laverton
Ruth PARKER Lodger - 2 - Laverton.

My Great Grandmother's age is not clear and varies over each census but I am inclined to think it is 4 which means that her father must have died around 1846/1847.

She re-married a couple of years later and that gives her father as John O'Shea labourer.

We have a marriage record from 6 Feb 1844 at St Roch de Quebec Church.  It is quite hard to read and is in French but appears to have

Mark John HAMMOND parents Thomas HAMMOND and Elizabeth TEMPLE
Catherine O'SHEA parents Charles O'SHEA and Catherine DYLAN

Image here if anyone wants to try and translate fully.

I had a researcher try to find army records and also my Great Grandmother's birth but never found anything.

It has been suggested that the widow of a soldier would be returned to where he enlisted after his death. 

If anyone has any ideas about him then I would be interested to hear them.

Martin

[Janice M]

Here is someone researching the same family

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/FRENCH-SURNAMES/2005-03/1110566899

[Martin Briscoe]

Thanks, it's my cousin!  I did not realise that she had asked here, just thought that I would see if there was anyone with some knowledge of the military in Canada during that period who could come up with any ideas.

[jorose]

Marriage record: bans were called, they were both of age (what was this in Quebec at the time, I wonder? Could be 18 or 21).  They were both 'of the parish'.  Witnesses were Patrick Meehan and George Clarke - they could possibly be other soldiers.  Catherine's surname doesn't look like O'Shea to me, though.

I think you need to track down Isabella's birth record to see what her father's occupation was then, as this may be the last trace of him before his death.  IGI actually shows a christening for her - b. 30 Jul 1846, chrs. 9 Aug 1846, St. Werburgh's, Chester, Cheshire, parents Mark Hammond and Catherine O'Shea.  If you're in luck, the original christening record (or the birth certificate) will tell you which regiment he was in.

Unfortunately I believe records are thin on the ground for those who died in service about this time.  No discharge records, and without a regiment most records are not accessible.

[Martin Briscoe]

That christening record on the IGI must be new because I have checked there and other places many times.

It is a transcript rather than "member's submission" so have more confidence in it.

I am presuming that the French speaking official has tried to interpret "O'Shea" spoken by someone with probably an accent and used a similar name that he was familiar with.  The mother's name has been written something like DeLunn which suggests Dylon, Dillon or something similar.

Thanks, I will go and hunt in Chester records again and see what I can find.

Martin

PS

Nothing on CheshireBMD, I will put out some requests in Cheshire areas to see if someone can look at the record for me.

[Bill749]

If you can find out what regiment he was in you might be able to get quite a bit of information from the Muster Books at Kew.

Bill

[Martin Briscoe]

A few years ago I hired a professional researcher to try find out that but he could not find anything.

All that we know are the names from the Marriage Register, this birth now on the IGI and the 1851 Census.  A son John HAMMOND was born ABT 1845 in Quebec.

[J.J.]

The name doesn't look even slightly like OShea to me, not that I can tell you exactly what the name is, but it looks more like Ossai( h? K?) Ossar(?) to me. However the frence interpretation could have been from Oshea, I suppose

Have you see the mess entered in the pedigree files for the birth in Que.? They have the mother down as Catherine Swales...Wonder if this was found on another document as this would not be interpretted from the marriage.

Boy, I wish we had access to some records for you...

[J.J.]

In 1881, I am sure that you have seen the son John & Mary Jane Hammond et al....Grantley, Yorkshire....Mary was born 1867 and there is a marriage for Ripon in June quarter, 1865 to a Mary Jane Harrison. Has anyone picked up the cert to see if a mother was named?

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Sorry, jorose...I see now that Isabelle's birth on the IGI is an EXTRACTED file and says O'Shea....