Hit a brick wall.....

[jahall]

thomas william portland smith b at sea 15 May 1841 where? thinking Ireland to England

It is the parents I cant get anything else about.

father Robert Smith occ Policeman Arbour Square Stepney in 1841
Barbara b around 1820 in Ireland....

struggling - please help me!

Jen

[jahall]

posted by a great aunt on Rootsweb in 2003 but she had no joy either....

Can anyone give me some pointers as to where I could find details of the service of my great grandfather Robert SMITH? At his son's christening at St Thomas Stepney in October 1841 he is shown as a Policeman, living at 13 Arbour Square Stepney.
I have had a researcher look at the records at the PRO at Kew, and she found several Robert SMITHs, most of whom could be eliminated because of the timeframe or because they were not married. Is there any other source of information I could try?
I have searched the 1841 census and found his wife Barbara, born in
Ireland, and the baby Thomas William Portland SMITH, born at sea, along with a four year old child Anna HICKEY, also born Ireland, but Robert himself was not shown. Would he have been on duty and if so, would he have been recorded somewhere else?
Thankyou for any help you can give me.
Jeanette (NZ)

[jahall]

Tried another tack - Robert Smith son marriage cert!

TWP  Smith married in 1872, so his marriage cert. has minimal information - if he'd waited 2 years, in 1874 legislation was brought it requiring parents' names, among other information, but he just missed out.

[Dave Francis]

Hi Jeanette

I'm just trying to get my head round some of the detail - please clarify. Are you saying that TWP Smith was born on 15 May 1841, at sea, en route to New Zealand from the UK? If so, how could he appear in the 1841 UK Census which was only three weeks later?

Dave

[jahall]

not sure how....

but definitely born as sea - did they go somewhere before they went to NZ?

[mosiefish]

Hi,

Just a thought. As he is on the 1841 census aged 3 weeks (transcribed as 3 months) Could he have been born at sea say on a journey from Ireland to England for example?  It would seem far more likely.  He didn`t go to New Zealand until 1864. 

Regards,
Mo

[jahall]

Mosiefish you are so right...

Looks like I should have been looking in Ireland!  Is there a place called Portland? in the coast of ireland or england?  hence his middle name? 

Any idea where to start?

here is what I found out about him later:

He came out here with the 18th Royal Irish Regiment in 1863 - he sailed from Cork in October 1863 we think on the Chariot of Fame. He served in various places, including Wanganui, and eventually was transferred to Napier in about 1868. On 10 November 1868 Te Kooti attacked settlers at Matawhero near Gisborne, and the Dunlops fled to Mahia in an open whale boat and then to Napier. The refugees were put in a stockade, TWP was helping with those who were sick and so was Jeanette, and that's where they met. It must have been a whirlwind romance as the Dunlops left again for Auckland on Christmas Eve, so the couple must have kept in touch by letter. TWP went to Hobart with his regiment in 1870, and there he purchased his discharge from the Army, and came back to NZ. He joined the  Armed Constabulary at Ormond on 10 October 1870. They were married on 27 March 1872 in Gisborne.

[mosiefish]

Hi,

One Portland that springs to mind is Portland Harbour, Weymouth, Dorset, England.  This would certainly be passed or stopped at on the way from Ireland.  However, I haven`t a clue where his birth would be registered (if at all).  They may just have added the "Portland" at his baptism so searching for a Thomas William Smith is a tad more difficult.  

However, on the bright side a Barbara is a lot better than a Jane or Mary   I have tried to find a marriage between a Robert Smith and a Barbara but didn`t have any luck.  You could always try posting a query to the Ireland board.  Nothing ventured nothing gained!!

Good luck,

Mo

[mosiefish]

Hi,

Regarding Robert Smith - Have you tried contacting the City of London Police Records Office or the Metropolitan Police Museum?  Go to the following link and scroll right down the page until you find the heading "Researching your London Police Ancestors" you will find a few addresses that you can write to.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hitch/gendocs/police.html

Regards,
Mo