Halifax, Nova Scotia look up please?

[rowanali]

Josey,
Do you know anything about the Garrison at that time - my relation Thomas Washington Brookes born in Jackson in 1851 went back to UK as a soldier, but I don't know if he started off in USA, or indeed went to Halifax with parents and joined there.  Were they loyal to the british monarch at that time?  Could he have joined there and then been posted back to UK?  Forgive my ignorance of American and Canadian History!
ali

[josey]

Canada became a federation within the British Empire in 1867.
Quote from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Canada
"On July 1, 1867, with the coming into force of the British North America Act (enacted by the British Parliament), the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia became a federated kingdom in its own right.[36][37] The term dominion was chosen to indicate Canada's status as a self-governing colony of the British Empire, the first time it was used in reference to a country."

I have quite a few pics of the Wellington Barracks which I found online & there is a marvellous giude book online for the Citadel.
http://books.google.com/books?id=IyZrV2eLT3wC&dq=halifax+citadel&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=0ZZ3Dj3q20&sig=kGYwxj-qosPij2fCCXxbMUoKVQA&hl=en&ei=6AmcSs3TKZzSjAeiysHbDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Sorry can't find the 'shrink link' feature!!

If Thomas joined the British Army his discharge papers should be at the Public Records office at Kew in the WO 97 series. However, you really need to know the regiment first and roughly when he was discharged. Presumably he would have joined about 1870 onwards? Which censuses or certificates do you have him as a soldier? See
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/?WT.lp=mh-33483
and
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/step4.htm
for information.

Regiments at that time [or certainly in the 1850s to 1880s] were posted in a circuit - including Malta, GIbraltar, Halifax & Bermuda. If he joined a British regiment on posting to in Halifax that regiment may have been returned to Britain. Do any of his children's birth certificates [or dates of birth even] give the regiment? I can look on findmypast for 'Brook[e]s' children's births around 1875 - 1885 if you like.

If it was not the British Army I think the other force he could have joined was the Canadian Millitia [but I may well be wrong] see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Canadian_Army
but I have no experience of this. You could post on the Armed Forces board; there is also a marvellous yahoo group 'britregiments' full of people as knowledgeable & helpful as rootschatters [queries about regiments/army matters/army people only - no direct genealogy queries].

PM me with your email address & I will send you the pics.

Regards, Jean

[rowanali]

That's a lot to take in, but things are coming together a bit.  I have a photograph of him in about 1876 taken in Dover Castle and the uniform he is wearing could well be the same as the men on the front of the Halifax Citadel brochure.  The pill box hat looks a bit flatter but same type of uniform and same button pattern.  In 1874 he was at Granby Barracks Devonport, in 1881 he was a gunner in Royal Artillery at Dover Castle, in 1891 he was a Bombadier at the Citadel in Plymouth.  By 1901 he was working at Royal Naval Ordinance Dept Victualling Yard in East Stonehouse, where he actually died.  I'm not sure if he was a civilian or still working for forces at this time.  He died 1908 aged 52.  Another photo I have has been up on rootschat and someone thought he was a grenadier.  I have no military background and find it all quite confusing!  Looking at the dates he could have joined the British Army in Halifax after Canada became federated kingdom and then moved on to England on tour as you suggest.
I haven't had any luck finding military papers for him on ancestry.co.uk, or via national archives but I may just be looking in wrong place!
Email for photos of Wellington Barracks is alimaude@hotmail.com
He had 2 daughters both born in Dover Castle in 1877 (Florence Maud Brookes) and 1878 (Ellen Gertrude Brookes).  Photo is him about 1878 when at Dover Castle, with wife and daughter Florence.
ali

[Lisa in California]

Ali:

I cannot find anything for 1851 birth certificates.  You could try writing to the "Ask A Librarian" service, to see if they can recommend anything.  You most likely will have to give your relationship to Thomas W. Brookes, and state that it is for genealogy purposes.
http://jackson.lib.mi.us/services/reference

PS  Josey, I'm glad you enjoyed the photographs. 

Ali, what a lovely photograph of the family.