Albert Edward Ferguson

[J11]

Thank you so much!  That answers so many questions.  I did wonder whether Neil Fergusson was army.  I'll get his service record when I go to London, probably be in the next couple of weeks, and it should give me a place and dob.  That solves the problem of them just appearing and also no birth record for Albert E.  Would also make sense that Albert E is in the army at 16.  What a fantastic site.  I'd never come across it before. 

Once again thanks,

Jenny

[flst]

From the info gained of that last link I've managed to find this link showing the index of Niel & Roseanna's marriage.

http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_detail.php?id=375368

Roseanna married James Lawrence in Canterbury (Jun qrt 1875 2a 1079) Info from freebmd
Roseanna was born in Canterbury & can be found in the censuses in St.Dunstan.
A family tree in Ancestry has him as age 20 & Rose Hannah as 18 at the time of their marriage.
I couldn't go to bed until I found the death of Neil Ferguson. He died in Aberfeldy. I have downloaded the death certificate & will pm you with the full details.
Neil was born 20/6/1852 in Dull, Perthshire. In 1861 he is in Killin. 
He did indeed remarry, in 1916, to Isabella Morgan m.s. Sinclair.
bye for now, flst
 

[J11]

I have that death certificate, but discounted it because of the wife's name.  Thank God I didn't delete it!  I should have cross checked the marriage to see if it was a second one but didn't think of it.  I can't thank you enough for what you've done.  My uncle, Albert E's grandson, is coming for a rare visit on the 12th and he'll be thrilled by what you've uncovered.  He knows nothing about the family and is very keen to find out but can't get to grips with the technology.  I had promised him I'd divert my attention from the Grants to get some information on the Fergusons for him but was stumbling at Albert and Neil.  I've got the wives okay, one of them back to 1594 thanks to a local history project on The Weald. 

Thank you so much for your help.  I couldn't have done it without you.

Jenny

[flst]

I'm glad I could help. It was interesting for me as I'd never done any researching in Indian genealogy. Do you know the person who was querying your great uncle's army career?
It would be interesting to follow up the army & police career of Albert. Do keep us updated on any new discoveries,
regards,
flst 

[J11]

I have my suspicions about Albert.  I suspect he was someone from an army family who tried to follow in his father's footsteps, it didn't work out and then he just drifted about from dead end job to dead end job.  It happens, but our Albert gave his grandsons a very different view of his life.  Every record you find for him gives a different job; but, in his old age, he claimed an illustrious army career!  When he joined the TA in 1914, at the same time as his brother Victor, they only kept him a month and then discharged him as unfit.  I think I'm going to have to tell my uncle that he's going to have to go back another generation for the fascinating army career he's expecting.  Off to the NA.  I'll let you know what I find,

Jenny

[J11]

     Been to the NA and got both Albert and Neil's army records.

     Albert did sign up with the Scots Greys in 1900 so that record at Jock's Lodge in 1901 is definitely him.  However, they discharged him after 18 months as unfit for service.  Same as 1914.  Obviously something wrong with him that wasn't physically apparent, maybe epilepsy or something similar.  He was born while his father was serving at the Cavalry Barracks Hounslow so his birth is the Ancestry listing for Albert Edward Ferguson, 1885, Brentford.  Still can't find a death!

     I got Neil Fergusson's army record, 15th Hussars, cavalry regiment, served in the 2nd Afghan War, and there the romantic image stops.  He was a tattooed, drunken squaddie who served 20 odd years and never got above private with no special instances of gallant conduct and time in the cells.  I am reminded of Hook in the film Zulu but without the redeeming valour at the end!  His medical record is appalling - gonorrhea, alcoholism, etc.  I was sitting in the hushed rooms of the National Archives laughing out loud.  They discharged him in the end with varicose veins which he tried claiming was due to his service but they put down to "intemperance".  At least his son, George Victor, redeemed the family name!

Jenny

   

[flst]

Don't know what your Uncle'll make of it, but I found the information you got about your ancestor interesting reading! No matter what you manage to uncover, it's better than just  names in censuses & on certificates is'nt it?
flst

[J11]

     I agree with you about flesh on the bones.  That's what I'm doing with my Grants, building up a picture of who and what these people were, warts and all, and it's fascinating.  My mother was a Grant.  The trouble is you never know what you are going to dig up.

     My great great grandfather on the other side is the least of my worries with my uncle.  Both he and my late father were very proud Scots, expats but always returned to Edinburgh on leave, went to Glenalmond, national service in the Royal Scots, Edinburgh University, etc. despite having an English mother.  Mind you, she played bridge for Scotland.  My father retired to Scotland and he and my brother are buried together in a small rural graveyard in Kirkcudbrightshire.  My grandfather retired to Scotland and is buried in Melness near Tongue.  They are Scottish through and through...

     Unfortunately, in the past two weeks I have discovered that my father and uncle's father was only a quarter Scottish, although all my uncle's great grandparents and grandparents on his father's side lived in Scotland, so my uncle is only an eighth Scottish by blood and seven eighths English!  The only Scot of the eight was that drunken soldier.  How do I tell him?  Do I tell him?   Do I upset the underlying preconceptions on which an eighty year old man has based his life?  Help!  He's coming on Saturday!

Jenny

[flst]

I think you'll have to play it by ear.Is your uncle likely to ask whereabouts they were born? You could say you haven't found that out yet!Perhaps you can gauge how much information he wants to know? Unless he's also into genealogy, he'll not ask for too much detail will he? I expect he'll be most interested in the army records.
Did you manage to find Rose & Nellie's graves? It would be nice to get a photo of the headstones.Another thing that relatives like to see is a photo of where their ancestors lived.
you could try an online search for images.
Regards,
flst