Author Topic: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's  (Read 8844 times)

Offline raywhit1942

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St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« on: Thursday 10 January 13 14:51 GMT (UK) »
Hi
I have a William Richard Grant in my tree who was born on St Helena circa 1850. (all his records confirm this). At the time of his marriage he was a Sergeant in the Royal Engineers (sub-marine mining corps), stationed at Pembroke Dock in Wales. His wife, Alice Whitcomb, was a 2g Aunt of mine. They had around 9 Children, many of whom were born at different places where William was stationed. (Bermuda to Chatham etc!) Charles Grant was born circa 1806.

I've been led to believe that William's parents were a Charles & Louisa Grant from Winchester, Hampshire, and that Charles may have been a soldier. There is a census record from 1841 which has a family consisting of a Charles & Louisa Grant living in Winchester, at the time they also had 2 children living - Benjamin aged 4 months & Caroline aged 6 years - Charles appears to have been a Tailor?

There are no subsequent UK census records of this family until 1871 when a widowed Charles Grant
turns up as a lodger in Winchester. This would tie in with the family having gone / emigrated to St Helena before 1851. One question is why did Charles go to St Helena, was he a Soldier or a Tailor did he join up to 'see the World' ???

Information gleaned from various web sources suggests that 'my' William Grant may have been a brother of a Benjamin Grant who was well known on the island - this Benjamin was born circa 1834
(place not known) and was the editor of a St Helena newspaper.

If I could find a birth record of 'my' William Richard Grant born circa 1850 on St Helena island, that may go towards fixing which family he actually belonged to. I have searched the GRO overseas births, and the overseas military births but to no avail.

So help, anyone got any ideas?????

Ray Whitcombe
NAMES: Whitcombe, Styles, Bostock, Beelen

Online ShaunJ

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 10 January 13 15:47 GMT (UK) »
FindMyPast has the digitised discharge records of Charles Grant born circa  1808 in Winchester, who was a schoolmaster and served for 12 years as a schoolmaster in St Helena in the service of the St Helena Regiment of Foot. He was discharged in 1854.

UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Online ShaunJ

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 10 January 13 15:53 GMT (UK) »
They are in the 1861 census in Winchester:  RG9/692 folio 73, page 16. The enumerator has I think mistranscribed "schoolmaster" as "shoemaker". There is a William of the right age, born St Helena

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Offline josey

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 10 January 13 16:32 GMT (UK) »
Good finds.

Can't find a suitable marriage for Charles Grant & a Louisa [born Bath]  in Somerset or Hampshire yet.
Seeking: RC baptism Philip Murray Feb ish 1814 ? nr Chatham Kent.
IRE: Kik DRAY[EA], PURCELL, WHITE: Mea LYNCH: Tip MURRAY, SHEEDY: Wem ALLEN, ENGLISHBY; Dub PENROSE: Lim DUNN[E], FRAWLEY, WILLIAMS.
87th Regiment RIF: MURRAY
ENG; Marylebone HAYTER, TROU[W]SDALE, WILLIAMS,DUNEVAN Con HAMPTON, TREMELLING Wry CLEGG, HOLLAND, HORSEFIELD Coventry McGINTY
CAN; Halifax & Pictou: HOLLAND, WHITE, WILLIAMSON


Online ShaunJ

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 10 January 13 18:10 GMT (UK) »
First child (that I can find) was baptised in December 1834 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JS93-R4P

So the marriage was probably circa 1833 or before
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline raywhit1942

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 10 January 13 18:27 GMT (UK) »
Hi

Thanks for the replies, very helpful. I've already the downloaded the census and military record and they tie in very well - thanks again.

The 1861 census seems to emphasise Charles Grant's military service rather than his profession, however Louisa is stated to be a school mistress. From other information I have Charles Grant was a Tailor, it appears he had many facets!

From another web contact I have just found a marriage date for Charles & Louisa:
Charles Grant married Louisa Palmer 21st January 1832 – Walcott Somerset 
they had Caroline Augusta Grant Christened 17th December 1834, St Maurice, Winchester &
  Benjamin Grant 4th January 1841, Parish of St. Maurice, Winchester.

NAMES: Whitcombe, Styles, Bostock, Beelen

Offline jenbrie

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 01 December 16 21:40 GMT (UK) »
Hi Everybody,

I m new. Glad to know you re also interested in Charles Grant and Louisa Grant.

Carolina Augusta Grant was my maternal great great great grandmother. She was Charles Grant and Louisa Grant ( née Palmer) first born. Baptised, as you already know  on December 17, th 1834 at  St. Maurice in Winchester, Hampshire, England. Don t know her birth date.?

Carolina Augusta Grant married William Downer, my great great grandfather. He was born in the sle
of Wight circa 1830.

They married on February 2 nd, 1852 at St Helena. He was a sergeant with the Westmeath Rifles, 6 th and 9 th Battalion, Rifles Brigade Militia. His Garrison was stationed there.

Since Carolina Augusta Grant was already there with her family, she and William must have hit it off. After all, her beau and her father were both in the military. And the were all stationed at St Helena.

Carolina Augusta Grant and William Downer later returned  to the Isle of Wight. The show up in  two Census records there in the 1800' s. The have their grandchild, Carolina 9 years old, registered in the earlier record as a resident of the household with them. Does anyone know who s child she was?

Carolina Augusta and William had 7 children together.
One of their sons. was Francis Edward Downer, my great great grandfather, Francis Edward Downer was born and baptised in Westmeath, Co. Killdare, Ireland 1866. He was the second youngest.

Carolina Augusta Grant and William Grant died in St Mary' s Langham, Lexden, Essex. She in 1904. He on March 31, 1901.

I m interested in knowing more about Charles Grant and Louisa Palmer. Beyond their link as parents of Carolina Augusta and the fact that he was in the Marines and was a tailor and schoolmaster and she a schoolmistress, I know nothing.

RayWhit  would you please forward me any records you received for Charles Grant and Louisa Palmer like Census records, Military discharges, marriage records etc.,

Glad to know I have family. Not yet sure who and where you all, where you are or how we re related but I m just starting to figure this all out.I d love to hear from you and know you better. !

By the way, does anyone know where Philips Tower was ? One of Carolina Augusta Grant and William Downer s daughters as baptised there.

Season s Greetings to you all out there. It s snowing like heck here. We re far from St Helena.!!! Who' s in Montreal? I m in Quebec City. We ll have to figure out where we stand relative wise. Lol!


Offline jenbrie

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 01 December 16 22:25 GMT (UK) »
Great find! RayWhit and all others interested. Here s a record I found for Charles Grant, Louisa Grant ( nee Palmer) and their lovely family.!

William Richard Grant was a great uncle of mine  if  I m not mistaken. Yes RayWhit, he was indeed born at St Helena!

His birth is recorded as well as all the other children born to  Charles Grant and Louisa Grant.

https://www.geni.com/people/Charles-Grant/000000003577607598

As for the  9 year old grand child I enquired about in my last post, also named Carolina, who was registered as a resident of William Downer and Carolina Augusta Grant s household when they  returned from St Helena to the Isle of Wight....well, I believe that I have found who she was. Her parents were Frances Sarah Grant and Joseph Martin.

Frances Sarah Grant was my great great grandmother ' s sister. Another Aunt! She was seemingly born in 1844 at St Helena as well.

Frances Sarah Grant married Joseph Martin. He was in the military. He was born in Bedwin, Whiltshire in 1839. They had five children altogher. Carolina was born in 1871 at Gibralter.Her siblings born in Belfast, Malta and ...Hong Kong! Seems like the military took the to different outposts.

Now I know where my "itchy for traveling" feet come from!!! The Grants and the Downers were so and their children too!


Offline raywhit1942

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Re: St Helena: Grant family circa 1850's
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 04 December 16 21:03 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jenbrie

Interested to find another fellow "Grant Explorer!

My connection to the Grant family is via my 2gAunt Alice Whitcomb 1858-1941 who married one of Charles Grants’ sons, a William Richard Grant 1850-1904.

My information mainly deals with this branch of the family, but I have some more general "Tree's .

Yes, you are correct in identifying the strong military connections and subsequent travels of various  family members. My Alice &  William Richard started their family in Bermuda, then Ireland & the UK.
William Richard was in the Royal Engineers’ submarine mining section, they were responsible for protecting the Royal Navy’s shore establishments - dock yards etc upto 1900. Mainly they laid mine fields to protect the harbour approaches.

I would be pleased to send you copies of my data, But there seems to be no private message facility??



NAMES: Whitcombe, Styles, Bostock, Beelen