38th Regiment Overseas Army births 1840s/1850s

[Sloe Gin]

Looking at the collections of Army birth registrations on FindMyPast, I can't see any years given.

My GG Grandmother Eliza Roberts was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia c1850.  She married in 1871 and named her father as John Roberts, Soldier, 38th Regiment. I haven't found a birth record for her, but the Worldwide Army Index shows John Roberts serving as a private in the 38th Foot in 1841 and 1851, service no 1886.  So looking at the postings of the 38th, I was hoping to find any possible siblings, but although a few Roberts results come up in the right places there are no dates.  Am I missing something?

It's Eliza's parents I'm trying to track down as they are a long-standing brick wall.  John Roberts isn't listed in the medal or casualty lists for Crimea, and he doesn't show up in the pension records, so is it likely that he died in service before the Crimean War?   If he had left the army and was still alive when Eliza married, I would have expected her to give his civilian occupation.  She didn't say he was deceased, but perhaps the question wasn't asked.

[majm]

I cannot give you an informed answer,  sorry, but I can give a pointer,  which I hope will be useful ....

I had ancestors who came to New South Wales as military escorts on convict transports,  and also as rank and file as part of garrison forces ... in the decades before and after 1840s.

Sometimes the chap would have his wife/children with him,  sometimes he married a lass already in NSW.   

I found the paperchase via monthly musters and payrolls and also in newspaper records and in parish registers particularly for  baptisms (soldier for dad's occupation) ...

The musters/payrolls etc were filmed years ago as part of a joint copying project between the National Archives in England and various funding archives/libraries in Australia. 

War Office records in England .... I realise pointing to those WO files is not much of a clue because they  occupy a vast space,  sorry.

JM

[Sloe Gin]

Thanks.  Yes, I'd need to go to TNA and go through the muster lists looking for his enlistment.  I haven't picked this up for quite a few years now, and since then the indexes of serving soldiers have come out, so it's a case of starting at 1841 and working back, whereas before I'd have had to start at 1850.  So that's something.  Still a lot to go through and I doubt I'll get a chance any time soon.

I'm still looking at possible ways to approach it from a different angle, the search for potential siblings being one idea.

[rosie99]

I have found one I was looking for who was born in Canada in 1847 on those indexes on F M P.  Her father was with 46th Foot

[Sloe Gin]

These are the postings of the 38th:

1836 – 1837  England
1837 – 1840  Ireland
1840 – 1843  Zante, Ionian Isles
1843 – 1845  Gibraltar
1845 – 1848  Jamaica
1848 – 1851  Halifax, Nova Scotia
1851 – 1854  England
1854 – 1857  Crimea

I did order a cert for the only Eliza Roberts birth in Canada some years back, it was 10 years too early but I took a chance in case she had not given her true age.  Wrong place and regiment though.

I have found some Roberts entries for Zante and Gibraltar, but as I said, no years are given in the index.  No regiment details either.  It's a long shot anyway.

[josey]

Have you looked for a John Roberts marriage on the Army returns on F M P?

[josey]

John Roberts isn't listed in the medal or casualty lists for Crimea, and he doesn't show up in the pension records, so is it likely that he died in service before the Crimean War? 

The records may be amongst those destroyed.

[Sloe Gin]

Have you looked for a John Roberts marriage on the Army returns on F M P?

No, I hadn't found those, so will take a look, thanks.

ETA, nothing there that fits time & place.