Joseph Edgar, 76th Regiment of Foot

[Bitzer1]

I would appreciate any help finding more information about Private Joseph Edgar, 76th Regiment of Foot.  Edgar married Anne Bunker Richardson in East Stonehouse, Devon in 1844.  Their daughter Theodora Eliza Edgar was baptised twice: 1) 3 Dec 1853 St. Margaret, Rochester, Kent 2) 28 June 1857 St. Nicholas, Rochester, Kent.  Ann Bunker Edgar married William Eades 25 Dec 1858 at St Nicholas Deptford, so I assume Private Joseph Edgar had died before then.

[TreeDigger]

I found a Private Joseph Edgar with the 76th Regiment Of Foot on Corfu, Ionian Islands (now Greece) & Malta in the period 01/01/1851-31/03/1851.

National Archives ref. WO 12/8226, record set British Army, Worldwide Index 1851.

TD

[ShaunJ]

That 1851 record provides his service number (1957). I can't see anything else for him.

[TreeDigger]

I've dug around some more and couldn't find anything either. The only thing I found is a possible timeline for Joseph Edgar.

The 76th returned from a campaign in Canada in 1842, was deployed that year to Wales, and then to Corfu (1848), Malta (1850) and New Brunswick in 1853, all seemingly without returning home in between. It then went home again in Sept 1857.

This timeline neatly ties in with Joseph's marriage to Ann Bunker in 1844, and assuming Private Edgar did not form part of the headquarter division that sailed for New Brunswick but instead went back to England with another division, this solidly places Joseph back on English soil in time to father Theodora, baptized in Dec. 1853.

However, I sincerely doubt the same child was baptized twice. In other words, I suspect they had two daughters named Theodora Elizabeth, the second one baptized in June 1857. As the records themselves make no mention of Joseph being deceased at the time of his daughter's baptism, the period of his death can be narrowed down to between June 1857 and December 1858.

TD

[Bitzer1]

Many thanks TD and ShaunJ for your help and replies.  Tracking the regiment's movements was very interesting.  Baptising the child twice does seem unusual.  However, I have not found a death for Theodora Eliza Edgar born in 1853.  An 18 year old Theodora E Edgar, born Brompton, Kent which is the right location, also appears in the 1871 census as a live in general servant.  I wonder if the father missed the first baptism through service aboard, and so they arranged a second at a different church when he was back, which seems to fit with his regiment's movements. 

[Bitzer1]

I am struggling to find out more about Joseph Edgar, who might also have been known as Joseph James Edgar.  His father was George Edgar, but I have not been able to find them in a census as father and son, or Joseph's wife (married 1844 in East Stonehouse, Devon) Ann Bunker Edgar in the 1851 census.