RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: blodwen on Wednesday 11 February 09 19:33 GMT (UK)
-
Hallo Everyone,
As usual, I am trying to trace the steps of on Benjamin John Jury b. 1821 in Kent.
On two of his children's birth certs. his occupation is: Private 31st Regiment, and all 5 of his children have been born in various towns around theSouth of England.
The first son, Benjamin John was born around 1850 (no birth ref.), d. 1855 in Plumstead, Kent.
I would dearly love to know where the Regiment might have been around 1850.
Thanks for any hint,
Viv
-
http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/time_line/31st/1851_1853.html
-
Wow, thanks Woody32,
now I have to look for a birth in Ireland, me thinks.
At least I have a starting point.
Do you think that his wife could have been with him ?
Viv
-
Another quick question:
Were the 31st Regiment ever in Newfoundland?
I suspect I will find the answer on the website you mentioned. Will look :)
Viv
-
Just looking at 1849-1851: the 31st was in Athlone 1849 and early 1850, then posted to Dublin by April 1850, and from there to Enniskillen in mid-1851.
-
Hallo ShaunJ,
thanks for the information - have noted that and will look around.
Viv
-
Please ignore that last question of mine - Newfoundland does not come into question now :)
Thanks
-
Can I just say that you would get a better response from the Guru's on here if this was posted in the general Armed Forces board! ;D ;D ;D ;D
We don't tend to look on "Resources" as we have most of them at home ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
I have taken the liberty of asking the Mods to move it over to help you out...
In the meantime...
Here they are from 1839 onwards
1839 Afghanistan
1840 India
1845 Sikh war
1846 England
1848 Ireland
1853 Ionian Islands
1855 Crimea
1856 Gozo
1857 Malta
1857 Gibraltar
1858 Cape Colony
1858 India
1860 China (Opium war)
1860 China (Taiping rebellion)
1863 England
1866 Ireland
1867 Malta
1872 Gibraltar
1876 England
1880 Ireland
And I am also presuming that you know that the 31st were The Huntingdonshires originally... ;D
-
Hallo Scrimnet,
that is really kind of you - shows that I have no idea about this theme :)
And yes, I had seen that they were The Huntingdonshires, but it still did not help me much :-\
As I have no army record for him I am at a loss ..... And all his children were born in various places in each Census ???
I am trying to trace his movements ....
Viv
-
One fix for you, he was in the Crimea 1855-56
1181 Pte Benjamin Jury confirmed on roll.
-
But he's not still with them in China in 1860, he's disappeared.
There is though a Sgt George Jury and a Pte James Jury, both in the 31st.
Any connection?
-
Not exactly relevant, but I thought I would let you know I have in my possession the Crimea medal and Sevastopol clasp for a 31st Regt. colleague of your relative, one Pte. James Shaw. They could have been friends, small world.
-
Neil1821,
SUPER, thank you very, very much. At last something to go on ;D ;D ;D
George could be his brother, b. 1828!
Where did you manage to find this information - is there anywhere I could get his army recod, or records for him being a Chelsea Pensioner?
Do I use the number to search for him in the Kew Archives?
Gunner771, you could be right, might have been friends - thank you for that.
Many thanks again to both of you
Viv
-
Hallo there,
I am bring this annoying topic back ;D, because I still do not seem to be getting anywhere in finding any more information about Benjamin Jury's Army records. Have tried the LMA but just keep getting things like "The Grand Jury" etc. and absolutely nothing in the way of records etc.
Does anyone else have a brilliant idea as to what I can do next? All tips and tricks very, very gratefully received.
Otherwise, this one must go into the "not done" category, and I hope I can avoid it.
Hopeful Viv ;D
-
Hi Viv,
I might have found your Benjamin Jury on the 1861 census :), we will need to do some more checks to confirm though. A pensionable service period in the Army at this time would be about 20 years, this would put him leaving the army about 1860 assuming he joined at 18 years of age. A search of the 1861 census shows a Benjamin Jury, born about 1822 in Queensborough, Kent, living in Milford, Hampshire. He is a boarder described as a Chelsea Pensioner, and married although his family are not with him at this address. Let me do a bit more checking and I'll get back to you on a personal message.
Gunner771
-
Hi Gunner771,
Thank you for helping me with this search - I have actually also found Benjamin on the 1861 Census and all other Censuses afterwards.
His family is living at another address in the same town on this Census and they move together for the later Censuses.
I am really interested in his army career (if he had one) and hoping to find his Chelsea Pensioner record or something like that .
Also where his wife and first child were in the 1851 Census (although I do know that this is probably impossible :-\ )
Viv
-
Hi Viv,
This is good :), here is the reference of where you will probably find his service discharge document in the Kew archives. 1855 to 1872, WO97/1494, (Irw to You). They are organized first by regiment then by surname.
These are four page documents compiled by a board of officers just before a soldier is due to be discharged to ensure that all his service details are correct. In it you find details of his enlistment, where when etc. personal details ages, hair, eye and complexion colours. A detailed breakdown of his service, periods in ranks, which regiments served with. It also details service overseas, which countries and how long in these places, as he served in the Crimean war it will detail his medal entitlements for this and any other ones he might have picked up along the way.
The main thing about this document is that it opens up a host of other areas to find information, from this you will know the exact date of his discharge, so you can than look in the Pension books WO117 and see his details there, to be honest this information is taken from the discharge document though, it is still nice to have it. Benjamin will be in either WO117/6 or WO117/7 depending on what year he left.
All you need is to get to Kew or have someone look for you when they are there.
Another record is the Discription book, when a man joined an entry for him was made in this book, it gives all the details of his enlistment, where, when, by whom, occupation, but most importantly a breif description of the individual. These records would be used to aprehend him should he do a runner. From his discharge document you will know when he joined and can use this to find the correct description book.
A much bigger job for you, but something that will give you a month by month check on where he was throughout his whole army service are the Muster rolls, these are records for pay purposes, a list of everyone who was present in a given month, what extra allowances they received or deductions made. To cover his whole career though you will go through dozens of books, most will be boring lists of names, but occasionally there are some real nuggets. I have details of my GGGgD buying shirts, trousers or handkerchiefs from a dead colleagues estate.
Finally for now, from these documents you will know exactly where he was in 1851 although from the list provided by Scrimnet he should be in Ireland, the must records will tell you which place.
I will again send a personal message.
Gunner771.
-
Hi Gunner771,
Thanks again for all this super information ;D, I was getting despondent. You have explained things very well.
Viv
I had been to Kew looking for information about Benjamin but without all this info. I now have. Should be a little easier.