Military Pensions

[Arundel]

I am trying to trace the pension records of my GGGrandfather James Halpin. He was born in 1818 and was a Private in the 89th Regiment at the time of his marriage in Dublin in 1851 until around 1855. At that time he was in the North Mayo Militia in Castlebar. In 1861 he enrolled in the 3rd Battalion Connaught Rangers until his discharge in 1868 on the 1st February in Ballina. I obtained a Civil Service Evidence of Age record that he signed in 1877 which he says he is in the North Mayo Militia in Ballina. Any help would be gratefully appreciated. I have been trying to find out when and where he died and seem to have exhausted every avenue except this one.

[km1971]

If you go here - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/step4.htm - and click on " Soldiers pension records, 1702 - 1913" you get the NA research guide for army pensioners. These are all original documents and you or your researcher will have to visit Kew. You will also need a reader's ticket. The pension records should have information about when he died, and there is a good chance it says where his pension was paid.

You obviously have some information already. Can you say where you found the discharge information for example?

There are two projects being undertaken by the Irish government that may help in a year or two. They are putting the 1901 and 1911 census online, and there is also an ongoing project to put BMD indexes online.

Ken