McMinn Mystery Deepens...

[Daisy Loo]

It says this: "If you know the county or country in which your soldier was living between 1842 and 1862 for England and Scotland, or between 1842 and 1882 for Ireland and abroad, you may be able to find the regiment fairly easily. Between these dates there are records of payment of pensions, arranged by the district pay offices, which name the regiment served in (WO 22 , and PMG 8 for payments in Hanover). For nearly 9,000 pensioners in India, Canada and South Africa between 1772 and 1899, taken from WO 120/35 , WO 120/69 and WO 120/70 , see N K Crowder, British Army Pensioners Abroad, 1772-1899 (Baltimore, 1995)."

I would say that from at least 1855, til 1869, he was living in Clonmel Ireland, as that was where all his children were.

I think I'm going to call it a night now...gonna have a busy day tomorrow....Nordic blonde? hehehe...I wish!  Dirsty blonde more like...and yes...rumour has it I was the milkmans daughter, as my brother and sister were both dark

[MonicaL]

You and me Marty...must have been the same milkman 

Re the Kircudbright family, not sure how we will verify but I can see bits and pieces on them from general google searches. I have the mother Mary as a Milroy (her birth shows also as Milroy in Kirkmabreck in 1783) and potentially the grandmother as a Margaret Sproat....

But that is for another day!

Night 

Hope your son wakes up much better tomorrow.

[JAP]

Hello All,

After the main thread (now locked), I'd given the MCMINNs a miss - haven't previously posted on this thread.

But got caught up with deciphering handwriting (I like such threads) on the MCMINN thread on the Armed Forces board ...

So I'm back again ...

If I've understood correctly, "our" Alexander was born ca 1807 and, according to his marriage cert, his father was Alexander McMINN a Mason.

Monica has found a few Kirkcudbrightshire McMINN Masons including an Alexander McMINN, a Mason b ca 1786, who could possibly be the father of "our" Alexander.

So it seems that there might be a line of McMINN masons.

*1851 census John McMINN, a Mason in Borgue, 74 (b ca 1777 in Twynholm), with wife Irvine

*1851 census - Alexander McMIN, a Mason in Borgue, 65 (b ca 1786 in Twynholm), with wife Mary
    And Andy found him in 1841 as MILLIN, rounded down age of 50.

Monica also found an 1869 death;
*Mary MCMINN, age 83 (b ca 1786), with parents Alexander MCMINN & --- SPROAT.

*Alexander MCMINN m Margaret SPROAT, 20 Jul 1775, Borgue Kirkcudbrightshire Scotland.

*James McMINN, an Ag Lab, wife Elizabeth, parents Alexander McMINN & Margaret SPROAT, age 65 (b ca 1791), died in Borgue in 1858
    He's transcribed as McMEN in 1841.

There's also:
*William McMEN, rounded down age 50, a Mason in Borgue in 1841
    He turns up as William McMIN, age 60 (b ca 1791 in Twynholm), a Mason in Borgue in 1851.
    William's wife is Margaret, and one of their sons - Samuel 19 - is also a Mason.

I'm still looking.

JAP
PS: I submitted a 'report to moderator' asking that this thread - dealing with England, Ireland, and Scotland as it does - could be returned to the Common Room.

[Daisy Loo]

Good Morning all

Nice to see you again JAP

Not going to have much time to devote in the next couple of days...so apologies now, if I don't say thanks if anyone finds anything!

Little girl was sick last night, and again this morning ...got me hands full I 'ave

Cannot believe we are on the way to find family for Alexander McMinn now ...  would there be any way to prove these connections?

I have posted in another forum entirely regarding the RA questions...hopefully I might get some answers back from them as well

Have a wonderful day all, and hopefully might get on later in eve, ionce kiddies in bed

[MonicaL]

Hi JAP and Marty

Great that you have re-discovered the McMinn mystery again 

I agree with your conclusions on the line of masons from Twynholm and Borgue.

Alexander McMinn, mason = Margaret Sproat, son
Alexander McMinn, mason born c. 1786 = Mary Milroy...potential parents to our Alexander

I found Mary Milroy McMinn's DC last night. She died in 1859, husband's name not shown but daughter Isabella reported the death. Her birth entry shows in 1783 in Kirkmabreck, with parents as per her death entry.

There are some children's births for Alexander and Mary (Milroy) showing on the OPRs but they are later, in the 1820s. Can't see a marriage entry for them as yet though, which would help to at least confirm they were married before the likely birth of Alexander c. 1807/8.

Monica

[Daisy Loo]

Hi...kiddies alseep...housework can wait...

Monica have you read the Armed Forces Post?  Scrimnet & JAP reckon our Alex is a spy  ...

Not something I'll be rushing to tell my in-laws then! 

[Daisy Loo]

Have just had a chat with OH

"Seems like my Alex could have been a spy"
"That's not surprising, they all were back then, sure, he was in the English Army"
"But he married an Irish woman, had kids and baptised them Catholic"
"Hmm, not unusual though, but he would have been hated in Clonmel...where was he living, in Barracks or something?"

Guess that does answer then, why as a pensioner he would have been living in Barracks with his family.

[MonicaL]

So, he was a Rogue from Borgue  ....You have to admit, goes with the profile of the search for him, with so many twists and turns. Still don't get the leap to Sergeant Major though 

[Daisy Loo]

aggggh...have to re-type this now!  RC driving me crazy!

em, what did I say...oh yeah...could be a couple of options, or he was given this rank by promotion or as an empty title to cover his real position as spy, or his kids were ashamed of what he really was...

Gonna have a snooze now, while kids are in land of NOd.