Northamptonshire Regiment 1898

[stevetewk65]

Edna? They called her 'Kitty' apparently - so my dad says. I dont have her birth cert but I know she died of TB aged about 21.

[Stebie9173]

Edna Kate Pearsall seems to have been referred to as Kate on the passenger list on return from Jamaica so Kitty makes sense.

Then again my great-uncle Arthur Brooksbank (who served with the Pearsalls out in India with 1st battalion) had a wife everyone knew as "Kit" - and her name was Harriet....


Edna's death certificate reference:

Name: Edna K Pearsall
Death Registration Month/Year: 1928
Age at death (estimated): 20
Registration district: Kidderminster
Inferred County: Worcestershire
Volume: 6c
Page: 63



Steve.

[forester]

The apparent lack of 1891 census entry for Thomas Senior and resident family is getting to me. I have tried every combination I can think of for the younger girls, but total blank.

Anyone any ideas?
Is it possible that they went abroad?

To answer your original question Steve, we really need to fill in a few gaps between 1890 and 1898.

I had a look through some of the online directories for Staffordshire last night and found a couple of entries for the family, not that they help.

In the 1896 Kelly's, Thomas Senior is confirmed as Sergeant-Major, drill instructor to the Stafford Volunteers. His address is probably Brook House, Sandon Road.

In the 1904 Kelly's, Miss E. E. Pearsall, (Evelyn Esther) is a Cookery teacher at the County Technical School.

Phil

[stevetewk65]

More jigsaw pieces Phil.

I'm going to visit my friend in Groombridge in two weeks time so I thought I would write a letter to the Earl at Buckhurst Estate. Maybe if I make my letter appealing enough he might invite me to visit, show me old employee, visitor records and I can discover which Humber worked there and why TPH visited..!

[Stebie9173]

The 1880s and 1890s period is rather mysterious. I assume from the MI epitath that Thomas Senior was in the UK for the 12 years he served with the Stafford Volunteers. One could presume that that was from his return home, and possible discharge in the early 1880s, but the mention of his award of the "silver medal" for meritorious service in 1890 states him as "late Northamptonshire Regiment" which would probably be a little too distant from 1890 if he left them in the early 1880s...

I'm not really sure how rare thirty years service was in the Army at that point, but (perhaps coincidentally) 30 years service from age 18 (about 1858) would take him up to 1888-ish (just about right to be noted as "late Northamptonshire Regiment") and another 12 years in the Volunteers on that would take him up to 1900, and his death. Perhaps, that is fitting the story into the gaps a bit to much!!


Steve.

[Stebie9173]

I've double checked the Warley Barracks census pages for 1891 and Thomas Senior and family are not there - he should have been discharged by then, though.



Evelyn Esther Pearsall appears to have married Henry Edward Armstong in 1904 at Aston (Jul-Aug-Sep quarter) - Volume: 6d - Page: 577. She appears on the 1911 Census at Lanchester, Durham, age 32.



Steve.

[Stebie9173]

I'd like to revise my guess on filling in the gaps in Thomas Pearsall (Seniors) career with the 48th Regiment:



No. 390, Thomas Pearsall (Senior), 48th Regiment, 1859 to 1886

Enlisted at Liverpool on 22nd March 1859, aged 18 years.
Enlisted by Sgt. William Smith, 58th Foot (later 2nd Northamptons).
Received £3 Enlistment Bounty.
A Labourer at the time of enlistment. 5’ 7” tall, fresh complexion, grey eyes, light brown hair.
Born at Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
A member of No. 12 Company per Records.

India – 1860 to 1865

To India on 5th January 1860
At Luckapore (Uttar Pradesh) in 1861
Lucknow (Utta Pradesh, Northern India) in 1862
Promoted Corporal on 15th October 1862
Arrived at Dum Dum (Calcutta) on 7th January 1864
To {Can’t read} on 28th February 1864
Promoted to Corporal on 1st August 1864

England – 1865 to 1867

The whole of the 48th embarked home via the Cape (Suez Canal incomplete) aboard the Patrician on 1st January 1865
In hospital with diarrhoea on board ship from 16th February 1865 to 28th February 1865
Arrived back in the UK on 2nd June 1865 (per Records – incorrect date)
Arrived in the UK on 6th April 1865 (per Regimental History)
Arrived at Shorncliffe on 6th April 1865
Appointed Colour Sergeant on 1st August 1865
Arrived at Aldershot on 21st June 1866
Appointed Sergeant Instructor of Musketry on 5th July 1866

Ireland – 1867 to 1868

Arrived at Dublin on 8th April 1867

Marriage to Elizabeth Susannah Potton (on leave ?) on 7th November 1867

Arrived at Fermoy on 8th December 1867

Birth of Elizabeth Lina Pearsall (in Ireland) on 9th March 1868

Re-engaged (having served 9 years and 100 days) on 2nd July 1868

Malta – 1868 to 1872

Embarked to Malta on 2nd October 1868 (All of 48th aboard HMS Crocodile)
Arrived at Malta on 14th October 1868

Birth of Mildred Agatha Mary Pearsall in Malta on 31st January 1870
Birth of Thomas Percival Hutchinson Pearsall at Malta on 14th March 1871

India – 1872 to 1880

Embarked from Malta to India (Suez Canal opened in 1869) on 4th February 1872
Aboard HMS Crocodile arriving at Bombay on 26th February 1872
Arrived at Bellary, India on 4th March 1872

Birth of Sidney James Pearsall in India on 26th February 1873

To “Rawanduroy” (??) on 23rd March 1873
Returned to Bellary on 25th July 1873
To “Rawanduroy” (??)  17th March 1874

Birth of Frederick William Pearsall in India on 30th May 1874

“Proceeded to rejoin” on 24th June 1874
In hospital from 2nd October 1874 to 10th October 1874 with conjunctivitis
Promoted to Sergeant-Major on 19th January 1875
Arrived at Cannanore, 4th December 1875

Birth of Ethel Jane Pearsall in India on 23rd June 1876
Birth of Evelyn Esther Pearsall in India on 11th September 1877

Granted Long Service Good Conduct Medal with Bounty of £5 on 9th August 1878

Birth of Harry Jones Howard Pearsall in India on 12th August 1879

Arrived at Secunderabad on 21st January 1880

Ireland – 1880 to 1884

Arrived back in the UK on 25th November 1880
Arrived at Tipperary on 24th November 1880

Birth of Cyril Charles George Pearsall "at Warley" on 4th February 1881 (possibly in Ireland, unless the family has been left in England whilst Thomas is in Ireland)

The 48th Regiment of Foot becomes the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment on 1st July 1881
Arrived at Curragh Camp on 9th November 1882

England – 1884 to 1886

Arrived at Preston on 1st October 1884
Discharged on 23rd March 1886 having served 27 years and 1 day.

Birth of Gertrude Olive Margaret Pearsall "at Warley" on 26th October 1887 (Birth reg. at Stafford)
Birth of Ivy Winifred Helen Pearsall "at Warley" on 29th January 1890 (Birth reg. at Stafford)

Passed Musketry Instruction Certificate.

Next of kin: Wife, Elizabeth Susannah Potton, married at Great Warley on 7th November 1867



Ok, so I might now have a copy of his records....



Steve.

[Stebie9173]

According to the lists of Long Service Good Conduct Medals 2275 T P H Pearsall was awarded the LSGC Medal as a Quartermaster Sergeant in 1907.


Steve.

[stevetewk65]

That is pretty good going Steve, well done!! I was trying to find time to pull it all together myself but been a bit busy the last week or so.