Maddie I would love to have the Blacksmith James as my Great great grand father and part of me holds out a tiny strand of hope still. However, with both the enlistment details and the death details matching so well it is difficult to hold on to such a hope. Just to remind you George enlisted in the 34th foot (Cumberland) Regiment on 10th May at Westminster aged 22 years and 8 months. The eight months I must admit was a ditto. It states born in Rickmansworth, 5ft 4ins height. Other than that there is no further personal details of his that has actually survived. I have his record re where he went during his army career and when he was discharged from the army in 1877, without a pension. His death age 39 matches perfectly also, if he were born later in the year 1848. The 1881 census on the other hand does not match exactly whereas it does confirm born in Rickmansworth. The burial place in Rickmansworth, Chorleywood Road Cemetery, for George and his daughter Margaret Phyllis are in separate places of unconsecrated ground. Not sure if it was because it was a government funded (burial board) type of burial, or whether even George (senior) was also not considered worthy. This may be because he was not C/E in the first place or because he may have converted to catholic or even the very fact that he married a catholic. I suppose it could also be that he was just from the poorer classes therefore didn't warrant a consecrated burial ground. I had a look again at familysearch.org and I must say they have tried to simplify searching. The George that I was looking at was christened in Elstley Cambridge with father James and Sarah mother. The 1844 George would have been too old I can see that now, even if they did wait a few years before christening the child. Well putting that George aside does anyone know what happened to the George born in Wargrave in 1848 father James (who I believe died later in 1848 leaving a will), and mother Elizabeth nee Withers.
