John Hunter- 21st Regiment of Foot from 1799-1822

[Joycie]

I'm looking for any ideas how to find further information about my 4xgreat grandfather, John Hunter. I have the following-

His christening record from the Old Parish Records in Scotlands People
The regiment he served in from his daughter Helen Hunter's death notice in the Glasgow Herald in 1896 (this was subsequently confirmed by other records)
A transcript of the British Army Regimental Index 1806 on Find my Past
His Army Discharge papers from the National Archives- this says he was eligible for a pension

His Army Discharge papers state he served in Italy, Sicily, Egypt, America and France. His daughter Helen's death registration states her parents were John Hunter- Foot Soldier, and Margaret McQueen. Margaret Hunter (maiden name McQueen) appears on the 1841 census with her daughter Helen and states she is a widow. On various Scottish censuses, Helen states she was born about 1813 'At sea, off the coast of Spain', 'British Subject- Off the coast of Menorca'. This fits with the 21st sailing from Sicily to America.

So, the big question is, how can I find out where John Hunter was married, if he had any children while serving in the army and where he died after being discharged from the army? OK, that's really three questions

I also found a book in the National Library of Scotland written by a Sergeant David Brown from Ayrshire who also served in the same regiment in the same places as John Hunter. He paints a very good picture and writes very well of his experiences so at least I have some idea of the conditions my John Hunter served in. Finding someone else's memoirs helped me so it's good advice for others looking for more information. I discovered it's highly likely my John Hunter marched on Washington and helped burn down the White House in the War of 1812. If nothing else, this family history is certainly doing wonders for improving my knowledge!

Many thanks

Joycie
 

 

[km1971]

Hi Joycie

I have conflicting information about when the 21st Regiment left Europe for America. One says that they left Sicily in February 1814 and spent three months in Genoa before sailing for Bermuda, which was the operating base for attacks on the US. Certainly the wives and children would not have sailed to America as it was a war zone. The 21st were certainly involved in the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24th 1814. Not all troops entered Washington however.

It may be best to buy a copy of this book - http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=11213872870 – this will tell you more, and it will also tell you where the regiment was at the time of the marriage. If however it says that the regiment was split into detachments, then in order to discover where John Hunter was you will have to research the musters in Kew.

I know they arrived in Gosport in June 1805, then spent time in Weymouth, Lewes and Colchester before sailing for Sicily in May 1806. They were in Ireland from 1800. Before that they were in Scotland.

You can also check the overseas/regimental/born at sea indexes on Findmypast. If you get a hit you can order a birth certificate from the UK GRO using the references given in the index.

Do you know when Margaret was born?

Ken

[bowman]

You could download this copy of the same book as a PDF for free from this link,

https://archive.org/details/historicalrecord00clarrich

bowman

[km1971]

Hi Joycie

I have looked at their historical records. The 1st Battalion arrived in Sicily on 26th July 1806. They left for Egypt on 17th May 1807, but were back by October as peace had been concluded with Turkey. The only men near Spain in 1813 was the Grenadier company, but they landed, and as service in Spain was not mentioned, I think you can assume that the daughter was born when they sailed from Genoa on 12th May 1814, as you suspected.

They landed in Gibraltar on the 7th of June. They were only in Gibraltar for four days, and they may have received permission to have the daughter baptised ashore. So worth a post in that section. They did not have a chaplain in this period.

Regarding the attack on Washington, the 21st were the first corps to enter the city. They were fired on by the Americans with 68 killed or wounded. The house from which the ambush took place was the only private property destroyed.

They were also at the battle of New Orleans, where half the battalion were casualties including over 270 taken prisoner. After the peace treaty they sailed to Cork, via the West Indies, Bermuda (presumably to pick up the wives and children) and Portsmouth, arriving June 1815. They later served in the army of occupation in France and Belgium.

Ken