Soldier ancestor early 1800's

[km1971]

I think the NA Catalogue is down today. Try tomorrow. You should enter their name in the Catalogue and look for entries in Series WO97. These are surviving records in Kew for men discharged up to 1854, and is the only information available online before WW1. If you get a hit you can send off for copies from the microfilm.

If you have his regiment you should always be able to find him in the Muster Books and Pay Lists (WO12). But these are original documents so you will have to visit Kew. His visit entry may tell you where he was born. If not you should start with the parish records for where he enlisted. But you should also look at the Sergeants and see where they were, as they may have been out recruiting.

If you are lucky the Succession and Description Book may survive (in WO25). This gives a physical description and parish of birth, age and trade on enlistment. It was recorded in case they deserted.

Ken

[elaineinUSA]

Ken,

Thank you for all this information.  When I get on the NA site I end up going round in circles.

Elaine

[km1971]

Hi Elaine

What exactly are you looking for?

ken

[elaineinUSA]

I am looking for a John Benn born in Ireland 1842.
I have him with the 26th Reg in the Channel Islands in 1851 census
But he had a child born in Wales in Dec 1851 and the certificate was signed by the Depot 54 Reg of Foot
  I have not yet tried the muster books.  But I live in Maine USA so it is proving difficult.

Elaine

[km1971]

Hi Elaine

Can you look at your dates. He could not have a child born in 1851 if he was born in 1842.

Ken

[Valda]

Hi Elaine

The National Archives has nearly a thousand years of records stored on over 50 miles of shelving. The online catlogue

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp

has an electronic catalogue which covers about 10 million records where you can search by name. In relative terms this is a drop in the ocean as far as the total amount of TNA records is concerned. It is necessary to visit or employ a researcher for most TNA records. To understand how the surviving deposited government records 'work' the most useful section of TNA website is the research guides.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp

e.g.

British Army: Useful Sources for Tracing Soldiers
British Army: Muster Rolls and Pay Lists, c1730-1898
British Army: Soldiers' Discharge Papers, 1760-1913
British Army: Soldiers' Pensions, 1702-1913


The John Benn born Ireland on the Channel Islands 1851 census was aged 27. He was in 26 regiment of foot - the Cameronian regiment. The 54th regiment was the West Norfolk regiment. How do you know this was the same man?

Regards

Valda

[elaineinUSA]

Kim1971 , Valda

Kim , sorry a typo, he was born in 1824.
Valda,  In the 1851 census in the Channel Islands, his wife Mary and 2 eldest children were also in the Channel Islands, but you have a good point, I did assume that the John in the census was my John, but I could be wrong.
I do not know why the children had birth certificates from the 54th.  It looks as though they were all made out at the same time, after the 1851 birth  of Catherine in Wales, they have the same page # and the certificate #s are sequential.  But I can't find John with the 54th.
I have Mary and her two eldest children in Dalgety Fife in 1861, but no trace of John until the 1871 census.
I have been grasping at straws with this, and could be way of base. 
Thank you for all the information.  This is certainly a learning experience.

Elaine

[caimein]

I have the attestation papers for a Joseph Bowyer(born Onecote c1797). He joined the Royal Marines in 1811. The papers were signed in Macclesfield.
My Joseph was also from Onecote , however, I don't know how this Joseph is related.