smith family

[albert]

does any one know any thing about the 49th regiment from the year 1800 if so please let me know
albert

[Shona]

Hello, Albert - welcome to the forum.

I hope this helps.

49th Regiment of Foot

1775 to 1778 - American War of Independence
1778 to 1780 - West Indies - Battle of St Lucia
1780 to 1788 - Ireland
1782 - Became known as the 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment
1788 to 1792 - Barbados
1792 to 1796 - Jamaica, but some companies also in Santo Domingo in 1793
1796 to 1798 - England
1799 - Battle of Egmont op Zee, Netherlands
2 April 1801 - Served as marines at the Battle of Copenhagen
1802 to 1814 - Canada
1815 - England, based at Weymouth
1816 - Renamed 49th Princess Charlotte of Wales’s Hertfordshire Regiment
1850s - Amalgamated with the 66th regiment to become to the Royal Berkshire Regiment


The following website has a lot of useful information.

http://49thgrenadiers.com/?page_id=33

[kiterunner]

Wikipedia says that it was 1881 when the 49th Regiment merged with the 66th Berkshire Regiment to form Princess Charlotte of Wales's Berkshire Regiment.

Albert has the marriage certificate of William Smith and Esther Burrows dated 30 May 1880 at Christ Church, Dover, and he is trying to find out more about William Smith. The details on the marriage cert are William Smith, 32, bachelor, Soldier 49th Regt, residence This Parish, father William Smith deceased. The witnesses are George Benham and Isabella Dobb. Esther was born in Dover so the witnesses could be relatives or friends of hers.

On the 1881 census Esther is at 21 New Street, Dover, Kent, with baby son William born Dover and some of her children from previous relationships. Her husband William is not there, presumably away from home with the army.
1881 census on ancestry

Then in 1891 the family are in Hull and William is working on the railways. His birthplace is London on this census and the next one:
1891 census ancestry

1901 census ancestry

and in 1911 his birthplace is Bermondsey, London:
1911 census


So we are trying to find out about William's time in the army and to trace his family back. It might help if we could find his army records - I've been looking through William Smiths on Findmypast but not found the right one yet!

[kiterunner]

I've found a discharge entry on Findmypast for Private William Smith, no 1152, of the 49th Regiment, discharged from the Berkshire Regiment 49th & 66th on the 25th October 1881, cause of discharge "Free". Length of service 16 years and 300 days. Confusingly, Findmypast are showing 25 Oct 1881 as the attestation date on their transcription but that's wrong. He must have joined around 1865 so I will try looking at the service papers again now.

Not found him yet and I'm off to bed. Also he should be in the army at the time of the 1871 census but not sure whether his regiment were in the UK at the time?

[Shona]

Good work.

[kiterunner]

I can't find his service papers on Findmypast.

[albert]

thank you kate for all your help all you have done for me
albert

[kiterunner]

So, William sometimes gives his birthplace as Bermondsey and sometimes as London, Middlesex. And his father was also William, deceased by 1880. I have found a possible family on the censuses if he was born in Bermondsey.

1851:
1851 census on ancestry
35 White's Grounds, Bermondsey
William Smith Head Married 31 Tanner born Bermondsey, Surrey
Mary A Smith Wife Married 30 born Bermondsey, Surrey
Elizabeth Smith Daughter 7 born Bermondsey, Surrey
William Smith Son 2 born Bermondsey, Surrey
Eliza Hawks Sister in Law Unmarried 16 born Bermondsey, Surrey

1861:
1861 census on ancestry
4 Woods Place Court, Bermondsey
William Smith Head Married 43 Skinner Tanner born Bermondsey, Surrey
Mary Anne Smith Wife Married 41 Skin Sewer born Bermondsey, Surrey
Elizabeth Smith Daughter 17 Fur Puller Fur Fac born Bermondsey, Surrey
William Smith Son 12 Ripping Boy Fur Fac born Bermondsey, Surrey
Richard Smith Son 8 Scholar born Bermondsey, Surrey
Mary Ann Smith Daughter 4 born Bermondsey, Surrey
Thomas S Smith Son 2 born Bermondsey, Surrey

1871:
1871 census on ancestry
17 Goulston Buildings, Bermondsey
William Smith Head Married 54 Tanner born Bermondsey
Mary Smith Wife Married 53 born Bermondsey
Richard Smith Son Unmarried 18 Tanner born Bermondsey
Mary Ann Smith Daughter 15 Servant born Bermondsey
Alfred Smith Son 7 Scholar born Bermondsey
Eliza Smith Daughter 3 born Bermondsey

1881:
1881 census on ancestry
20 Kirby Street, Bermondsey
Mary Anne Smith Head Widow 62 Charwoman born Bermondsey, Surrey
Alfred Smith Son Unmarried 16 Boy at Floor Cloth Makers born Bermondsey, Surrey
Eliza Smith Daughter 12 Scholar born Bermondsey, Surrey
Charles Hawks Boarder Widower 67 Laborer Bricklayers born Bermondsey, Surrey

Of course we can't be sure yet that this is your William but it does fit with what we know - he isn't with his parents in 1871 (when your William was in the army) and his father William is dead by 1881. So it could be him.

[Merry]

For what it's worth, when Richard Henry Smith (bachelor) married Eliza Guide (or Gyde) Jennings (spinster) on 24th Feb 1879 at All Saints, Walworth he said his father was dead. Richard described himself and his father as leather dressers. The witnesses were Charles William Smith and Elizabeth Smith. Everyone made their marks. On the 1881 census Richard's birth details match the earlier ones for him Kate posted yesterday and he was still a leather dresser.

I wonder who Charles William Smith was?