The above named chap is my long term brick wall.
He evaded all census except the 1841 where he was born "out of county" and was living in Great Baddow, Essex.
He was a bellringer of note in the area (?anywhere before) and there is still a plaque to him in Gt. Baddow St. Mary the Virgin ringing chamber (it is possible to check out bellringers and I have found nothing except from G. Baddow Church).
Occupation Military ?83rd Foot (pretty much ruled out although I have an old document giving the date of him joining which cannot be true as they had been disbanded by that date into the Aberdeen Militia and the Loyal Lincoln Volunteers - it is now the Royal Irish Rifles and they say if he fought in Lord Hill's Column, which he said he did, he was not in the 2nd btn of that regt - he was certainly in Lincs (Stamford) in 1797), 81st Foot (a real possibility but they didn't serve in Salamanca and he says he did - in fact he was wounded there)
Married x 2:
1. Elizabeth Jocelyn b 1771 Felstead, Stebbing, Essex - d 1813 Gt. Baddow, Essex
Married 19 April 1795 age 24 (by Banns - both otp) in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire - have entry and have checked witnesses to no avail.
7 children - the oldest Robert Joslin Rowland was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire (All Saints baptism) in 1797 - have copy of original entry.
2. Hannah Mabbs b 24.1.1802 Billericay, Essex (age 13 on marriage i.e. younger than than James' 2 oldest children)
Married 19.10.1815 at St. Mary's Church, Great Baddow, Essex - witnesses: Robert Foster and Mary Rowland (Mary is probably James' eldest daughter b 1801) - not sure about Robert Foster or who he is.
Hannah died in Renfrewshire, Scotland on 11.10.1873 (have copy of her obituary from Greenock Adv 16.10.1873 and she is shown as "Annah Mabbs widow of James Rowland Tailor of Gt. Baddow, Essed" so it is definitely her.
6 children with James Rowland. Hannah and James had 6 children and James pre-deceased her dying in 1846.
All children from both wives have been found and researched - all males were military and mostly tailors - all military records are held - no clues to James Rowland among them.
I suppose my question is - can anyone point me in the right direction to find James. There is an entry on FMP which shows a James Rowland joining 81st Regt of Foot ?year and beside it says refer to Wales and Hereford???? - he is transferring from the Loyal Lincs Volunteers 6th btn. These records are held at TNA to which I have no wish ever to return and it does involve going there and searching microfilm. The museum of the 81st foot have records from the Napoleonic era but unless I am paying £20 per hour for a search and/or visiting and searching myself for which the price is the same, I am unlikely to be able to find out more from them.
James does not appear to be a Chelsea or Kilmainham Pensioner.
Sue
He evaded all census except the 1841 where he was born "out of county" and was living in Great Baddow, Essex.
He was a bellringer of note in the area (?anywhere before) and there is still a plaque to him in Gt. Baddow St. Mary the Virgin ringing chamber (it is possible to check out bellringers and I have found nothing except from G. Baddow Church).
Occupation Military ?83rd Foot (pretty much ruled out although I have an old document giving the date of him joining which cannot be true as they had been disbanded by that date into the Aberdeen Militia and the Loyal Lincoln Volunteers - it is now the Royal Irish Rifles and they say if he fought in Lord Hill's Column, which he said he did, he was not in the 2nd btn of that regt - he was certainly in Lincs (Stamford) in 1797), 81st Foot (a real possibility but they didn't serve in Salamanca and he says he did - in fact he was wounded there)
Married x 2:
1. Elizabeth Jocelyn b 1771 Felstead, Stebbing, Essex - d 1813 Gt. Baddow, Essex
Married 19 April 1795 age 24 (by Banns - both otp) in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire - have entry and have checked witnesses to no avail.
7 children - the oldest Robert Joslin Rowland was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire (All Saints baptism) in 1797 - have copy of original entry.
2. Hannah Mabbs b 24.1.1802 Billericay, Essex (age 13 on marriage i.e. younger than than James' 2 oldest children)
Married 19.10.1815 at St. Mary's Church, Great Baddow, Essex - witnesses: Robert Foster and Mary Rowland (Mary is probably James' eldest daughter b 1801) - not sure about Robert Foster or who he is.
Hannah died in Renfrewshire, Scotland on 11.10.1873 (have copy of her obituary from Greenock Adv 16.10.1873 and she is shown as "Annah Mabbs widow of James Rowland Tailor of Gt. Baddow, Essed" so it is definitely her.
6 children with James Rowland. Hannah and James had 6 children and James pre-deceased her dying in 1846.
All children from both wives have been found and researched - all males were military and mostly tailors - all military records are held - no clues to James Rowland among them.
I suppose my question is - can anyone point me in the right direction to find James. There is an entry on FMP which shows a James Rowland joining 81st Regt of Foot ?year and beside it says refer to Wales and Hereford???? - he is transferring from the Loyal Lincs Volunteers 6th btn. These records are held at TNA to which I have no wish ever to return and it does involve going there and searching microfilm. The museum of the 81st foot have records from the Napoleonic era but unless I am paying £20 per hour for a search and/or visiting and searching myself for which the price is the same, I am unlikely to be able to find out more from them.
James does not appear to be a Chelsea or Kilmainham Pensioner.
Sue
Comment