This gentleman is the brick wall I most want to raze to rubble but even after 8yrs I have probably only just loosened some mortar but at the same time probably added another layer of bricks! So if you have some spare time and fancy a challenge I'd be very grateful for some fresh eyes - mine are jaded.
The family returned from Australia on 30 September 1896 on the Austral. Mr & Mrs C R Pigott, J S Pigott 13, Four children and 1 infant. which accounts for all the births of the children they had before leaving for Australia and the ones they had in Australia apart from the illusive Nathaniel - whose birth is a mystery.
Nathaniel first pops up in the 1901 census.
The 1901 census record reference is RG13 Piece 800 Folio 52 Page 16 and he is shown as son born in Bega NSW Australia - but his birth has already been searched for in Australia and not been found - all his siblings who were born there births have been found and he wasn't with them on the ship.
Then along comes the 1911 census
The 1911 census record reference in RG14 Piece 4374 Registration District 59 Household Schedule 68. It shows 8 living children - all found and accounted for and 3 deceased children - 2 accounted for so GUESSING the third is Nathaniel but no record of his death in the UK can be found. The family lived in Whitstable in Kent so the registration area is Blean.
I came across a medal sold 28 March 2012 by Dix Noonan and Webb - the listing had Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (5456 Pte. M. Pigott, 2nd Dragoon Gds.) some edge bruising to reverse, very fine £90-120. I contacted the QDG archives and they confirmed the soldier with that number was a Nathaniel M Pigott and provided the following information.
Thank you for your request for information on the above named soldier. This has been a long and difficult search with I am afraid very poor results. (see below). This record will be kept alive and if any new information arrives we will inform you.
PRIVATE NATAHNIEL M PIGOTT 5456 QUEENS BAYS (2ND DRAGOON GUARDS)
Enlisted c1901 possibly Aldershot
Records searched:
1901 Barrack census dated 31st March 1901 Aldershot. (He does not appear on this roll).
1901 Barrack census for 3rd Station Hospital Wellington Lines Aldershot (He does not appear on this roll)
1901 South Africa Medal roll. He appears as a Private on this roll entitled to the South Africa Medal with 4 clasps Cape Colony: Orange Free State: Transvaal: SA02 Location of medal not known.
1901-02 List of casualties for the Boer War (He does not appear on this list)
WW1 1914 Star Roll. (He does not appear on this list)
On-Line Records at findmypast and ancestry. Apart from his entry on the SA medal roll no records could be found.
When the peace treaty was signed to end the war in SA the Queens Bays moved to Middleburgh where they spent the next 5 years on occupation duties. They returned to London (Hounslow) in 1908.
In 1910 they moved to Aldershot, Hampshire where they stayed until embarking for France & Flanders in 1914
In all this he was allegedly born in 1889 so he would've somewhere between 12 -14 when he was in the QDG and fighting in the Boer war. Not necessarily impossible I know.
I'm fast beginning to think he was an unofficial adopted son which if that is the case I probably don't have any chance of finding out who he really was - but do we think it is safe to assume he had died by 1911 as he appears to be included in the number of children of the family and possibly died in South Africa - in which case why is there no record of his death in QDG archives?.
The 10 family children are as follows:
Shreeve John Paynton Pigott b 26 Feb 1883 Canterbury Kent UK d 2 Nov 1956 Guildford Surrey England
Amelia Grace Mary Pigott b 1886 B'ham UK d 1963 UK
Ralph Pigott b 1888 Jellet NSW Australia d 25 Sept 1916 France
Augusta Claudia Pigott b 9 Jul 1891 Picton NSW Australia d 1979 UK
Cecilia Ann Maud Pigott b 9 Sept 1894 Picton NSW Australia d 1958 UK
Launcelot Pouncey Pigott b 8 Feb 1896 Picton NSW Australia d 1958 UK
Henriette Marguerite Piggot b&d 1897 Kent UK
Richard Barrington Pigott b 11 Jan 1899 Kent UK d 21 Dec 1916 France
Charles Judd Pigott b 1905 d 1906 Kent UK
Rosemary Agnes Pigott b 1907 Kent UK d 1919 Kent UK
Nathaniel would've been born between Ralph and Augusta.
The family returned from Australia on 30 September 1896 on the Austral. Mr & Mrs C R Pigott, J S Pigott 13, Four children and 1 infant. which accounts for all the births of the children they had before leaving for Australia and the ones they had in Australia apart from the illusive Nathaniel - whose birth is a mystery.
Nathaniel first pops up in the 1901 census.
The 1901 census record reference is RG13 Piece 800 Folio 52 Page 16 and he is shown as son born in Bega NSW Australia - but his birth has already been searched for in Australia and not been found - all his siblings who were born there births have been found and he wasn't with them on the ship.
Then along comes the 1911 census
The 1911 census record reference in RG14 Piece 4374 Registration District 59 Household Schedule 68. It shows 8 living children - all found and accounted for and 3 deceased children - 2 accounted for so GUESSING the third is Nathaniel but no record of his death in the UK can be found. The family lived in Whitstable in Kent so the registration area is Blean.
I came across a medal sold 28 March 2012 by Dix Noonan and Webb - the listing had Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (5456 Pte. M. Pigott, 2nd Dragoon Gds.) some edge bruising to reverse, very fine £90-120. I contacted the QDG archives and they confirmed the soldier with that number was a Nathaniel M Pigott and provided the following information.
Thank you for your request for information on the above named soldier. This has been a long and difficult search with I am afraid very poor results. (see below). This record will be kept alive and if any new information arrives we will inform you.
PRIVATE NATAHNIEL M PIGOTT 5456 QUEENS BAYS (2ND DRAGOON GUARDS)
Enlisted c1901 possibly Aldershot
Records searched:
1901 Barrack census dated 31st March 1901 Aldershot. (He does not appear on this roll).
1901 Barrack census for 3rd Station Hospital Wellington Lines Aldershot (He does not appear on this roll)
1901 South Africa Medal roll. He appears as a Private on this roll entitled to the South Africa Medal with 4 clasps Cape Colony: Orange Free State: Transvaal: SA02 Location of medal not known.
1901-02 List of casualties for the Boer War (He does not appear on this list)
WW1 1914 Star Roll. (He does not appear on this list)
On-Line Records at findmypast and ancestry. Apart from his entry on the SA medal roll no records could be found.
When the peace treaty was signed to end the war in SA the Queens Bays moved to Middleburgh where they spent the next 5 years on occupation duties. They returned to London (Hounslow) in 1908.
In 1910 they moved to Aldershot, Hampshire where they stayed until embarking for France & Flanders in 1914
In all this he was allegedly born in 1889 so he would've somewhere between 12 -14 when he was in the QDG and fighting in the Boer war. Not necessarily impossible I know.
I'm fast beginning to think he was an unofficial adopted son which if that is the case I probably don't have any chance of finding out who he really was - but do we think it is safe to assume he had died by 1911 as he appears to be included in the number of children of the family and possibly died in South Africa - in which case why is there no record of his death in QDG archives?.
The 10 family children are as follows:
Shreeve John Paynton Pigott b 26 Feb 1883 Canterbury Kent UK d 2 Nov 1956 Guildford Surrey England
Amelia Grace Mary Pigott b 1886 B'ham UK d 1963 UK
Ralph Pigott b 1888 Jellet NSW Australia d 25 Sept 1916 France
Augusta Claudia Pigott b 9 Jul 1891 Picton NSW Australia d 1979 UK
Cecilia Ann Maud Pigott b 9 Sept 1894 Picton NSW Australia d 1958 UK
Launcelot Pouncey Pigott b 8 Feb 1896 Picton NSW Australia d 1958 UK
Henriette Marguerite Piggot b&d 1897 Kent UK
Richard Barrington Pigott b 11 Jan 1899 Kent UK d 21 Dec 1916 France
Charles Judd Pigott b 1905 d 1906 Kent UK
Rosemary Agnes Pigott b 1907 Kent UK d 1919 Kent UK
Nathaniel would've been born between Ralph and Augusta.
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