Educated Guesses - wisdom?

[jorghes]

My general question is about educated guesses and whether or not I can use said educated guess, to break down one of my stranger brick-walls. (or whether or not there is no more knowledge to plunge and he'll be stuck as a brick wall awaiting some kind of DNA breakthrough).

This brick wall concerns my paternal 3x great grandfather – even though I know his name, I have never quite been able to figure out when or where he was born, or anything else linking in with that.

I do know a fair bit about him, which is as follows:

• He was a private in the 79th Cameron Highlanders who saw war at least twice in Crimea and India.
• He is on the 1851 World Wide Army Index (with a mis-transcribed service number) as being in Canada. (Most likely because that particularly entry was a 79th Cameron Highlander)
• He married in 1853, while stationed at Edinburgh Castle, to Jane Forbes. At this point in time, I do not believe they were related. It quite clearly states on the marriage register his position in the Highlanders.
• His only son, James, was born in Portsmouth in 1854, while Henry was stationed at the Cambridge Barracks, I can only presume, right before his father was sent to the Crimea. (I purchased James’ birth register to confirm his parentage).
• His only daughter, Jane, was born in Kent in 1857, while Henry was stationed at Cheriton Barracks.
• He died, according to the Indian Mutiny Medal Rolls, on the 1 May 1858 in India, but not, it seems, in battle. His death is simply recorded as an “aside” on the medal rolls. He does not appear on the Casualty lists for the Indian Mutiny Wars. (In case you’re wondering, his service number was 2214). Neither does he appear as a casualty in the 79th Cameron Highlanders’ campaign book. I have not been able to discover any death register for Henry, neither in records in the UK or the British India records, although I have tried.

Once I accepted his death as listed in the margins of the medal rolls, I soon found his wife on the 1861 census, with only Jane, her daughter living with her, back in Edinburgh. I eventually found James (once I knew of his existence) in an Orphan Home, also in Edinburgh.

Jane Forbes remarried in 1861 to James Hay Shaw. Her and her two children from her first marriage appear together with James Shaw and their children on the 1871 census, and while Jane (daughter) married in 1880 and has moved on, James Forbes is still present in the home with his mother and step-father in the 1881 census.

Jane (mother) had four children with James Hay Shaw, and named them as follows:

• John Hugh Shaw (1862)
• David Forbes Shaw (1864)
• Mary Jane West Shaw (1867)
• Jessie Ford Shaw (1869)

Jane (mother) was born in Edinburgh in 1827 to David Forbes and Jean Ford (presumably Jean’s nickname was “Jessie”). James Shaw was born in 1827 to John Shaw and Jane West. It seems that Jane has followed the tradition of naming children after their grandparents with her second family.

Jane’s daughter with Henry (also Jane), named several of her children after her parents, step-father and grandparents including: Henry Forbes Wright, Jane Forbes Wright, James Hay Shaw Wright, Jessie Ford Wright.


So with all this information, fellow researchers, I ask several questions:

• Is it possible to presume that Jane Forbes (mother) named her eldest two children after their paternal grandparents? Could Henry’s parents therefore be James Forbes and Jane?

What are my options for finding or at least narrowing down the search for Henry?

• He should be in the 1841 census, but as I don’t know his birth date, finding him will be difficult, as I would almost have to check every vaguely possible entry.
• I have checked the 1841 World Wide Army list, and while there are a couple of Henry Forbes’s on the list, none of them seem particularly likely to be him (i.e. none of them are from the 79th Foot!)
• He, unluckily as it is, appears on no other censuses – as he was overseas in 1851, and had died by 1861. (and none with the rest of his family, given their short married life)
• Can there be a presumption that he was from the north, given that he was a Cameron Highlander? I have seen several mentions of a recruiting area in the north, but I am not too familiar with this.
• Would there be any benefits to contacting the Cameron Highlanders museum at Fort George, given that Henry was a private, and not an officer and so far has not appeared in any documentation (other than Medal Rolls) that I have been able to access.
• Is there anything else I can do apart from searching for possible Henrys at Scotlands People using my educated guess of the possibility of a father named James and a mother named Jane?

 

[peter]

Is there anything else I can do

How about a DNA test?

 

[jorghes]

I have been tested, and have tested my father. No likely results at this stage. (Also possibly going to test my grandmother, who is also a descendant)

 

[peter]

I have been tested, and have tested my father. No likely results at this stage. (Also possibly going to test my grandmother, who is also a descendant)

You're much more likely to get some useful matches when your grandmother tests because she's two generations closer to the 'brick wall'. But even so, assuming you tested with Ancestry you should have about 200 matches with cousins who are connected to you via your mystery ancestor.

 

[jorghes]

It is indeed with ancestry, and of course you have to weed through possibles (which I have of course started doing).

Found a maybe, but then I will be hampered by the fact that Henry shared his wife’s surname and I’m still completely unsure where he was born!

 

[peter]

I will be hampered by the fact that Henry shared his wife’s surname

But only on one line - unless they were cousins, which is the first thing to establish. So focus on Jane for now, as if they really were cousins you'll find him most easily that way.

 

[Rhian]

The marriage record in 1853 should be useful, Scottish records tended to give a lot more information than English ones. Not only is the official registration a good start but church records may be available and it is possible that he needed permission to marry from his commanding officer so there may be regimental records as well, the Cameron Highlanders might help there.

Assuming names of parents from those of children can be a risky way to proceed but might give clues that could be confirmed with other evidence. One problem is families often used their own naming patterns, one common method was oldest son named after paternal grandfather, oldest daughter after maternal grandmother. The children of Jane's second marriage show the use of ancestral family names as middle names which will give clues to her parents or grandparents, once you have separated his from hers, again the marriage record for the second marriage should give some clues, often the Scottish record will give the mothers full name.

 

[peter]

Scottish records tended to give a lot more information than English ones

If only they had married two years later, after civil registration began.....

 

[jorghes]

I will definitely go back to Jane, thanks for that suggestion Peter, although I still don't think they're related (or perhaps I'm just hoping they're not related considering I already have some pedigree collapse in that side of the family... to be honest, in my grandmother's ancestry is pretty much all the cousin marriages and pedigree collapse...)

As for the marriage entry - it would be lovely if it was a couple of years later for the better detail as contained in the civil registrations. But for interest sake here is the marriage lines in question, as written in 1853 in the parish of St Cuthbert's. It only really gives information about Jane, as it gives her address, and her father's name and occupation. The only information it gives about Henry is his position and profession. I like the idea about the permission from the Highlanders... I'll go back and look up their contact details at Fort George and try my luck.

Unfortunately neither James nor Jane (the children) have second names, they are simply "James Forbes" and "Jane Forbes" - and even more unfortunately, both born in England, which does not include half the information as Scotland on their registration entries! (if anyone is interested I have both of those too) I suppose I almost take that as a sign that they could be Henry's parents, since James Forbes Forbes might have been a little strange.

And for interest sake in regards to Jane, here is her marriage lines to James Hay Shaw and her death (I think I also found her baptism register as well somewhere, though I'd have to go and have a look for it):

 

[Heather]

If only they had married two years later, after civil registration began.....

How many times have we all said those words Peter, "If only" ?

 

[jorghes]

How many times have we all said those words Peter, "If only" ?

Every single time researching someone who was born prior to civil registration...