Mysterious half brother #2: Hendry McMun, Galashiels

[killearnan]

Another one of those nagging loose ends......I keep wondering if the next bit more I find about about this mysterious half-brother will completely upset the family tree I've got for the family whose household he shows up in........

Hendry McMun shows up as a half-brother in the household of William Keddie, Ladhope Bank, Galashiels, on the 1851 census.

Hendry is listed as 52 b. in Lanark and a Chelsea Pensioner.

I found the summary of the Kew holdings for Chelsea pensioners that lists him as discharged with pension, aged 42 in 1842. (Kew National Archives WO 97/835/21).

I've looked in later censuses and haven't found him. Nor have I found a death record in Scotland.

What's the easiest way to get the information from the pension record*? Will it provide any greater detail about Hendry?

Based on the tentative outline of families for William Keddie and his wife Mary Brown, I can't figure out where Hendry could possibly fit in the family tree......

Many, many thanks for any ideas on how to proceed!
BJ


*At least without spendingn a fortune? Esp. since I don't know if the pension record will help with more details about him.

[emanday]

Hi BJ,

Have you found the DC's for William Keddie's or his wife's parents?

If any of them married twice the alternate spouses names should be shown. You should be able to get the MC's and progress from there.

[DavidWW]

Since you have the WO97 reference, you can email TNA and ask for an estimate of the cost to provide you with a copy of the papers.

For that early a record it won't be more than a page or two, and shouldn't cost more than approx £10.

There's every chance that the papers will give his age and place of birth, and a physical description.

The WO97 series of records are discharge papers. This record might lead to his pension records in series WO121, which might give you more info, but you'd have to visit Kew or use a professional researcher.

David

PS Where did you get the WO 97/835/21 reference from. - I can't find a Hendry McMun on the TNA online catalogue?
dww

[killearnan]

He's in the Kew catalogue as Henry McMunn. Went to Kew archives, then search archives/catalogue for Henry McMunn in WO97.

I may well get the record, despite the chance of it being scanty. Anything concrete would be more than I have now........

What are the chances that the pension record from that era will list a death date?

Three of the four parents for the brother William Keddie and sister-in-law Mary Brown died before civil registration. The one -- Peter Keddie -- who was courteous enough to live past 1855 doesn't have other spouses listed.

BJ

[emanday]

Three of the four parents for the brother William Keddie and sister-in-law Mary Brown died before civil registration. The one -- Peter Keddie -- who was courteous enough to live past 1855 doesn't have other spouses listed.

Know the feeling Quite a few of mine didn't hang on long enough either The really irritating one is the chap who WAS around for the 1851 census but had "gone off" by the time his daughter got wed in 1855

[DavidWW]

He's in the Kew catalogue as Henry McMunn. Went to Kew archives, then search archives/catalogue for Henry McMunn in WO97.

That makes a difference!

I may well get the record, despite the chance of it being scanty. Anything concrete would be more than I have now........

1842's on the cusp, so to speak, - it might only be a page or two, it might be more (in which case it might cost a bit more).

What are the chances that the pension record from that era will list a death date?

It depends on what has survived. Maybe, maybe not, - it all depends on what extant WO121 records there are, if any.

BTW What's your link with Killearnan?, - mine is Maclennan.

David

[killearnan]

1842's on the cusp, so to speak, - it might only be a page or two, it might be more (in which case it might cost a bit more).

I've gone ahead and ordered an estimate on the copying. I expect I'll go ahead and get the pension file, at which point I'm sure I'll have more questions.

If paying more will get me more information, I'm game

BTW What's your link with Killearnan?, - mine is Maclennan.
David

Turns out.... none. Thought there was at one point, back at the time when I was choosing an on-line name.....since no one else was using it, it seemed like a good idea, but it turned out the family was actually from a different parish and then that they weren't the right family, anyway. Those former ancestors do pop up..... But I was too lazy to choose a different name to use......

BJ

[DavidWW]

....snipped...........I've gone ahead and ordered an estimate on the copying. I expect I'll go ahead and get the pension file, at which point I'm sure I'll have more questions.

If paying more will get me more information, I'm game

...snipped..........

BJ

Don't know if I made it clear or not that NAS will not do research on your behalf, so that the only way to see if there are pension records is a personal visit or using a professional military records researcher. I can recommend one of the latter.

In other words, if you have an exact reference they are happy to give a quote and provide the copies, but that's all !

David

[ninatoo]

I purchased some discharge papers from Kew a couple of years ago, and they were fascinating. They had place of birth, regiment, service record details, conduct, and reason for discharge. It amounted to just two pages photocopied and arrived in a huge envelope with cardboard protecting the pages from being bent, despite them just being photocopies.

The record was found on their online index.

I have not yet proven beyond a doubt that the particular man in the record is MINE, but there is a very good chance he is, so I purchased it.

There is another one there who might also be related which I will purchase in the future as well.

Good luck!

Nina

[Bertha]

I too purchased I record of the person I though maybe my 3 x gr grandfather and on reading it I feel sure he is mine.
Lovely comments on him and reasons why he was discharged
Injured his arm at the Battle of Chippawa Canada.
This didnt confirm he was mine but scribbled at the top was Edinburgh, he was originally from Limavady so this must have been an annotation stating where he was going. I'm very convinced this is my ancestor and wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing again. Money well spent.
Regard
Bertha