Infantry Soldier

[Muriel]

The above is the description given of John Wallace on his daughter Helen Macadam's death certificate, registered by her son in 1881. He gives John's wife as Mary Downie. There is a Mary Downie (worryingly described as FS) on the 1841 census in Barony, Glasgowwith Helen & her family. She is shown as being 65 & born outside the county. Helen is 35 & born in the county. In subsequent censuses Helen shows herself as being born in Glasgow.

I think this means that John was probably born about 1775 & was presumably a soldier during the Napoleonic wars. As I don't have a regiment or any details of where he was born - or even if he was killed during the wars - can someone tell me if I have any chance of finding him in the records at Kew. I wouldn't have thought that John Wallace was a particularly unusual name.

Muriel

[emanday]

Sorry, I can't help with the Kew question.

However, I think you will find that FS stands for Female Servant. The enumerators were give abbreviations to use for occupations, for example...

FS = Female servant
MS = Male servant
Ag Lab = Agricultural Labourer
HLW = Hand loom weaver

The instructions given for this census can be found here http://www.talkingscot.com/censuses/census-1841.htm including the abbreviations.

[Muriel]

Thats what was worrying me - why would her son-in-law (I'm presuming he's the one who would speak to the enumerator) describe his 65ish year old mother-in-law as a female servant!

Muriel

[emanday]

Muriel,

Back then it is more than possible that she was still working. No retirement pension in those days!

My Great Great Grandmother was still a cleaner in pubs at 72 years old in 1901

P.S. I don't suppose for one minute that he was meaning that she was HIS servant

[DavidWW]

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

I think this means that John was probably born about 1775 & was presumably a soldier during the Napoleonic wars. As I don't have a regiment or any details of where he was born - or even if he was killed during the wars - can someone tell me if I have any chance of finding him in the records at Kew. I wouldn't have thought that John Wallace was a particularly unusual name.

Muriel

More than you would imagine !!

Go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cata ... lt.asp?j=1 and search on "John AND Wallace", and restrict the search to the WO class of records, and look to see which records match his likely year of birth.

David

[Muriel]

Thanks for that link David. I've had a look & come up with 3 possible John Wallaces in the right age bracket - born in Kilmarnock, Dumfries & Minigaff (Newton Stewart) respectively. Now I'll have to decided which, if any, might have been mine! These were all discharged so I'll now have to see if there are any records of those who were killed. All grist to the mill.

Muriel