LYDIA YOUNG, born at Wotton-under-Edge, Glos, c1827-9, and CHARLES RABBITTS, born Cloford c1830-1, married at St John's, Frome, on 23 July 1854. Both were then of the parish of Frome (information from Stella Young's website "YOUNG marriages in Frome", http://www.fromeresearch.org.uk/) Lydia was the daughter of JOSIAH YOUNG, weaver, and Charles was the son of JOHN RABBITTS, wheelwright. The witnesses were ANDREW and SARAH YOUNG, who were my great-grandparents (Andrew YOUNG and Sarah MEAD, married at Rodden on Apr 12 1852). Lydia was Andrew Young's elder sister, so she was a great- great-aunt of mine. Charles Rabbitts must have joined the army soon after the marriage and been sent to India, for he was a recipient of the Indian Mutiny Medal (Indian Mutiny Medal Roll 1857-59 at the Friends of British India website). He was a sergeant in the 3rd Battalion the Rifle Brigade and presumably took part in the Relief of Lucknow. I have not found the couple in either 1861 or 71 but the IGI shows that they had a son, JONATHAN STEPHEN RABBITTS, born at Lucknow, West Bengal, India, on 5 Nov 1874 - some 20 years after their marriage and when Lydia must have been in her early 40s. I have found no other children. By 1881 they were back in England and living in Brandy Lane, Frome. Charles was described as an iron founder's labourer and a pensioner of the 40th Regiment and Jonathan S Rabbitts was then aged six. Charles Rabbitts died at Frome in 1885, aged 54, and his widow Lydia must have gone up to Bradford, Yorks, to be near her brother Andrew, who had moved there for work in the 1870s. She appears in Bradford with her son John, then 16, in the 1891 census. Lydia died at Bradford in 1897 and I can find no trace of Jonathan (or John) in either 1901 or 1911. However, the passenger lists at Findmypast of people leaving England between 1890-1960 have a J. S. Rabbitts, single man, joiner, born about 1875, sailing for South Africa aboard the ship GAIKA from Southampton on 20 Aug 1904. I think this was very likely Jonathan Stephen Rabbitts and I wonder whether, with his father being a long-serving professional soldier, he might also have joined the army and been in the Boer War in 1901 (which accounts for many men missing from that census), returned to England and then decided to go back to South Africa? Both YOUNG and RABBITTS were very prolific families at Frome (there were 68 Youngs and 74 Rabbitts, including variants, there in the 1851 census). I have chapter- and-verse on the Youngs and the Meads of Frome, but I am intrigued to know what happened to my distant cousin Jonathan Stephen Rabbitts, the son of Charles and Lydia? Did he die in South Africa, was he married out there and are there any descendants? I've checked out a few South African websites and not found him as yet. I just wondered whether there are any YOUNG and / or RABBITTS researchers here? Given the number of Youngs and Rabbitts at Frome, there surely must be! Many thanks, in hopeful anticipation. With apologies for the length of this message but I always like to spell out in full what I already know. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE

The 3rd Rifle Brigade was formed in April 1855 largely by transferring men from other battalions of the Rifle Brigade. My ancestor CORNELIUS WOODWARD RIPPON #1393 - was also a Sergeant in the 3rd Rifle Brigade and received the Indian Mutiny Medal with clasp for the capture of Lucknow, March 1858. In the medal roll for the Indian General Service Medal 1854 - 1895 it shows he also received the North West Frontier Bar at the same time. This was awarded in 1877 for an action at Shubkuder (Shab Kadr) on January 2nd 1864. The 3rd Rifles took part in the storming of Laloo and the capture of Fort Mulkah and suffered casualties at Cawnpore, Fort Birwa, Sundeela, Nawabgunge and Punno. He married his wife Mary Jane GRAY in Bengal, India in 1866 & in 1868 they returned to Scotland where in due course their children were born. He became a Drill Instructor for the 1st Renfrewshire Volunteer Battn. I obtained so much information from members help on britregiments@yahoogroups.com and they were able to advise me where to find further records and his discharge papers at Kew etc. This may not answer your questions about later years but I found all this info helped me to finally track him also some descendents who confirmed seeing his medals, and cuttings from the local paper in 1908 of his death and funeral. Every little snippet helps. Maureen, Ontario.Ca. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BRISTOL_AND_SOMERSET-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

On 1 Nov 2010 at 14:57, Maureen Carroll wrote: > The 3rd Rifle Brigade was formed in April 1855 largely by transferring > men from other battalions of the Rifle Brigade. > > My ancestor CORNELIUS WOODWARD RIPPON #1393 - was also a Sergeant in > the 3rd Rifle Brigade > and received the Indian Mutiny Medal with clasp for the capture of > Lucknow, > March 1858. > In the medal roll for the Indian General Service Medal 1854 - 1895 it > shows he also received the North West Frontier Bar at the same time. > This was awarded in 1877 for an action at Shubkuder (Shab Kadr) on > January 2nd 1864. > > The 3rd Rifles took part in the storming of Laloo and the capture of > Fort Mulkah and suffered casualties at Cawnpore, Fort Birwa, Sundeela, > Nawabgunge and Punno. He married his wife Mary Jane GRAY in Bengal, > India in 1866 & in 1868 they returned to Scotland where in due course > their children were born. He became a Drill Instructor for the 1st > Renfrewshire Volunteer Battn. > > I obtained so much information from members help on > britregiments@yahoogroups.com and they were able to advise me where to > find further records and his discharge papers at Kew etc. > > This may not answer your questions about later years but I found all > this info helped me to finally track him also some descendents who > confirmed seeing his medals, and cuttings from the local paper in 1908 > of his death and funeral. > > Every little snippet helps. > Indeed it does, Maureen, and I am most grateful for your contribution. The background to the Indian Mutiny is fascinating and until I came across Charles Rabbitts, father of Jonathan, I had no idea that I had a forebear - albeit not a direct ancestor but a sort of great-great-uncle by marriage - involved in it. I will follow up your info re the 3rd Rifle Brigade and see what else I can find on him. I still believe also that there must be a number of YOUNG and RABBITTS researchers out there, considering the extraordinary numbers of people of both names who appear at Frome in the Victorian censuses. If you look at, say, the 1841 and 1851 censuses, you get the impression almost half the town were Youngs and Rabbitts! For example..... 1841 - 92 entries for YOUNG at Frome (including the families of my gt-gt-grandfather JOSIAH YOUNG and his brother JOB YOUNG). 1841 - 72 entries for RABBIT(T)S at Frome (including the aforementioned Charles Rabbitts with parents John and Sarah at Nunney). I am prepared to believe that not all the Youngs were related, since it is a very common surname, but I feel it likely that most, if not all, of the Rabbit(t)s were. Who else is researching these families? -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE