Throwing in my two-pennyworth here, I think that it is a mistake not to check the primary records for something that might have been omitted in a transcription. For example, reference to the India Office Family History Search database shows that when Margaret was baptised at Cawnpore on 23rd December 1813 her father was 'Lt. & Adj., 4th N.I..' So that is something more than just 'Lieut. Hay.' Also, when she married Thomas Sewell, Capt. 11th Regt. N. I. at Calcutta Cathedral on 6th May 1828, her status was 'Under age' and her father was 'J. Maj. 66th N. I.' Unless you look you never know what might be scribbled on a page of a register somewhere. I would have thought that it was also worth checking the bond document held in the BL with the reference Z/O/1/9 No. 5480. Noel

Thank you for this, Noel This bit of additional information you have so kindly passed on to me does indeed conform with the details in Hodson's /Officers of the Bengal Army/, for Peter Martin Hay, who had been posted as Lieut. to the 9th N.I. in 1804, was made Adjt. of the 2nd Light Infantry Battalion in 1809 and was Adjt. of the 1/4th Native Infantry from 21 Sept 1809 until 4 May 1815. What remains confusing, however, is the very fact that she was baptised at Cawnpore on 23rd December, 1813. And I will have to follow your recommendation to have a look at the original record (or at least a microfilm copy of same). If the IGI is to be trusted on this, there should be an additional note there to the effect that she was born on 22 July, 1811. But even assuming that to be correct, there are still a couple of other records that suggest a certain difficulty in her (and even perhaps her father) being present in Cawnpore in December of 1813. The first of these is a statement made by Thomas Ker (or Carr as his name is spelt in the report). Mr. Thomas Ker was the husband of her aunt (and namesake), Margaret Susannah née Hay. And he was testifying before a Sheriff's Court hearing a suit for damages, in which the plaintiff was the then Major Thomas Sewell and estranged husband of his wife's niece. They were divorced in 1842. The following is an excerpt from an article reporting on this, which appeared in the Dec 1st., 1841 edition of /The Times/: /SHERIFFS' COURT, Red Lion-square, Nov./30. (/Before Mr. Under-Sheriff/ Burchell.) sewell, v. farmer.---crim. con. ... Mr. Thomas Carr examined.---I reside in Oxford-terrace, New-road.Mrs. Carr is the aunt of Mrs. Sewell, who is about 32 years of age.Mrs. Sewell was brought up by me.She came from India to England in 1811, when she was a child, and having finished her education in this country she returned with her mother-in-law to India in 1825. .... Unfortunately I have found no record of the child, Miss M. S. Hay travelling on any vessel from India to England between 1811 and 1825. In fact Mr. Thomas Ker (Carr) was mistaken in saying she returned to India with her mother-in-law in 1825. She did not marry Thomas Sewell until 6 May, 1828, /after/ she had actually returned to India with her stepmother in 1826. And there is that bond record (no. 5480 - which you referred to) for the Bengal Presidency (seen on FIBIS) of her ("Miss Marg't S. Hay") being a passenger along with her stepmother ("Mrs. Mary Hay") - the Authority of the Court dated: "3 May 1826" and the bond itself dated: "23 May 1826." So he may well have been equally mistaken about the date 1811 for her arrival in England. The second somewhat inconvenient and puzzling detail is a record (also on FIBIS) of her father ("Lieut. P. Hay 9th Regt. N.I.") having travelled himself from Calcutta in February of 1813 and in the company (presumably) of /another/ child, "Miss Charlotte Hay." It does not say what their destination was. Though some other passengers on the same HC Ship /Castle Huntle/y were bound for St. Helena. I have been quite unable to find any record of Patrick Martin Hay having had a daughter named Charlotte. Just as I have been unable to find the name of Margaret Susannah's mother or what became of her. Of course this passage aboard the good ship /Castle Huntley/ out of Calcutta in February 1813 does not constitute any serious impediment to Lieut. & Adjt. (Patrick Martin) Hay's presence ten months later in Cawnpore for the christening of his /other/(?) daughter Margaret Susannah. But I have found no record of his returning to northern India within that time frame. Though there is a record (on FIBIS) of "Lieut. Hay" having travelled aboard the HC Yacht /Phoenix/ from England via Madras to arrive in Calcutta in August of 1816. And On 04/12/2010 5:19 AM, Noel Clark wrote: > Throwing in my two-pennyworth here, I think that it is a mistake not to > check the primary records for something that might have been omitted in a > transcription. > > For example, reference to the India Office Family History Search database > shows that when Margaret was baptised at Cawnpore on 23rd December 1813 her > father was 'Lt.& Adj., 4th N.I..' So that is something more than just > 'Lieut. Hay.' > > Also, when she married Thomas Sewell, Capt. 11th Regt. N. I. at Calcutta > Cathedral on 6th May 1828, her status was 'Under age' and her father was 'J. > Maj. 66th N. I.' > > Unless you look you never know what might be scribbled on a page of a > register somewhere. > > I would have thought that it was also worth checking the bond document held > in the BL with the reference Z/O/1/9 No. 5480. > > Noel > > ===== India Mailing List ===== > > Families in British India Society: http://www.fibis.org > > > Archives for this list can be found at: > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=INDIA > and at: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/INDIA > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Oops! Sorry, I inadvertently clicked on 'send' instead of 'file' to 'save as draft'. So I did not complete my posting. So I will have to take it up where I left off: "... And —" finish it properly - after I've done what I was going to do when I intended to save it as a draft only. In other words: to be continued.... —and very soon I hope! Robin On 04/12/2010 5:19 AM, Noel Clark wrote: > Throwing in my two-pennyworth here, I think that it is a mistake not to > check the primary records for something that might have been omitted in a > transcription. > > For example, reference to the India Office Family History Search database > shows that when Margaret was baptised at Cawnpore on 23rd December 1813 her > father was 'Lt.& Adj., 4th N.I..' So that is something more than just > 'Lieut. Hay.' > > Also, when she married Thomas Sewell, Capt. 11th Regt. N. I. at Calcutta > Cathedral on 6th May 1828, her status was 'Under age' and her father was 'J. > Maj. 66th N. I.' > > Unless you look you never know what might be scribbled on a page of a > register somewhere. > > I would have thought that it was also worth checking the bond document held > in the BL with the reference Z/O/1/9 No. 5480. > > Noel > > ===== India Mailing List ===== > > Families in British India Society: http://www.fibis.org > > > Archives for this list can be found at: > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=INDIA > and at: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/INDIA > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Hi, My grandfather, William George Christian Cheeseman was born in Surrey in 1889 and joined the Dorset Regiment in 1908. I realise that a lot of records were burnt in the blitz but I am still hoping to find out a bit more, William Cheeseman was a Staff Sargeant Major when he retired about 1935. I have seached Ancestry and The National Archives and have come up with the Medal Index. Does anyone know what it all means or could they suggest where to go next? Medal Index 1914-1920 Dorset Regiment Pte 8602 " " " 0733 Victory C/2/101B3 Page 149 Britis " " 15 Star C/2/2A " 10 Theatre of Warfirst served in 5A) Asia Date of entry therein 6.11.14 Correspondence O/C. No 6. Res Bn Pashan Camp. Kirkee, India submits claims 5.4.19 Many thanks Pat nz