harfin
02-02-2008, 8:56 AM
I posted the following yesterday in the forum "Rest of the World" but now think this may well be the best spot for my query.
Does anyone know if & where births, marriages or deaths of UK personnel serving in colonial administrations would / should have been registered in the latter part of the 19th century.
The reason I ask is that I am attempting to "flesh-out" the career of John Greenwood Atkinson (JGA) who was my sister-in-law's great grandfather. Now I have looked on Findmypast site at the overseas registrations and have been unable to find any records that could relate to him.
JGA's career is a bit hazy. Transcripts of letters from his father state that around JGA was in the army. 1958 in the 96th regiment then on the outbreak of war with Russia he went with the 34th Regiment to the Crimea. In April 1859 he joined the (then) new Commissariat Staff Corps, was promoted to sergeant at Aldershot and in October volunteered to serve in China (Opium Wars) and left in charge of six corporals on 4th November 1859. Neil1821 in another thread under Military - General was kind enough to look up the Opium Wars Medal List that he has access to but, as ever, JGA is an elusive so-and-so!
The same letters also show that on 1st May 1861 JGA left China for Mauritius. Whether he was then still in the CSC or not we don't know for sure, but we do know that he did serve in the British administration in Mauritius for quite a number of years. He was apparently Station Master at one stage, and he described himself as a retired Deputy District Commissioner on the 1901 census (post his retirement and return to the UK).
Whilst in Mauritius he married (at least!) twice and had two children that we know of (and have Mauritius sourced birth certificates for). We know from experience that finding and getting documentation from Mauritius is extremely difficult.
We do have copies of a number of documents dating from his days in Mauritius, including a recently arrived copy of a shipping manifest which shows JGA returning on leave to the UK in 1884 with 3 younger Atkinson's :
Hannah Atkinson aged 20
C. Atkinson (a girl it states) aged 15
G. Atkinson (a boy it states) aged 9No.3 could be one of his two known sons (V.M.J. Atkinson born 1st March 1975). His other known son, John W. Atkinson had been in the UK since at least 1881. It is certainly conceivable (no pun intended!) that JGA could have had more children than just the two we know of.
I guess that JGA's fellow passengers could also have been returning UK relations who had been visiting him in Mauritius.
I would be most grateful for the input of others.
Alan
Does anyone know if & where births, marriages or deaths of UK personnel serving in colonial administrations would / should have been registered in the latter part of the 19th century.
The reason I ask is that I am attempting to "flesh-out" the career of John Greenwood Atkinson (JGA) who was my sister-in-law's great grandfather. Now I have looked on Findmypast site at the overseas registrations and have been unable to find any records that could relate to him.
JGA's career is a bit hazy. Transcripts of letters from his father state that around JGA was in the army. 1958 in the 96th regiment then on the outbreak of war with Russia he went with the 34th Regiment to the Crimea. In April 1859 he joined the (then) new Commissariat Staff Corps, was promoted to sergeant at Aldershot and in October volunteered to serve in China (Opium Wars) and left in charge of six corporals on 4th November 1859. Neil1821 in another thread under Military - General was kind enough to look up the Opium Wars Medal List that he has access to but, as ever, JGA is an elusive so-and-so!
The same letters also show that on 1st May 1861 JGA left China for Mauritius. Whether he was then still in the CSC or not we don't know for sure, but we do know that he did serve in the British administration in Mauritius for quite a number of years. He was apparently Station Master at one stage, and he described himself as a retired Deputy District Commissioner on the 1901 census (post his retirement and return to the UK).
Whilst in Mauritius he married (at least!) twice and had two children that we know of (and have Mauritius sourced birth certificates for). We know from experience that finding and getting documentation from Mauritius is extremely difficult.
We do have copies of a number of documents dating from his days in Mauritius, including a recently arrived copy of a shipping manifest which shows JGA returning on leave to the UK in 1884 with 3 younger Atkinson's :
Hannah Atkinson aged 20
C. Atkinson (a girl it states) aged 15
G. Atkinson (a boy it states) aged 9No.3 could be one of his two known sons (V.M.J. Atkinson born 1st March 1975). His other known son, John W. Atkinson had been in the UK since at least 1881. It is certainly conceivable (no pun intended!) that JGA could have had more children than just the two we know of.
I guess that JGA's fellow passengers could also have been returning UK relations who had been visiting him in Mauritius.
I would be most grateful for the input of others.
Alan