Harry USHER

[fullscott]

SORRY GUYS - I must be getting tired! I think this belongs with its following page (Harry Usher, married 1915). There is no mystery.

In the last 100 or so pages of the USH section (WO 363, what Anc****y calls 'WW1 Service Records') there are odd bits of paper that have not been indexed and are all out of order (although they have been numbered in pencil - the following is 1395).

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the name (probably an USHER or USHERWOOD) that matches the following information:

Male; born St Lukes, HARROGATE, Yorkshire, 17 July 1891; Scar right knee & right arm; made it through WW1 (looking for employment in Harrogate).

Source: Anc****y, USH, page 3630

If this mystery is solved, perhaps some kind moderator could change the title and move it to 'Strays'?

[valg]

Harrogate came under Knaresborough registration checking the July-Sept births for Usher/Usherwood
1 Henry Usher

[Heather]

This is purely bizarre!! I have hunted for years for a mysterious "Lady Usherwood" who would have been born in the 1770's at a guess in England. My husband's gggrandfather went to Jamaica, West Indies and according to a handwritten family tree by his grandmother, Wilkin Cooper was married to a Lady Usherwood and the word Dover came into it, but not sure if that is where they lived, sailed from or was the name of an estate.

Another thought is that Grandma was just being polite, didn't know her first name and referred to her as a Lady instead of a Male.

If any of the above rings a bell, let me know. Oh, and we suspect that Wilkin Cooper, b. ca 1777 came from Norfolk. But purely a guess.

Thanks......

[Sue Mackay]

Jane, I have changed the title and moved it to Strays, just in case anyone is looking for the Harry Usher record

[fullscott]

Thanks Sue.

WELL DONE valg! Yes, it was Henry/Harry Usher - and at least it gives his exact date of birth. I think his papers were pulled out and numerated because he appears to have been awarded a DSM - although there are no details of why.

Heather - several of the Usherwoods in the records appear to be "toffs", but I didn't see any titles (and no females, of course, apart from mothers & sisters)

Jane

[fullscott]

Having revisited WO 363, there are almost 50 pages of records for this man. Sadly, he is not one of my Ushers, but for anyone lucky enough to be a descendant:

Henry USHER, known as Harry. Born 17 July 1891, St Luke's, Harrogate. Father: James Robert. Mother: Tamar(?). Married Mabel MISSELDINE, 1915. Daughter EUNICE born 1917. Awarded DCM January 1916 (details in London Gazette, 11 Jan 1916).

Anc****y, USH, pages 3616 to 3665

[usherj1]

Hello,

Harry Usher, son of James Robert Usher, is a distant cousin of mine; I am also aware of relatively close family in the UK through Harry's brother Ernest.

This is my first time on this site so some of the references cited are unfamiliar. I would be very interested in the "50 pages" on Harry. Where or how might I access those documents? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Jeremy Usher

[christanel]

Hello Jeremy, welcome to Brit-Gen

The WO363 records are held by The National Archives (TNA) you can read about them
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/r...rafter1913.htm

The ancestry site that TNA refer to is a pay per view site but is also in some public libraries for use by members. They do also offer a 14 free trial but you have to give them your credit card number so if you do take the offer remember to cancel a couple of days before the 14 days run out or you will be charged.

Christanel

[fullscott]

Hello Jeremy

If you can access Ancestry, the best way to find Harry is:
1 - hit "Search" on the grey bar at the top of the page. This will produce a drop-down list.
2 - hit "Military". The page will change.
3 - scroll down the page. On the right/hand side there is the heading "Featured data collections". Hit "British Army WW1 Service Records, 1914-1920". The page will change.
4 - on the right of the page, there is the heading "Browse this collection". Use the drop-downs to read U, US, USH. This will take you to page 1 (of 3718) of the USH section (a John Usher who has been mis-indexed as Frederick)
5 - Change the page/image number to 3616, hit "Go" ... and you should find the start of Harry's records.

Sorry if this is telling you what you already know! I am just so pleased that my hours of cataloguing WO 363 is paying off and I've been able to reunite one of these boys with their family!

Jane