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  1. #1
    chadwbe
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    Default Highlander in Corfu

    Hi-
    I am looking for records on James Murray, per family history a sergeant with the Seaforth Highlanders, who travelled to Corfu with his wife and died there. I don't have date of birth or place of birth, although he was married in 1853 in Ardesier, Inverness. He is mentioned in one letter as having died from scarlet fever, and in another letter as having been found floating in the bay with his throat cut. I can find no sergeant listed who died in 1854 (he is supposed to have never seen his son, James Murray, who was born in Corfu in Nov 1864). Was there actual fighting in Corfu or would this be a non-combat death either way? Also, would there be records of the wife if any money was paid her on his death?
    Thanks for any help!

  2. #2
    Name well known on Brit-Gen
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    Are your dates correct? James MURRAY died 1854 without seeing his son born 1864?

    I cannot dee a birth or death records on the GRO Indices for British Army or National born/died overseas

    Too many James MURRAY army records both FMP

    I am not very good with National Archives but did find this listing

    https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...h=r&_rv=simple

  3. #3
    chadwbe
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    Thank you , will look at the listing. 1864 is a typo, sorry, James Murray the son was born in Corfu in Nov 1854.

  4. #4
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    I stand to be corrected about Scottish regiments but my information is that the Seaforth Highlanders were not formed until 1881 (from the 72nd and 78th) so I have trouble following the question. What's the source?

    Where and where was James Murray born?

  5. #5
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    This site seems to indicate the existence of the Seaforth Highlanders prior to 1881

    As does the now closed auction of the painting below

    Artist:
    William Gawin Herdman (British, 1805–1882)
    Title: A view of Edinburgh with citizens and soldiers of the Seaforth Highlanders, 1854–1854

    The National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...72&_rv=default
    gives some more information but I am now getting confused.
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  6. #6
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    The note on that page bears out my understanding. If you were writing a history of the Seaforth Highlanders you would obviously include the 72nd and 78th regiments. My point is - would contemporary records of 1854 or thereabouts show "Seaforth Highlanders"? I think not.

  7. #7

    Default

    According to the website of their Association's Nottingham Branch HERE, the regiment traces its history back to the raising of the 78th Highland Regiment in 1778, but they didn't take on the name "Seaforth Highlanders until 1881. They were also known as the Ross-shire Buffs and the Duke of Albany's.
    Sadly the table doesn't show where they were in the 1850s when they would have been known as 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders).

    I wonder whether an archivist somewhere is taking shortcuts and putting all files under their most recent name.

  8. #8

    Default

    PS According to the 72nd's page on Wikipedia, they were in Ireland in 1854, Malta in 1855 , they then headed for the Crimea in the same year.
    The Regiments did take a limited number of wives with them, usually to do the laundry, cook and to other "female tasks". However, I've never checked to see whether this was also true when the Regiment headed for a war zone - the laundry would still need to be done, of course. Or what happened to such overseas families if they couldn't go on the next journey.
    Most of what I know comes from going through pay slips - part of the pay of married soldiers was paid to whoever was registered as their wife, and the children also had to be listed. It might be worth looking for the 72nd's pay records - I found the Border Regimental records (just the original payslips recording wives & kids) in the National Archives of Scotland, now National Records of Scotland. Their catalogue is HERE.

  9. #9
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    I found some more in the "Regiments" archive. It suggests that Seaforth Highland Regiment was the original name of the 72nd which was then dropped and later reinstated.

    The web site doesn't put either the 72nd or the 78th in Corfu in 1854 -

    72nd

    1853 Nova Scotia: Halifax
    1854. at sea
    1854.10.12 Ireland
    1854.12.14 at sea
    1855.01 Malta

    78th

    1842 India: Sciude
    1857.01 Persia

  10. #10

    Default

    Is this the James Murray who married Grace Fraser on 4 April 1853 in Ardersier, Inverness? It helps if people provide useful info such as spouse, sibling or children's names, where known, especially if there's a common name involved.

    Have you looked at the original entry in the Church register, or just the transcription? The original should confirm his rank and regiment, but you'll need to go to Scotland's People for that. See the General Scottish forum for info on SP.

    There is an 1861 census entry for Grace Murray, b abt 1836 in Tomintoul, Banf, resident in Ardersier, Inverness, dressmaker and Head of Household. Her son James's birth is given as abt 1855, Corfu, Ionian islands.

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