Alias all his life

[Bevolson]

Thanks
That explains it
Bev

[helachau]

FindmyPast Baptisms (images)

1838, December 23rd, Ellen, daughter of Robert Perry (sic), Sergeant in the 77th Regiment, of Ellen his wife, born 20 Nov 1838, on this day baptized by me .........(?) Chaplain of the forces.

1841, August 21 Jane, daughter of Robert Pirrie, Colour Sergeant in the 77th Regiment, of Ellen his wife, born 21st day of August 1841, was on this same day privately baptised by me ......(?)

This entry is endorsed with an additional note -
1842 Jan 21st Publicly received into the Church this day by me .......(?)

A private baptism often indicates the infant is unlikely to survive.

Unable to make out Chaplain's name. The format "received into the Church" is the procedure where the child survives.

[Jomot1]

Please can you explain what ‘attested’ means.
What is the significance of being discharged by the regimental board in New castle, Jamaica.
What is their role in the scheme of things?

Attested basically means signed up. The regimental board review his service and conduct, and approve his pension.

According to the website jamaicanfamilysearch, the 29th were in Jamaica in 1871 so had possibly just begun arriving when Robert's discharge & pension were approved, but Robert will have remained in Canada, where I believe they were last posted.

[helachau]

Tracking the 77th via newspapers of the time

Exeter Flying Post, 3 Mar 1842
THE ARMY - the 77th regt. of foot have left Malta for Corfu.
Bev mentions sailing for Corfu about 3 years after Ellen's birth.

Exeter Flying Post, 8 Sep 1842
The service companies of the 19th regt. proceed from Malta to the Ionian Islands to relieve the 77th regt., ordered to the West Indies...

Hampshire Telegraph, 13 Mar 1843
The Resistance, troop ship, Commander Patey, was at Gibraltar on the 25th ult, waiting an Easterly wind to proceed to the West Indies, having the 77th regt. on board

Naval and Military Gazette & Weekly Chronicle of the United Service, 13 May 1843
JAMAICA
March 29th -The 77th are to relieve the 82nd at Marcon Town, Falmouth and Lucca ....
March 31st - Arrived the Resistance troopship, with the 77th regt., 30 days from Gibraltar.

Note -there appear to be 2 Robert Pirrie/Perrie/Perry in the 77th at this period.

[helachau]

Note -there appear to be 2 Robert Pirrie/Perrie/Perry in the 77th at this period.

Correction - I confused the Census date of the 19yr old at St Woollos. Took it as 1841, not 1851.

[helachau]

Forces War Records has

Worldwide Army Index 1841
Robert Perrie, Colour Sergeant, Service Number, 251, Malta, 77th Regt of Foot, arch. ref WO12/8178. This "fits" with the 1838 and 1841 births/baptisms Ellen and Jane

[Jomot1]

From Robert Perrie's discharge document, he served in the following countries:
West Indies - 4 months
North America - 2 Yrs 4 months
Mediterranean, Turkey & Crimea - 2 yrs 4 months
Australia & East Indies - 3 years 9 months
Malta - 2 yrs 1 month
Canada - 2 yrs 5 months
West Indies - 9 months

His medals were listed as Crimea 1854 3 clasps Alma,Inkerman, Sevastapol, and the Turkish Medal

[helachau]

From Robert Perrie's discharge document, he served in the following countries:
West Indies - 4 months
North America - 2 Yrs 4 months
Mediterranean, Turkey & Crimea - 2 yrs 4 months
Australia & East Indies - 3 years 9 months
Malta - 2 yrs 1 month
Canada - 2 yrs 5 months
West Indies - 9 months

His medals were listed as Crimea 1854 3 clasps Alma,Inkerman, Sevastapol, and the Turkish Medal

Sadly, the "Age" column has been hijacked to record Regiment. However the "Place of Birth" column is completed - Wigan Lancs. This "fits" with the 1851 and 1861 Census finds (born 1832 - 1836) of Robert Pirrie/Perrie, Private. As such would rule him out as Ellen and Jane's father.

[Bevolson]

Oh that is really good
Thankyou

[Jomot1]

I'm finding the style of the OP’s postings rather difficult to follow so cant quite work out what’s known and what isn’t, but the OP's tree on Ancestry shows that 5 children were baptised 21 Dec 1886 at Kumara, New Zealand, with the parents recorded as Sydney & Ellen Merewether of Piper's Flat, Stafford. Birth dates as follows:
15 Aug 1867 - John
21 May 1872 - Charles
10 Nov 1874 - Emma
28 Jul 1877 - Martha
7 Nov 1880 – Eva
According to the tree there was also a Mary Ann born 1869

The tree seems to be short on information between 1851 and the 1880’s, but there is an interesting notice in the NSW Police Gazette 18 Apr 1861, as follows:
“Information is requested respecting Philip Sydney Garrett Mereweather who, when last heard of, was mining at Fryer’s Creek in 1853”

I wonder who was looking for him!
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...le%2F252045844

So he was known as Merewether when he first arrived in NZ and when he was mining in Victoria, but by the time of the children’s births back in NZ was using Murray, although I can only find registrations for Mary Anne in 1869 and Charles in 1872.