Looking for RM Lt. Geo Wm HARRIS joined 1813

[bamagirl]

Bear with me. This is my first post asking for research assistance...

My Gr-Gr-Gr-Grandfather was George William HARRIS. He and wife, Jane, and their children immigrated from England to Upper Canada in July, 1833.

• From his 1833 land petition we get that he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Marines and that he joined Dec 28, 1813. No location given other than he is a native of England.
• On the passenger list to New York he is listed age 42 in 1833 would make his year of birth about 1791. So in late 1813 he would have been about 22.
• In a book called A List of the Officers of the Army and of the Corps of Royal Marines (found in Google books) in 1821 2nd Lieut. George William Harris is on a list of officers on half pay... does this mean he was "invalided"?
• In December, 1822 he married Jane Travers in Ringwood, Hampshire. Their first child was christened in Ringwood in 1824.... this from index on FamilySearch.
• From the 1850 land petition of his son, Frederick Harris, we find out George died intestate about sixteen years earlier (1834) from injuries after an accidental fall from his horse.

I'm interested in finding out more about George's military service, why was he on half pay, etc. and also hope that his military records will document where he is from.

I've been looking at The National Archives (UK) site. In 1815 there are a half dozen or so listings for applications to the Royal Greenwich Hospital that include the name George Harris. Is it usual for there to be multiple entries for one person... or is it more likely that each listing is a different guy?

Ancestry (US) has profiles for George and Jane, but the "facts" are not sourced, so I'm trying to piece things together for myself. If you do find pertinent info, I would appreciate a heads up about where the data resides.

There. How was that? Did I do that correctly?
Thanks,
Barb

[Coromandel]

There. How was that? Did I do that correctly?

That was posted perfectly, Barb.

Just to bump this back up to the top of the list while we wait for a Royal Marines expert to come along, have you had a look at The National Archives' guide to researching Royal Marines officers?

[bamagirl]

Thanks for the bump, Coromandel.

Yes, I did look at the link, and no, he's not there via that search.

I did put in a request for the 1813 records giving his name, that date and his approximate DOB, but they suggested I come visit Kew or hire someone to do the research.

I found another book of Officers from 1831 where he is listed as attaining his rank on Dec 28, 1813 and being put on "reserve half-pay" on Sept 1, 1814. So that's some progress anyway.

I'll keep pecking away at it... to quote one of my favorite movie lines "We must endeavor to persevere."

Regards,
Barb

[barbara lee]

Hi Barb

While not the expert on the Marines that we all hope will come along, I have a suggestion for the "reserve half-pay" business. During the Napoleonic Wars, the armed forces were built up. There were plenty of commissions available for eager young gentlemen. But after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the forces were reduced. To save money, un-needed officers were put on the reserves at half-pay. They were basically unemployed, their careers were stalled, and they kept hoping for another war so that they could go back to full pay and have a chance of further promotion.

In a certain kind of historical novel, the half-pay officer appears frequently, sometimes as a hopeful suitor for the heiress, sometimes as the villain or a hanger-on, but rarely as the hero.

Barbara

[bamagirl]

Thanks, Barbara, for that additional background information.

I have two ancestors who were on half-pay and took the land grant pension in Upper Canada. The other was a Captain in the Royal Navy and listed as "invalided."

I was into historical novels before I became addicted to genealogy research. I think I might revisit them now with this new perspective. "Rarely the hero" - I need an emoticon for a pouty sigh.

Thanks, again.
Barb