Sappers and Miners early 1800s

[Ozzy73]

Hello All
This will probably be the first of many posts asking questions relating to my military forebears who I have been researching for many years.
This one relates to William Shore of Devon, his details are online on FMP (pension discharge 1819). He was given the funds when discharged to transport his family (wife and six children) to Plymouth. His daughter Sophia is my forebear, she married in 1844 in Plymouth and in censuses she claims to have been born in Woolwich c1818. In census of 1851 I have found William living with her and her husband (although I think his name is mis-transcribed as William Thorn a pensioner.) I have not been able to find Sophia's baptism at all nor his marriage or any information regarding his other 5 children in Woolwich or in Devon in years of searching.
I have found a couple of 'Shore' males living nearby in 1851 who claim to be born in Newfoundland/Canada but I cannot prove a link between them and William.
Does anybody know where information/records are where I could find information regarding this family ie baptisms and marriage?
Also does anybody know how I can find out where William served? The peninsular or North America? Unlike infantry units the whereabouts of individual groups of Sappers and Miners are difficult to trace.
Sorry about the length of post.

[Pam Downes]

Hello Ozzy73,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

And never apologise for

Sorry about the length of post.

The more information you can give us the better.
And in fact I could have done with a little more, as I can't find William's pension discharge on FMP. Exactly which dataset is it in?

I presume this is daughter Sophia in 1851
HO107/1879 folio 196 page 13
parish of St Andrew, Plymouth
Samuel Hallett, 27, mason, Plymouth
Sophia, wife, 31, Woolwich,
Elizabeth, daur, 6, Plymouth
Selina, daur, 2, Plymouth
Edwin, son, 6 months, Plymouth
Orlando, father, widower, 77, pensioner, Yeovil
George, brother, 18, Plymouth
Edmond, brother, 16, Plymouth
William Thorn, father in law, 65, pensioner, Samford Courtenay (should be spelt Sampford)
Elizabeth Thorn, wife, 68, Topsham Devon
Mary J Martin, 17, tailoress, Plymouth
Sophia Martin, servt, 9, Plymouth

1861
RG9/1439 folio 32 page 58
Parish of St Andrew, Plymouth
William Thore (sic), 74, sapper and miner, South Tawton
Elizth, wife, 77, lace maker, Topsham

With Sopha Hallett, and her husband and family living next door.

I've seen S and T for that time period mistranscribed (and by very experienced transcribers) so I would think you're correct in assuming that William Thorn/Thore is your William.

Think this might be William and associated family members in 1841. Might also explain the Martins in the 1851 household.
HO107/269 book 3 folio 5 page 5
Civil parish of St Andrew
William Shore, 55, labourer
Elizabeth, 55,
William, 30, rope maker
(same house, another household)
Mary Ann Martin, 30, washing woman
Sarah Martin, 11,
Mary Martin, 7,
Elizabeth Martin, 2,
Sophia Martin, 4 months
(same house, another household)
James Shore, 20, mason
Elizabeth Shore, 20,
Elizabeth Shore, 1
All except James born in county

(Remember ages in the 1841 census for people over the age of 15 were rounded-down to the nearest number ending in 0 or 5. e.g. if someone was actually 57, their age was recorded as 55. If they were actually 53, they were recorded as 50.)

Pam

[helachau]

A very warm welcome to Brit-gen.

He's there (FMP) under birth year 1786, year (attestation) 1807, birth town "Oakhampton (sic)"?

There's a baptism (FMP image) in Courtney Sampford (not far from South Tawton/Okehampton) of a William Shore, base born son of Mary on 9 April 1786

[Ozzy73]

Hello Pam
Thanks for your reply. You have the correct William. The other response to my post has found the correct person on FMP- the William Shore of South Tawton bn 1786(although he was in fact baptized in Sampford Courtney.)
I have yet to find any marriage for William despite searching for years in Devon Parishes and using the Devon marriage index (I am a member of the FHS) additionally to this I have not been able to find any baptisms for his children. So.....
The reason why I want to find out where he served may provide information as to a search area for his marriage and baptisms of children- Canada? Spain? Portugal? Elsewhere in the British Isles?
The Orlando Hallett you have found in the census served in the Royal Scots in the Peninsular and at Waterloo leading to the finding of abundant information online and at TNA.
I have the same issue with another ancestor who served with the 14th foot (inability to find marriage) but that's another story.

Adam