Trees 24, 28, 91 merged Sept 2020
May 2012
Thirza Gotts of Dorset appears in the 1891 census aged 70 widow, in Greenwich with her daughter Edith F (Frances), born 1875 in Lewisham. Edith married in 1896 in Brighton to ?? Miller.
There is an entry in 1881 which has some matches, but not all:
4 Woode Buildings, Greenwich:
● Thomas Galls, Mar, 64, born in Bengal, East Indies
● Thirsa Galls Mar, 60, laundress born in Bridport, Dorset
● Frances GITTS grand-daughter, aged 6 F born in Lewisham, Kent.
We now know that Thirza married Thomas 1266 in 1866 in Greenwich. This is part of tree 024.
Thanks to Zena Muth and Caroline Lower for helping to sort this out.
Zena Muth now has details of the birth of Thomas 1266 in Bengal in 1816 from the British Library Family History database. Further details are being sought from the manuscripts. Tracy Anderson has found William & Mary in Lakenham when Thomas’s sister Harriett was baptised.
October 2013
From William 1733’s discharge papers we know he was born in St Helens, Norwich, about 1787 based on his age at attestation
- He enlisted at Norwich in 1805
- He was discharged from the 24th Regt Of Dragoons as a Sergeant on 8 June 1819
- He served as a Sergeant for 2 years & 150 days, Corporal 2 yrs 7 days, Private 10 yrs 269 days, + 15 days as sergeant 25 May-8 June 1819 at the end of his service, was in East or West Indies for 11 yrs & 80 days
- Although he signed on for unlimited service he was demobbed because of 'Reduction', which is presumably not becoming too infirm for the duties, but reduction/ disbanding of the whole regiment
- The papers include a description to avoid mis-use: age 33, five feet 6 inches tall, brown hair grey eyes swarthy complexion, glazier by trade.
For his 11 years service in India he received a bonus of half-pay extra, making his retirement pension 6d a day, or 10/3/3d paid on quarter days. This extra 15 days a Sergeant at the end bears out my thoughts that he went from private to corporal then sergeant, and at some point was demoted (probably around 1815), and reinstated at demob to Sergeant.
There is also an Out-Pensioner record showing he was going to live in Walsham and gives his reference number as 36620. though this could be Chelsea Hospital's reference.
Unfortunately there is no Service Record or Medical Record, which would show where he went, why he was demoted and the ailments he had sustained, however we can see what the regiment was involved in by clicking here:
Sept 2020
Ian Gotts of Kings Lynn has managed to link together these three trees into one. Finding out what happened to many of the children has proved difficult, and taking the tree back further is another challenge.