Genealogy Forum UK

I am wondering if anyone has an advice on how to pursue my search about the following:

My great-great grandmother Amelia Eliza Hanson was born in Perozpore, India on 9th Nov 1847. Her parents were Henry Hanson (at the time a sergeant in the Fifty Third Regiment of Infantry with the British Army) and Sarah... My 'brickwall' is finding out who Sarah was. As she has a British name I am assuming that she is NOT Indian and that Amelia's parents were married in England before being stationed in India with the army.

After a LONG search I finally found a index of birth registration for Amelia which arrived in the mail today. I hoped and hoped that it would have her mother's maiden name, but alas no luck. Parents are listed as Henry and Sarah Hanson.

I have tried searching BMD records for Henry and Sarahs marriage but I don't know when it was exactly. I searched from the record start date in 1837 to Amelia's birth in 1847 and got about 8 results but I dont know how to reduce the number of matches and I cant afford to order all of the certificates to try and match it. I am guessing it is one of the 1845 entries, perhaps the Yorkshire one, but im not prepared to order certs without a better idea at this stage... maybe in the future.

This is what else I already know about the family

Henry was born abt 1822 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. He was a sergeant in the British army and is listed later as a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London on Amelia's marriage certificate. The 1861 and 1871 census has him remarried to a lady named Catherine who was blind. They had 2 more children, one born in the East Indies like Amelia but 10 years later and one born after that in England.

Sarah: absolutely nothing, no dob, dod, anything, just her first name from Amelia's birth and marriage certificates.

Amelia: Married in 1873 in Gloustershire to Alfred Polkinhorn. Marriage cert states her place of residence as the Tower of London (I assume her father had lodgings there with his family as he was working there, rather than her being a prisoner! ) She died in 1916 in Canada (this lady got around) of cancer of the liver. The informant for her death registry listed mother and father as unknown.

Any suggestions? I also haven't been able to find anything on Henry's parents so maybe if someone has access to parish registers for Doncaster, Yorkshire his birth entry might have leads. From memory I tried to get Henry's military records but had no luck with this either. I cant remember if it was because the records had been destroyed or just that I needed to go to London to look at them.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Amy from Oz

Wonder if James & Harriet or even Fanny are somehow related
1861
5 Gt Russel Street, Birmingham
James Mould 52 - Pawn broker - b Birmingham
Harriet Mould 51 - b Cheshire Chester
Amelia E Hanson 13 - Boarder - b East Indies British Subject, Foingpour
Fanny Wilson 15 - Visitor - b Chickester, Sussex

Extracted
JAMES MOULD
Marriages:
Spouse: HARRIET MILE
Marriage: 25 DEC 1845 Saint Thomas, Portsmouth, Hampshire

Have you found Henry on the 41?

Did you order all the GRO Regimental Birth Certificates. (Army Births and Baptism AB91)

Three were three issued. One or more will be baptism/christening records.

They are

Regimental Birth HANSON AMELIA 53rd Ferozepore 1847 Vol:18 Page:35
Regimental Birth HANSON AMELIA 53rd Ferozepore 1847 Vol:825 Page:9
Regimental Birth HANSON AMELIA E 53rd Ferozepore 1847 Vol:18 Page:32


Are these also Henry's?

Regimental Birth HANSON ERNEST M 53rd Aldershot 1862 Vol:826 Page:6
Regimental Birth HANSON HENRY K 53rd Calcutta 1856 Vol:826 Page:2
Regimental Birth HANSON WILLIAM H 53rd Rawalpindee 1851 Vol:18 Page:51

Any idea what religion Henry was?

There are a few baptism entries in the Non Conformist registers.

Thanks for the replies.

I just had a quick look for Henry on the 1841 census but there are 12 returns and no way to work out which one he was because I dont know any of his relatives before he was married. The only clue is that he was born in Yorkshire but that is still 6 or so entrys. They just cant make it easy for us can they

I didnt see those other army registrations. I will have to look into that more.

Not sure about religion but that would probably be on his military records if there was some way to access them. I have one of Amelia's son's military records which states the son was Church of England but thats the best lead I have.

amy wrote:Thanks for the replies.

I just had a quick look for Henry on the 1841 census but there are 12 returns and no way to work out which one he was because I dont know any of his relatives before he was married. The only clue is that he was born in Yorkshire but that is still 6 or so entrys. They just cant make it easy for us can they

I didnt see those other army registrations. I will have to look into that more.

Not sure about religion but that would probably be on his military records if there was some way to access them. I have one of Amelia's son's military records which states the son was Church of England but thats the best lead I have.

The 1861 and 1871 census has him remarried to a lady named Catherine who was blind. They had 2 more children, one born in the East Indies like Amelia but 10 years later and one born after that in England.


have you this marriage cert?

amy who were the witnesses on his marriage cert ?

amelia mother maiden name not on birth cert ?

Hi Peter,

I dont have either of the marriage certs because I dont have dates of marriage so very hard to search for them, and no Amelia's mothers maiden name isn't on the birth certificate, it just states Henry and Sarah Hanson (it is an army registration from India so missing some information).

That is why it is worth getting the other certificates. When they issue more than one yuo can be almost 100% certain that one of them will be the baptism record.

Is this still a Brickwall, or have you solved it?

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