Eliza Mary O'meara

[gengrant]

I am trying to find the birth of my Great Grandmother Eliza Mary O'Meara in Chatham Kent abt 1854-1855. Her Father Thomas O'Meara was stationed there with the 18th Regiment of Foot (The Royal Irish Regiment) before heading off to the Crimean War. Eliza married my Great Grandfather George Fulcher in 1869 in Agra India. He was a Colour Sergent in the Middlesex Regiment, he was 29 she was 15 they had 12 children

[kiterunner]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Unfortunately not all births were registered in those days so it could be there is no registration to find. I've had a look at the GRO indexes but not found anything.

[ElizabethHerts]

Hi and welcome to GF.

The only one I can find so far is the following, who isn't yours, unfortunately.

Name: O'MEARA, Elizabeth R
Mother's name: Not available before 1966
Regiment:8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
Place : Dorchester
Country: England
Year: 1854
Volume : 237
Page: 10
Record source: GRO Regimental Birth Indices (1761 to 1924)

[Merry]

Hi gengrant and welcome to GF!

Please could you tell me the source of your information for Eliza Mary's birth being at Chatham.

EDIT: ignore that, I've seen her on the census now!

Do you know if she had siblings and do you know the name of her mother?

Ignore that too!!

Is that Thomas O'Meara's army papers I've just been reading on FMP? (says he was born abt 1833 in Birr, King's County, Ireland)

Is that your Thomas marrying in Medway district (covers Chatham) in Q4 1853?

This is what's bothering me re Elizabeth Lynch.

[kiterunner]

This might help, Merry:
http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-55150.html

[Merry]

Thanks Kate. I was just looking at that 1871 census entry

This is the bit bothering me (from the link you posted):

Her Mothers Maiden name was Elizabeth Lynch from Tullamore in Ireland

I would like to know the source for that, especially with that 1853 marriage showing up.

[Merry]

Hi and welcome to GF.

The only one I can find so far is the following, who isn't yours, unfortunately.

Name: O'MEARA, Elizabeth R
Mother's name: Not available before 1966
Regiment:8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
Place : Dorchester
Country: England
Year: 1854
Volume : 237
Page: 10
Record source: GRO Regimental Birth Indices (1761 to 1924)

There is a similar one to that in 1852 for a Mary I O'Meara (b Hounslow), but they are both the same (wrong) regiment.

[JBee]

I have a soldier who joined one regiment and ended up in another c1840- 1860 - could well be that he was with or attached to another regiment.

[gengrant]

Thomas O'Meara went to India with the 18th Regiment of Foot and in 1865 transfered to the 88th Regiment, Connaughts Rangers.

[Merry]

It's reported in The Morning Post (London, England), Friday, May 16, 1856; pg. 2 that Thomas was appointed as deputy provost marshal with pay at 4s 9d per day!

[gengrant]

What exactly is a provost marshal? is it some kind of MP. This does not not sound like my Thomas O'Meara who was demoted in rank several times for various incidents.

[Merry]

Well, this man belongs to the right regiment and according to your Thomas O'Meara's service record your Thomas was a sergeant from 1st Jan 1855 to 10th Nov 1857 so covering the date in question. Obviously I can't be 100% certain it's the right person, but I can't find anything to count him out yet!

There only seems to be one surviving service record for a Thomas O'Meara for the right time period, but I have also searched the papers for entries for men named O'Meara in the 18th Foot in order to try and establish there were two of them, without success.

A Provost Marshal is an officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police. A DPM would usually be an NCO (a non-commissioned officer, such as this T O'Meara) who might be responsible for ensuring punishments issued were carried out.

Here's the newspaper clipping:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m13/merry_monty_montgomery/Other%20Research/TheMorningPostLondonEnglandFridayMay161856.jpg

[Merry]

Of course if he was later demoted for whatever reason it might turn out he only had this post for a few days/weeks/months!

[gengrant]

In the UK Military Campain Medals and Awards 1793-1949 Sergeant Thomas O'meara was awarded the Sebastapol Medal & Clasp.
That promotion could well be him, he was a Sergeant from the 1st Jan 1855 to Nov 10th 1857, would that fit in wih his Crimea promotion? Hi Merry have just read your post again I too think that this is the right Thomas O'Meara thanks.

[Merry]

I wonder what happened to his medal?