Thomas Kerr FMFMF

[Tom Tom]

Name - "official" name and what they were known as - Thomas Kerr

Date and place of birth - About 1840 in Abbey Parish, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Names of parents - Thomas Kerr and Elizabeth (formerly Gordon)

Date and place of baptism - unknown

Details of each of his or her marriages - Married Olivia Melvina Newbury Jannaway in India probably about 1870 but I have been unable to find further info about this.
Married secondly to Christina McKay 4 July 1882 in Paisley, Scotland

Occupation(s) - Color Sergt. in the 34th Regiment of Foot, prison warden, dockland messenger, army pensioner

Addresses where they lived (including county if in UK) - and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on (if s/he lived in census times!).
1841 - ?

1851 - ?

1861 - ?

1871 - ?

1872 - 1879 - India

1881 - 9 Galloway Street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland

1882 - 27 Storic Street, Paisley, Scotland

1891 - 11 Frost Street, West Derby, Lancashire

1901 - 18 Esher Road, West Derby, Lancashire

1911 - 27 Holly Grove, Seaforth, West Derby, Lancashire

1920 - 6 Brunswick Parade, Seaforth, West Derby

Date, place and cause of death - Died 3 May 1920 at 6 Brunswick Parade, Seaforth, West Derby, cause of death senile debility

Date and place of burial - unknown

Details of will / administration of their estate - nothing in probate calendar

Memorial inscription - unknown


This is a photo of him - http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w34/colwoodtom/TOM1a.jpg

Extra information - Father died before 2nd May 1862
Mother died 22 June 1882
Parents married 1833 in Paisley

One sister - Margaret born c1844

Some possibility that Thomas and his sister were actually born in Ireland?

[kiterunner]

Have you got his army records, Tom?

[kiterunner]

And is the marriage definitely not Thomas Kerr / Olivia Meskell 20 May 1871 Cawnpore, Bengal, India, groom age 31, father Thomas Kerr, bride age 19, father Henry Shannon (on FamilySearch)?

[Tom Tom]

Hi Kate,

Have never got round to finding any army records and to be honest not sure where to start.

I keep coming back to that marriage but have a couple of problems.

Olivia's death certificate in Scotland in 1882 says her name is Olivia Melvina Newbury and that her father was James Jannaway and mother Sophia Ann Abbott.

I have then found a corresponding birth certificate for Olivia Melvina Nebury January in the West Indies with parents James and Sophia, so I am at a bit of a loss as to know what is what.

:S

[kiterunner]

Findmypast would be the place to look for army records. There are lots of Thomas Kerrs on there but I couldn't see one the right age born Paisley. I haven't got a sub, so I couldn't look through them for one who was Colour Sergeant in the 34th Regt of Foot but there was one born Antrim who I would look at if I could!

The marriage does look likely apart from the problem of Olivia's surname, doesn't it? If you could get a look at the full marriage entry it might give you enough info to be sure it it's your Thomas, at least, and maybe it will give you his father's occupation. Maybe it will turn out that Olivia's surname has been mistranscribed.

[kiterunner]

Oh, and there are also a couple of Thomas Kerrs born Glasgow in the army records on findmypast - one born 1831 and one born 1846. Also one with ? for year of birth, and there are some with ? for year of birth and no birthplace listed.

[Tom Tom]

Thanks Kate, there is certainly some things to be thinking about there.

Would be good if I could find out about his military service.

[kiterunner]

My 2xg-grandfather has a ? for his birthplace on the index on findmypast although the birthplace is actually perfectly clear in the records themselves; I think it's just because you have to rotate the page to read it. So if you look through the various Thomas Kerr papers you might find the right one.