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Looking for James Lynch, 4th Dragoon Guards

DownNewtownards (Down)

Hi,

I'm not sure if I am in the right parish.  Most of my ancestors are from Belfast or Down.  My great grandfather, James Lynch, was married to Anne McCann.  My grandfather wrote a letter to a Major SW Reywoods at Regent's Park Barracks, London, N.W.I., on the 10th of November, 1931.  He transcribed the following information from my great grandfather's discharge paper:

James Lynch was a private (number 149) in the 4th Dragoon Guards.  He enlisted on the 16th of May in 1835 at 19 years of age.  He only served for a little less than 2 years.  He was discharged for being undersized.  His character was good.

The discharge paper was signed by W.C.Mdge Col. dated at Sheffield 26th of March 1857; Horse Guards 31st day of March 1857; confirmed -- W. Pipon.  

I do not have any other information other than James and Anne had a son, also named James Lynch, on the 27th of May, 1868.  He is my grandfather, born in Belfast, district number 1 in the counties of Antrim and Down.

Thanks for any information you can give me.

EMV

3 replies

EMV,

I can see a marriage for James Lynch & Anne McCann in St Patrick’s Belfast on 21.6.1859. Witnesses Hugh Rocks and Mary McCann.

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633210#page/323/mode/1up

I can see baptisms for children to that couple:

Elizabeth Lynch 4th Aug 1860

Mary Ann Lynch 5th Mar 1862

Sarah 31st July 1864

Bridget 30th June 1866

All in St Patrick’s. 

Statutory birth registration started in 1864, so there are birth certificates for Sarah & Bridget. Sarah’s birthday is given as 16.10.1864 and Bridget’s as 11.7.1866. Neither reconciles with the baptisms given above. Both were apparently born long after they were baptised. So what’s sometimes happening there is that the parents were slow in registering the birth. There was a small financial penalty for late registration so, when they finally got around to registering the birth, the parents just moved the child’s date of birth to one that didn’t incur a penalty. (No family allowance payments to collect in the 1860s so no urgency in registering births). In Sarah’s case though they didn’t register the birth till April 1865 (ie 10 months late) and they gave her date of birth as 16th October 1864, so they would have had to pay the penalty (if the Registrar insisted). That date of birth must have just been a guess.

Bridget’s birth:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1866/03521/2295441.pdf

Sarah:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1865/03576/2317938.pdf 

I don't see any more children after your James in 1868. At least not any born in Belfast. I looked on Ancestry but did not see any trees with this family listed. So I don't know what happened to them after 1868.

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Elwyn, thank you so much!

 

EMV

Elwyn, thank you so much!

 

EMV

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