Earlier military ancestors from my research

 

                                                    Paul Revere statue in Boston, a symbol of the American Revolution

After going through the 2023 Book of Remembrance which the BCGS put together in 2023, I'm amazed at how far back some members have been able to track their military ancestors. There are pages and pages of forebears who fought before my entries come into play. I've only been able to find records back to the American Revolution. The partial list of military ancestors that follows are mostly from my line but at least one would be from the family I married into. They are as follows:

John Brack McNeil was part of the 82nd or Hamilton's Regiment, men who were recruited in Lanarkshire with some additions from Glasgow and the Highlands. They fought for the British in the American Revolution and were offered land grants in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1784 when the regiment was disbanded. John McNeil took up land in Pictou but later sold up so he could take up land in Antigonish County where the Catholics had settled. (There was a priest behind this move, you can be sure.)

1781: Captain Soloman Woodworth was leading a scouting expedition along West Canada Creek near Fort Dayton when they were ambushed, 22 of the men on the American side were killed including Captain Woodworth.

1781 - 1784: Private Charles Tripp was a patriot who found in New York State. He married Jane Woodworth the daughter of Soloman Woodworth. In 1800 they moved to Percy, Newcastle, Upper Canada to take up land.

1850s: Private George Welch was a farrier in England when he signed up for a short stint in the army. He was sent to India at the time of the Indian Rebellion in the late 1850s.

1861 - 1864: Private Alexander Matheson was a young man who left his home in rural Upper Canada to find work and came back to find his family gone. He moved to Illinois just before the US Civil War started. He joined up, fought in various places including the Battle of Shiloh. He was shot and captured at Big Shanty, Georgia and discharged at Springfield, Illinois as a paroled prisoner of war.

1863 - 1888: Royal Engineer William McKay signed up at the age of 14 when his father was stationed in Ireland. William married my 2 x great aunt, Henrietta Chubb in Weymouth and then they were shipped off to Malta and had several children. He absconded with some funds, was caught, jailed, busted down to sapper and sent back to Portsmouth. After a while there he and his family were sent to Madras and he was active in the Afghan Campaign. From there they were sent to Bangalore. He retired to Sydney, Australia.

This list contains only the earlier military ancestors I have researched. I'll continue with the ancestors who were involved in later conflicts next time.