Posts Tagged ‘Kew Gardens’

LONDON — I woke up this morning and could remember the name missing from my list of in-flight movies: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Amazing what a good night’s sleep will do!

After the first of what will probably be many full English breakfasts I made my way to Kew to visit the National Archives. The reason for the visit was to try and find my lost 3 × great grandfather Josiah. Lost in the sense that he disappeared from the census records without leaving an easily identifiable death certificate. I have the death certificate for a Private Josiah Hewitt of about the right age who died at the 43rd Brigade Depôt barracks in Chichester, West Sussex in August 1873. Was this soldier my lost ancestor? After five hours of looking through the muster rolls and pay lists for the 107th Regiment of Foot, I found the answer.
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