A Visit to TNA

It's been a while again since I've done much, but I fitted in a visit to The National Archives on Tuesday while in London.

I again concentrated on trying to find more about the career of my Excise Officer ancestor, William Childs Forster. I was particularly aiming to see if I could find his first appointment - and his last mention.

It takes a long while because of the 40 minute wait for the volumes, but I did achieve one of these goals. In June 1831, among the entries in the Board's minutes, I found a note to say that William Childs Forster "being dead" was ordered to be replaced.

I did, during the next wait, speed off to the PCs and try and see if I could find a burial for him on the LMA records available via Ancestry there, but no luck - shame, as that would finally have given me a rough age for him. It does occur to me that there was a Cholera outbreak in 1831 or 1832 in London, I think. (You see how my imagination runs on without any need for encouragement?)

However, it confirms my suspicions that he must have had an early death (unless his age is greater than I supposed, which, of course, it could easily be - hence my need for some sort of burial record. Curses on London complications, as ever!), which is why his daughter Eliza Ann Forster and her family were clearly struggling in poverty.

But armed with that information, I may stay on at the library soon and have a look through the online LMA records again for more Forster children, maybe even a second marriage for Eliza his wife (nee Taylor).

It's something. But it's slow going!