Harry Eccles, father of Florence Eccles, my Grandmother Harry has been an especially difficult research problem. We don't know with 100% certainty what happened to him after he joined the army on 2 March 1887, except that he ended up in South Africa. After that the information about Harry is sparse. From my Grandmother's Birth Certificate, we know that her mother is named Mary Clark (McAloon) but no record of her has been found. Also, there is no record of a marriage, so it is possible that they lived in a Common Law relationship. What we KNOW: HIS Father: Henry Eccles HIS Mother: Ann Elizabeth MARSH Baptised at St George's, Sheffield, 7 April 1868, # 1286 Born: 30 September 1867 Address at time of baptism: Brightmore Street, later located at 15 Soho Street as in Census records. Harry Eccles is my Great-Grandfather My Great-Grandmother: Mary Clark (born, McAloon) There are so many women name 'Mary Clark' (or Mary McAloon) that trying to figure out which one might be relevant is impossible. So, what happened to Mary or Florence's brother is still unknown. I have never found any record of a marriage. It is possible they weren't married. Place of Marriage of Parents: Not stated on Florence's birth certificate Harry Eccles and Mary Clark (McAloon) are the parents of Florence Ethel Eccles, born Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, January 29, 1895 The reference on Florence's Birth Certificate to 'G T L regiment' is a mistake, even though it appears on an officially transcribed copy of Florence's birth certificate. It should probably be 'Y & L regiment' which is York & Lancaster Regiment. Harry Eccles is present in the 1871 and 1881 Census of England, in Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield. By 1891, he is not present. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harry's Army Service Record indicates he was a small man, standing 5 ft, 4-1/4 inches, weighing in at 123 lbs and chest size of 33 inches. He had a 'fresh' complexion with grey eyes and brown hair. His service record shows he belonged to the Anglican Church. Harry joined the York & Lancaster Regiment on 2 March 1887 and was transferred to the 2nd Battalion in 1888. He probably went through training at Pontefract. The 2nd Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment was formed in 1881 with the regimental depot located at Pontefract, Yorkshire. He was posted on 9 September 1888 although his service record doesn't specify to where. He may have been one of the recruits sent out to The West Indies in October 1888 where the 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was already stationed, most likely at Barbados, Jamaica, or Trinidad. If this was the case then he would have been amongst the troops transferred to South Africa in March 1891. The 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was stationed at Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa. Marriage and death records confirm member soldiers in this location between about 1891 and 1894. This is where my Grandmother was born in 1895. But I haven't found any record of a marriage between Harry and Mary. I also haven't found any record of the Birth of her brother. Because records are scant, there's no way to know exactly what happened. And to add to the confusion, there is more than one divergence in the use and distribution of the York and Lancaster Regiment. First of all, when the regiment landed in South Africa, it was divided up to be stationed at numerous locations around South Africa. And, the British Army moved around quite a lot. Maybe he was sent to Matabeleland. At least part of the York and Lancaster Regiment was stationed in Mafeking and these men were called for duty there. Some soldiers in the York and Lancaster Regiment were trained as mounted infantry to fight in these disputes. The record shows that the York and Lancaster Regiment was mobilised to fight in Matabeleland between 1893 and 1896 and it is conceivable that he fought amongst this contingent under Field-Marshall Herbert Plumer. Also, Frederick Kershaw, a Captain in the 2nd Battalion, lost his life in Matabeleland. As well, men of the 2nd York and Lancaster Regiment were awarded medals for service in Matabeleland but there is nothing to show that 'Harry' was one of them. His service record shows he was placed on Army Reserve from the 2nd Battalion on 1 June 1895 and given permission to reside in the colony. This occurred not long after Florence was born. We are lucky to have his service record. A great many were destroyed in September 1940, when a German bombing raid during WW2 struck the War Office repository in Arnside Street, London. It appears that 'Harry' had chosen to remain in Natal. The nominal roll of the 'Natal Royal Rifles' shows a 'Harry Eccles' joined on 30 September 1899 (#238), just before the Boers officially declared war. The 'Natal Royal Rifles' were a mounted brigade based at Estcourt and were dispatched to assist in protecting valuable rail and telegraph lines. Perhaps 'Harry' joined based on his earlier training as mounted infantry but this is just a guess. He did serve in this militia until the end of the Anglo Boer War on 31 May 1902. For his service, he received the Queen's South Africa Medal with a clasp for 'Relief of Ladysmith'. Local militias were formed in many South African towns and villages because it was not certain at the time that the British were going to send in troops to defend them. The British were there to get rich off the gold and diamonds so their motivation was to protect their 'interests' in these areas. It was only later, when war became unavoidable and the Boers were seen as a real threat that troops were sent in in large numbers. Sometime during all this he had a relationship with a 'Mary Clark' and they had a daughter (My Grandmother) and possibly a son. They may have lived common law. Mary Clark had been married before, her maiden name was McAloon. However, no record of either marriage has been found, neither the death of her first husband. As well, no record of Mary's death has been found. It is also possible that Mary chose to leave Natal and maybe South Africa but, again, there is no record. Although I have searched extensively in Civil and Parish records, I have only found at most a couple of other instances of adult males with the surname 'Eccles' in the date range between about 1886 and 1902 and they are unrelated. Unfortunately, many records just don't exist, for various reasons. It is certain that Florence, my Grandmother, was returned to Yorkshire to live with her Aunt Alice Renshaw. Florence is present in the 1901 Census of England. Alice and Florence lived at 232 Hanover Street. 'Mary' does not appear in the census record. It is said that her brother was also returned. Her brother is not present in any census record. I don't even know his given name. ** Dad's notes state that her brother was still born. ** IF this is my GGF, 'Harry' made it through the Second Anglo-Boer War because there is a record of a marriage of a 'Harry Eccles', a painter, to Georgina Harris in 1901 with his subsequent death in 1903 at the age of 36, both of these events taking place in Pietermaritzburg. No cause of death is stated. There doesn't appear to be any children of this marriage. It is not 100% certain that this is the same person but the age and locale seem to be more than coincidental. If 'Harry' remarried, either 'Harry' was never married to 'Mary' or, if they were married, she was already dead. What happened to Mary is a lingering question? The British Army service record is the only certain document during this period known to belong to Harry Eccles, the father of Florence. The evidence suggests that this is my GGF because in all my searching in records in South Africa, I have seen no other reference to a 'Harry Eccles' anywhere. This is a rare name in South Africa. The record of 'Harry Eccles' joining the 'Natal Royal Rifles' is also an important clue. Again, it is not 100% certain that this is the same person but does seem highly likely. It is also reasonably certain that he has no other descendants, either in South Africa or anywhere else. So, to sum up: The probability of this being the same 'Harry Eccles' as was born in Yorkshire, son of Henry Eccles and Ann Elizabeth Marsh, as joined the 'York and Lancaster Regiment' is very high. This would also seem to confirm the rest of the chronology, by inference. In addition to the records that apply to 'Harry' and Florence, there are at least two other people; two marriages; one birth; one death and one ship passage that definitely took place. In addition, there may be a further birth and two possible deaths along with one more possible ship passage. And only one found record to show for everything. The mystery of what went on is still begging for answers. The file [ Looking for Private Eccles.xls ] was the reference file I used while searching for information about Private Eccles. The rest of the files in [ Eccles Family Info ] folder provide background information about my Grandmothers ancestors. Final note: Although I've never been there, it strikes me that South Africa of this era was a vastly different place than today. One thing is obvious in looking through the records is the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity, both of the native populations as well as the immigrants. There were several distinct geo-political regions and native territories as still can be seen today in the language groupings and so on. There are hundreds of local tribes and to this many settlers from all over Europe were added, along with people who came from India and Malaysia, even North and South America as well as other parts of Africa. It is a complex region with tensions among local tribes arising from time to time. Add in a mix of European colonizers including the British, the Dutch, Germans and Portuguese, each with the purpose of discovering and extracting wealth. I also see the beauty and richness of the place and what attracts people to it. So, its not really surprising that there have been numerous wars in the region. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birth/Christening Information: Births: Dec 1867 (ie: Q3 1867) Eccles Harry Sheffield 9c 325 Event(s): Christening: 07 APR 1868 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Father: Henry Eccles Mother: Ann Elizabeth Source Information: Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I00815-7 Film GS Film number: 6343878, yr 1865-1868 p 161 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J382-5MQ Most likely this is my GGF. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marriage of Great-Great Grandparents Marriages Jun 1859 (>99%) Eccles Henry Sheffield 9c 401 Marsh Ann Elizabeth Sheffield 9c 401 Births: Mar 1839 Marsh Ann Elizabeth Sheffield 22 571 NOTES: This is consistent with Dad's notes showing that Harry Eccles was born in 1868 and died in 1901. However this research shows that he may not have died in 1901 but in 1903. Florence Eccles shows in Yorkshire in the 1901 Census living with Alice Renshaw, Age 6. Alice Renshaw came from Sheffield, Yorkshire. My Grandmother was returned from South Africa to live with Alice, who was her aunt. It has been said that she was accompanied by her brother who's name may have been William but he was said to have died and was buried at sea during the voyage. I have no records for this person as to when or where he was born or died. He does not show in the 1901 census. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Census Information: Harry doesn't show in 1891 Census of UK, or after -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1881 Census (see Harry Eccles GGF 1881 Census.txt) Name: Harry Eccles Event Type: Census Event Date: 1881 Event Place: Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire,Yorkshire West Riding Registration District: Ecclesall Bierlow Residence Note: Soho St Gender: Male Age: 13 Marital Status (Original): Single Occupation: Table Knife Heater Relationship to Head of Household: Son Birth Year (Estimated): 1868 Birthplace: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Page Number: 1 Registration Number: RG11 Piece/Folio: 4634/148 Affiliate Record Type: Household Household Role Sex Age Birthplace Elizabeth Eccles Head F 40 Sheffield, Yorkshire Fanny Eccles Daughter F 16 Sheffield, Yorkshire Harry Eccles Son M 13 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Robert Eccles Son M 11 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Albert Eccles Son M 10 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Florence Eccles Daughter F 3 Sheffield, Yorkshire Polly Eccles Daughter F 1 Sheffield, Yorkshire Bernard Renshaw Grand Son M 2 Sheffield, Yorkshire Thomas Slater Lodger M 40 Blackburn, Lancashire Household ID: 4478678 Line Number: 9 GS Film Number: 101775300 Digital Folder Number: 101775300 Image Number: 00618 Citing this Record "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27Y-DZDH : 11 December 2017), Thomas Slater in household of Elizabeth Eccles, Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire,Yorkshire West Riding, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 1, Piece/Folio 4634/148, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,775,300. Harry ECCLES, Male Other Information: Birth Year: <1868> Birthplace: Sheffield, York Age: 13 Occupation: Table Knife Heater Marital Status Head of Household: Elizabeth ECCLES Relation: Son Disability Source Information: Dwelling: 15 Soho St Census Place: Ecclesall Bierlow, York Family History Library Film: 1342119 Public Records Office Reference: RG11 Piece / Folio: 4634 / 148 Page Number: 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1871 Census (see Harry Eccles GGF 1871 Census.txt) Eccles Henry 32 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Eccles Elizabeth 33 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Eccles Ann E 9 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Eccles Fanny 5 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Eccles Harry 3 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Eccles Robert 1 Ecclesall Bierlow Ecclesall Bierlow 4669 53 Other Info: Henry, Harry's father doesn't show in 1881 census: so he probably died: Deaths Mar 1877 (>99%) Name: Henry Eccles Event Type: Death Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar Registration Year: 1877 Registration District: Ecclesall Bierlow County: Yorkshire Event Place: Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire Age: 38 Birth Year (Estimated): 1839 Volume: 9C Page: 199 Affiliate Line Number: 354 Citing this Record "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JKD-HFJ : 31 December 2014), Henry Eccles, 1877; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First name(s) H Last name Eccles Service number 238 Rank Private Regiment Natal Royal Rifles Rolls WO100/260 page 221 Year 1899-1902 Country Great Britain Literary references The National Archives WO127. Nominal rolls colonial units. Notes QSA Clasps: RoL (Relief of Ladysmith; All troops in Natal north of and including Estcourt between 15th December, 1899, and 28th February, 1900, both dates inclusive. source: casus-belli.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=140) Record set Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902 Category Military Service & Conflict Subcategory Boer Wars Collections from Great Britain, UK None source: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBM%2FBW%2F183863 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What we DON'T know: Mary Clark (born, McAloon): No record found that can be 100% linked, I don't know anything about this person. WHETHER 'Harry' and Mary were killed by Boers as per family legend passed down. I have no proof of this and, in fact, it appears that this did not happen.