Where is Margaret PALMER?

Andrew MUNRO sailed on the 11 October 1848, after enlisting in the Honourable East India Company, on the “Lady Nugent” with the Artillery Corps for Bombay, India.[i]


Figure 1 : Ships - Bangalore, Dominion, Duke of Portland, Lady Nugent, Midlothian and Canterbury in the East India docks 1851.[ii]

We don’t see Andrew MUNRO in any records until he enlists in 1848.[iii] Unfortunately no parents have been identified in any of the Military records that have been located to date. Trying to locate his parents has been an ongoing challenge. Recently I thought I had located his mother much to my delight, however it was a case of mistaken identity.

According to Andrew MUNRO he was born near Falkirk in the County of Stirling, however no trace of him can be found between 1826 and 1830.[iv]^,[v]

On his death certificate, his father’s Christian name is not known, and his surname was given as PALMER, his mother’s name was given as Margaret PALMER formerly MUNRO. [vi] It could be that the surnames were confused on the death certificate and entered the wrong way around.

My current working theory for the name of Andrew MUNRO’s father is that his name was James MUNRO and his mother’s name was Margaret PALMER.


Figure 2 Margaret PALMER unidentified[vii]

Thanks to my friends at WikiTree someone suggested an entry in the “Scotland Select Marriages 1561-1910” might be Andrew MUNRO’s mother. It was the marriage of Robert MUNRO to Margaret PALMER Sept 3 1858 in Stirling. Although the first name of the father didn’t match the index entry did look promising.

I found a copy of the certificate on ScotlandPeople, and paid 5 credits to view it. For a whole three days I thought I had found my girl. It was Margaret PALMER's second marriage. If this was Margaret PALMER the mother of Andrew MUNRO then it was likely that Andrew's father and her first husband had already passed away. Based on the age that Margaret gives in the certificate (36) she is likely to have been born in 1821/1, but where she was born was a mystery. Her parents were listed as Thomas PALMER commissioned Officer in the Army ? of ? Mary Frisken/r maiden name of mother deceased (as you can see I had difficulty reading the writing.)

My excitement at finding a tangible lead made me blind to the fact that Margaret PALMER would have had to been 5 or 6 years of age at the time of Andrew MUNRO’s birth. However a fellow researcher was able to point out my error! This is why it is better to do research with a few people, as what one person doesn't pick up another will.

I have now updated my analysis of the above record in relation to Andrew MUNRO to read as follows-
Analysis for this certificate

Citation 1858 Scottish Marriage Record Robert MUNRO - Margaret  PALMER, Sitrling, [Statutory Marriages 490/000096]

Margaret MUNRO married twice her second marriage was to Robert MUNRO who was also a widower. The certificate specifically notes that the parties are not related, so if Margaret’s first husband was a MUNRO he was not related to Margaret’s second husband.
Margaret’s first husband would have died prior to 1858. Margaret’s possible birth year based on the marriage certificate is 1822 calculated on the following:
Margaret MUNRO married a second time in 1858 year of marriage at the age of 36. This would give her a possible birth year of 1822. As Andrew MUNRO is thought to have been born in 1826 this then makes Margaret too young to be the mother of Andrew MUNRO.

Conclusion
Unfortunately this Margaret MUNRO nee PALMER is not the mother of Andrew MUNRO born in 1826 in Scotland.

And so the search continues. Although disappointed I am still glad that I got the certificate, if she had been older she may have fit the bill. This has really become a process of elimination now, as we slowly identify potential candidates and then dismiss them if they are not suitable. Fingers crossed that we will have better luck next time.

Click here to view Andrew Munro's Wiki Tree profile

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[i] IOR L/MIL/9/7 Andrew Munro; IOR L/MIL/9/33 Andrew Munro; IOR L/MIL/9/102 Andrew Munro.
[ii] 1851, The Canterbury Association ships Bangalore, Dominion, Duke of Portland, Lady Nugent, Midlothian and Canterbury in the East India docks Illustrated London news, [London viewed 2 May 2016http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136062271 [note out of copyright]
[iii] Entry into the service, Registers of Recruits 1817-1860 (Recruits enlisted for the East India Company's Service in the London District. L/MIL/9/7 Oriental and India Office, British Library, St Pancras, London; Embarkation list for Lady Nugent, embarked 11 Oct 1848 (Embarkation Lists 1753-1861 L/MIL/9/102 Oriental and India Office, British Library, St Pancras, London; United Kingdom, Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records, 1760-1913." Database with Images. FindMyPast. http://findmypast.com  : accessed 15/4/2016. citing WO97, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey. Entry for Andrew Munro Service Number 96. “born in the Parish of Falkirk near the Town of Falkirk in the County of Stirling”
[iv] United Kingdom, Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records, 1760-1913." Database with Images. FindMyPast. http://findmypast.com  : accessed 15/4/2016. citing WO97, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey. Entry for Andrew Munro Service Number 96. “born in the Parish of Falkirk near the Town of Falkirk in the County of Stirling”
[v] Filiamundi, Christine, “Research done in Scotland, September 2010, on Andrew/Alexander Munro/Palmer”, Copy held by Sandra Williamson.
[vi] Victorian death certificate 1901/14775 South Melbourne Andrew PALMER
[vii] Figure 2 - Free Vector Cameo Silhouettes. (2016). [online] Vector4free.com. Available at: http://vector4free.com/vector/vector-cameo-silhouettes/ [Accessed 2 May 2016].