The Nile Voyageurs - First Canadian Contingent to Serve Overseas

The British were in Egypt and the Sudan because of the Suez Canal. British general Charles Gordon was in the service of the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan in 1873 and later became the Governor General of Sudan. He returned to England in 1880. 

A major revolt broke out in Sudan, led by a Muslim religious Mahdi. In early 1884 General Gordon was sent to Khartoum to evacuate and accompany loyal soldiers and civilians. After evacuating about 2500 people, he disobeyed orders and kept a small band of soldiers and non-military men and they became besieged by the Mahdi's forces.

Journals of General Gordon

A rescue mission was planned and General Garnet Wolseley was put in charge. Besides seeing action in Crimea and Africa, he was involved in the Red River Rebellion, leading British soldiers and Canadian militia. Wolseley recruited Canadians, not so much because they could fight, but because they were skilled at navigating dangerous river waters. Perfect for traveling up the Nile to reach Khartoum. 

In a matter of just 24 days Wolseley recruited guides, boatmen and lumbermen from all across Canada... English and Scottish, French, Métis and Aboriginals ...and were named the Nile Voyageurs. Their monthly wages were about $40 for boatmen and $75 for foremen. 

List of Nile Voyageur officers, and men by division

There is a book called Records of the Nile Voyageurs 1884-1885 with more complete info, some images and lists of men, at Internet Archive. It is only available to borrow for 2 weeks (online or download) and you must register for free and login.  Some *men re-enlisted, see page 176 for contract. *Note that the book is still under copyright.

They gathered in Montreal from whence they sailed 14 September 1884, bound for Egypt, arriving on October 7th.

Nile Expedition

The expedition did not make it in time to save General Gordon, and were themselves attacked. There is a † beside names of those men that died. Money was sent to their families. If deceased left a widow or widowed mother special grants were made.



Relevant Links

List of Officers and Men of Nile Voyageurs, Dominion Annual Register and Review 1884

Records of the Nile Voyageurs, 1884-1885 (borrow)

Our Caughnawagas in Egypt

Historical Plaque in Ottawa

Canadian Military Ancestors

I have gathered all the resources for Canadian Military from previous posts in one file.

Download is available under the Resource tab above.

Relevant Link

Canadian Military Resources

Royal Hibernian Military School in Dublin

The Royal Hibernian Military School (or Military Asylum, as it was first known) was founded in Dublin by the Hibernian Society to educate orphaned children of members of the British army in Ireland. It opened in 1769 on 3 acres, with 90 boys and 50 girls and by 1816 had over 600 students. In 1853 the girls got their own Drummond School for the Daughters of Soldiers in Chapelizod, Dublin.

Mid 20th Century view of the schoolbuilding in the Phoenix Park

The Royal Hibernian Military School was a feeder for the British Army, where children could enlist at the age of 12, but most waited until the age of 14. By the 1900s approximately half the students went in the army. By this time it was not only orphans, but many sent their sons there for military training.

In 1922 the school moved to Folkestone, Kent and later merged with the Duke of York Military School. The Dublin campus, now over 33 acres, is now part of St Mary’s Hospital.

List of Officers etc..

Below is a link for Royal Hibernian Military School War Memorial at Find a Grave. Clicking on a name will take you to that persons memorial. 

Relevant Links

Return of names of Officers, Teachers and Officials in Royal Hibernian Military School

Return of names of Posts and Control of Management at Royal Hibernian Military School 1879

Regulations for the establishment and government of the Royal Military Asylum 1819

Records of Royal Hibernian Military School at FMP $

Nominal roll of boys joining the Royal Hibernian Military School is at UK Archives

Hibernia. Quarterly magazine of the Royal Hibernian Military School 1885

Hibernian School, Phoenix Park : seventh report from the Commissioners of Board of Education in Ireland 1810

Royal Hibernian Military School WWI War Memorial at Find a Grave

Royal Hibernian School Cemetery, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland

Maximizing a Search in the Canadiana Collection - Part II

At Canadiana.org we will take a look at the section for Early Canadiana Online. 
This section holds full text content about historical Canada, including books, magazines and government documents. These works are from the time of first European settlers until about 1950s, and span 21 European and Aboriginal languages. 

Canadiana.org

This section is for you if your ancestors were early arrivals, in the fur trade, or if you have Metis or Aboriginal ancestors (also check Aboriginal newspapers in Part I). The various medical journals may hold names of ancestors or tell about epidemics that occurred. Here is where you will also find treaties and acts of government.

This time I searched for my husband's Nolin family as they have been in Canada a long time and entered in the fur trade. A few were famous interpreters at trials and meetings. This shows how many Nolin results are in each collection in this section...

I chose Hudson's Bay Company, as that would give me results for the Nolin family that worked and lived in that area. The last entry on page 1 interested me... 

The Hudson's Bay Company's land tenures.. 

At the top I click on the page numbers that match my search and the second one gives me lot numbers that were granted to Augustin and Jean Nolin. 

Hudson's Bay Company Land Tenures, pg 153

When finished browsing use the "back to results" link, otherwise the browser back button will just take you back to the last page you looked at.

I tried a search for Seale, not expecting too much, as it usually reads as "scale". 

I filter my results on the left. For the "search in" menu I choose text. I change the year span to when my ancestor arrived. I then checkmarked the "Genealogy and local history" collection.  Using the filters cuts the number of results to a more manageable size, making the task less daunting. You can also use the minus sign in your search. I was getting many results for "voters lists" which I've seen before and don't need. When I type in the search box "Seale -voters" the number of results went down by about a third. Adding "-directory" again lessened the number of results. Seems like you can keep adding minus keywords to pare down your results. You can also use the plus sign, but I find it doesn't work as well.

Some results were militia lists, but one result looked promising as my "Seale others" lived in that area...

History of the counties of Argenteuil, Quebec and Prescott, Ont., 

from the earliest settlement to the present

There are 3 pages which match my search. Good thing I looked as here they talk about George Seale, the brother of Joseph. I have Joseph on my tree but not George. This tells me about the lands he bought and sold, who and when he married, how many children he had and some of their names, etc. Now I can add George to my tree and do more research on him.

As always, I add the URL to the web link section in the Sources column on their profile page of my Ancestry tree.

You can search your ancestor's place name too and remember the program may not be properly reading the keyword you type, like my seale vs scale, or your ancestor name may be there but too faded to read. 

From the home page you can choose a collection of interest and click browse a collection. 

This is useful when you don't really know what you're looking for and want to see what is available. You may come across some American publications.

When you choose a result you will be in the View tab by default, and clicking on the About tab will give you information on the publication you are looking at. 

You can search within the document on any page.  

Happy hunting!

Relevant Links

Early Canadiana Online

Hudson's Bay Company Land Tenures

Related Post

Maximizing Your Search in the Canadiana Collection - Part I

Canadian Militia Gazette

There is so much more to explore now that Canadiana is free for all. 

One collection I found interesting is the Canadian Militia Gazette. 

I haven't yet found any of my militia family (I just started searching) but I have found some of my side branch (I call them My Others) 

Canadian Militia Gazette, Vol 3 No 29 Pg 229

You can search within the whole series by using the search box top left, or search within a document by clicking on the link and using the search box at the top. 

You can also search everything using the search box on the online Collection page.




Relevant Links

Canadian Militia Gazette 1885-1892

Canadian Military Gazette (1 issue 1878)

Canada Military Gazette, Sporting and Literary Chronicle 1857

For other ideas of what you can find at Canadiana or Heritage keep an eye on Lorine's blog at Olive Tree Genealogy

Annales Maritimes et Colonials - Annals of the Navy and Colonies of France

There is a series of volumes called "Annales Maritimes et Colonials" published in Paris for the French Minister of the Navy and the Colonies. 

 Annales Maritimes et Colonials Vol 1, 1818

Laws, ordinances and decrees to do with the navy and with France's colonies. Volume 1 starts at 1809. Canada was no longer under French rule by this time, but you get an idea of life in the navy. The islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland, is a still a territory of France, among many others.

From description at Internet Archive:

"Issued in 2 parts: ptie. officielle (Lois et ordonnances); ptie. non officielle (Sciences et arts) Each part has separate t.-p. and paging. (Lois et ordonnances form 1 v. (in 1827 and 1830, 2 v.) annually; Sciences et arts form 1 v. annually, 1816-21, 2 v. annually, 1822-47) Beginning with July 1843 an additional section was added to the non-official part, entitled Revue coloniale (forming 1 v. in 1843, 2 v. annually, 1844-47) Revue coloniale was also issued separately.

Publication was suspended by ministerial decree in Dec. 1847. The official part was continued in Bulletin officiel de la marine. The section Sciences et arts was replaced by Nouvelles annales de la marine. The Section Revue coloniale was continued in the separately issued publication Revue coloniale, 2d series"

 If your ancestor was in the French navy, there are some sections you will find interesting... the makeup of a regiment, what their wages were, navy school, what clothing and equipment they were furnished with, what kind of food they ate, etc. There are names of officers that are stationed at the different colonies.

Uniform clothing, pg

You will also find death notices...

Death notices, Vol 23 -1824 pg 682

As with most lists of publications, at Internet Archive you can change from Date Archived to Date Published to get the years in order. 



Relevant Links

Annales Maritimes et Colonials

List of French Colonies

List of Ministers for the Navy and the Colonies

Canada 150 - The Canadian Navy

During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...

The Canadian Navy

From Brochure, Canada's Navy, 1911

The last link below is for Royal Canadian Navy History - it is a website with tons of photos sent in by sailors or their families. Most are WWII but some are from WWI or before, and some more recent. Make sure to click the various History Section links as there are sortable crew lists of some ships. Fabulous if you have navy ancestors! Take some time and look around.

Relevant Links

Canadian Navy List 1918 (PDF, Search Ctrl+f)

Canadians in the Imperial Naval and Military Service, 1891

Canada's Navy, 1911

Nominal Roll of Medical Officers, Royal Canadian Naval Service, 1942

Canadian Nay Honour Roll, Newfoundland

Crew Lists of the British Merchant Navy (type in Canada as birthplace)

Royal Canadian Navy history 

Canada 150 - Royal Roads College, BC

During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...

Royal Roads Yearbooks

For 55 years Royal Roads was a Military College in Victoria BC, from 1940 to 1995 when it became a public university. You can read about it's history here.

Relevant Links

Royal Roads Military College Log books 

Royal Roads Annual Photograph Albums 1963-1988

Canada 150 - Royal Military College

During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...

Royal Military College of Canada

Names of officers, wounded, gentlemen cadets, etc


Relevant Links

Royal Military College Club of Canada: containing information respecting the graduates, ex-cadets and gentlemen cadets,1892

Royal Military College at Kingston, general regulations, 1883

Serendipity Sunday - Medical Service of British Army

This week I came across this study done by the University of Aberdeen in 1917...

"Roll of commissioned officers in the Medical service of the British army, who served on full pay within the period between the accession of George II and the formation of the Royal army medical corps, 20 June 1727 to 23 June 1898, with an introduction showing the historical evolution of the corps."

Related posts:  

Military Medical 

Is There a Doctor in the House?

New York Military list 1863

This publication from 1863 contains the names of persons, enrolled as liable to military duty (under the act of Congress, approved March 3, 1863,) in the Third congressional district, New York, Eleventh ward. It also lists their address.

"Any person enrolled may appear before the Board and claim to have his name stricken off the list, if he can show to the satisfaction of the Board that he is not, and will not be at the time fixed for the next draft, liable to military duty..."


Relevant Links


Names of persons enrolled as liable to Military Duty 1863

WWI Navy Files from LAC

During World War I my great uncle was a wireless operator on submarine chasers with the Royal Navy. The navy records are not with the CEF files that are being uploaded online.

But.... good news!!

I received confirmation this morning that while Library and Archives Canada (LAC) are digitizing the files of Soldiers of the first world war, they have also started digitizing the "Service Files of the Royal Canadian Navy 1910-1941 - Ledger Sheets".  These will be made available online mid 2016.

Keep an eye out for an announcement from LAC.

WWI Casualty Lists in Newspapers

I had noticed that many newspapers printed casualty lists throughout WWI. My grandfather's brother was killed in April 1916 so I did a search of the Montreal Gazette, but looking at the papers for that time parts of the images are whited out, so if they did indeed print a list it's not showing. Nothing in any Montreal papers. So I forgot about it for a while.

The other day I was doing a broad search of the Mavor name at Newspapers.com, and guess what!?! I found mention of my great uncle on the Canadian Casualties list in the Winnipeg Tribune, 26 April 1916, page 2... 

... AND I also found mention of my grandfather on the Canadian Casualties list in the Vancouver Daily World of 31 July 1916, page 3.   

One of the features I like at Newspapers.com is they have a "Save to Ancestry" button on their menu bar, saves right to the person's profile, under other sources...

When searching for mention of your WWI ancestor in newspapers, broaden your search to other cities. 

CEF Pay Scale

Just going through the "Call To Arms: Montreal's Honour Roll" for WWI.
This is a record of those Montrealers, military and civil, who "served their Country and their Empire during the last five months of 1914".

Near the back of this publication there is a spread with the daily rates of pay for everyone from the Private all the way up the ladder to the Commander.

Turning the page you get the Pension & Disability rates for the wounded. There is more on separation allowance and assigned pay here.

I also find my great grandmother's name on the Montreal Relief Committee.

Relevant Links

Pay of Canadian Expeditionary Forces

Call of Arms:  Montreal's Honour Roll 1914

Soldiers of the Queen

Today I came across this website - Soldiers of the Queen - a virtual museum of British Military photographs and research.

Interesting site of British soldiers wherever they served, India, Canada, Africa, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand, West Indies, etc, and of course at home.

I like the site design, and it is easy to navigate.

Some of the photos are unidentified... perhaps you will find your ancestor here?  Go on over and take the tour - admission is free to this museum!   

Relevant Links

Soldiers of the Queen

Our Soldiers; Gallant Deeds of the British Army During the Reign of Queen Victoria



More Sessional Paper Discoveries

This past week or more leading up to the Federal Elections in Canada we have been delving into the  Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada, where you may find the names of your ancestors in the 1st Volume of each year.  That is the volume reserved for the Auditor General's report, and looking under Expenditures for each section gives names, wages and sometimes other information. Not only payments to employees, but also to outside contractors.

Sessional Papers

 

We have covered quite a few in the last several days, but there is much more. Some of the other departments for 1918 that may hold names and locations of our ancestors are:
(Note that not all years give lists of people, eg naturalization, convicts, census)

Auditor General's Office, legislature, privy council, etc..

Agriculture Department: Experimental Farming, livestock, food inspectors, etc.

Archives Department

Finance Department:  Pensions and supperannuations (1901)

Inland Revenue Department: covering excise tax, adulteration of food

Interior Department:  land sales, surveyors, inspectors, settler inspections, timber and forestry, water power, national parks

Government of the Yukon (under Interior Dept) 1918

Government in the Yukon 1901

Marine and Fisheries: government steamers and inspectors, meteorological, services, marine hospitals, fees collected for Master & Mate certificates

Militia and Defense: Militia, permanent force, cadets, civil employees, military college

Department of Mines: geological surveyors, assay offices

External Affairs:  Canadian Foreign Consuls, Foreign Country Consuls (1921)

Secretary of State:  Companies issued licenses, naturalization, civil service lists.

Department of Indian Affairs: School teachers, agents

Naval Service:  dockyards and staff, lifesaving stations, fishery wardens & patrol and hatcheries

Printing and Stationery 

Public Works:  buildings, harbours, telegraph lines, etc

Railways and Canals: canal and locks staff, Hudson's Bay Railway and other gov't railroads

Northwest Mounted Police: Crimes during the year, often mentioning criminals by name.

Trade and Commerce


Each Volume has an Index in the back to make it easy to find what you are looking for. Perhaps your ancestor worked for or was under contract in one of these departments? 



Related Posts:  Sessional Papers

Military - Prisoners and Deserters

Canadian prisoners of war being lead through Dieppe by German soldiers

 We have now looked at different wars and those who joined up to fight them.  The honour rolls of those who gave their lives, and the pensions of those who left parts of themselves on the battlefield.  We have discovered who the nurses and surgeons were that worked tirelessly at home and on those battlefields, and the men and women who did their part on the home front.

To wind up this month of military ancestors we discover yet another group of soldiers.  Those who were captured and held as prisoners.  And those who could not take the noise, the killing, the blood, seeing their friends die before their eyes -  whatever the reason - they are the deserters.

My ancestor Adam Tait fought in the Jacobite Uprising of 1745 for Prince Charlie and when things went bad for them at the Battle of Culloden, he managed to escape with some of his mates and make his way to France.  Not so for some of the others whose names and ranks we find on a list of rebel prisoners.   
 

Is your ancestor's name on one of these lists?


Relevant Links:

Rebel Prisoners after Culloden - 1745

A list of men absent without leave from the 8th Calvary - 1862

A list of deserters and non-reporting drafted men of the 16th Congressional district of Pennsylvania, from the several national drafts of 1863-64 - (1865)

War Department relating to Confederate Prisoners of War - 1861-1865

Red Cross Prisoners of War Bulletin WWII (several issues)

Records relating to War of 1812 prisoners of war

A list of prisoners confined in gaol - Revolutionary War

The whereabouts of various deserters, including Elizabeth Kuznetsova - 1945

List of persons, of Wisconsin, reported as deserters from the Military and Navy 1867

List of Canadian Soldiers executed for Military Offenses

Courts Martial of the First World War - LAC

Shot at Dawn Memorial (google other websites) - UK, AU, NZ, CA

Prisoners of War - lists in newspapers - Trove

Communication from the secretary of war; enclosing a list of the civilian prisoners in custody at Salisbury, NC under military authority - 1863

Prisoners of war and military prisons; personal narratives of experience in the prison at Richmond, Danville, Macon, Andersonville, Savannah, Millen, Charleston, and Columbia - with a list of officers who were prisoners of war from January 1, 1864

Records of the War department relating to Confederate prisoners of war, 1861-1865

Letter to Joseph Reed, President of Pennsylvania, seeking advice about British deserters who wish t join French army - 1780

Courts Martial of the First World War (LAC)

Map of Prison Camp Locations in Germany WWII (from my father's WWII collection)

Prisoners of the First World War

Rebellion of 1837-1838 - Prisoners at Montreal and Exiles to Australia

Military - Medical

No 2 Canadian General Hospital (Photo from LAC)

I have mentioned my grandfather's brother Alexander George Mavor a couple of times (Remembrance Day and Windows of the Soul). He enlisted with the CEF 23rd Battalion in Montreal on October 31, 1914. After training in Valcartier, he sailed with his regiment from Quebec City on the Missanabie on February 2, 1915. He was transferred in the field at Ypres to the 4th Battalion (Infantry) on April 26, 1915.

Not only did the doctors and surgeons in the field have to deal with the previously known ravages of warfare, they had to learn quickly how to deal with the damage being done to the soldiers by new technology - machine guns, new-and-improved hand grenades, high explosive shells, and not least of all... the first use of Chlorine Gas in the field April 1915 at the Second Battle of Ypres. Alexander arrived just in time!

On the 9th of April 1916 the 4th Battalion relieved the 1st in the trenches at The Bluff, near Ypres. While on duty the next day, April 10th, a bullet glanced off a periscope and hit Alexander in the stomach.

Soldiers with abdominal wounds were moved without delay, so Alexander would have been taken quickly from the First Aid post to the closest Dressing Station, then by Field Ambulance over rough terrain (possibly by horse-drawn wagon) to the nearest Casualty Clearing Station, which was No 17 at Remy Siding. There Private Alexander George Mavor died the next day, April 11, 1916.

Remy Siding - Casualty Clearing Stations and Hospital

If your ancestor was among the tireless doctors and surgeons practicing during war time, he may be listed in one of many books written about their units.
Following are links to a few.


Relevant Links:

List of Massachusetts physicians in the Medical Corps of the US army, navy, the Red Cross or British service during the great war 1919

List of Hospital Corpsmen: US Naval Hospital unit, Bilibid Prison Manila, PI - 1947

Base Hospital 34 in the World War - US 1922

Base Hospital No 52 : war diary - 1919

Base Hospital No 9 - 1920

Pennsylvania hospital unit - Base Hospital No 10, US 1921

US Naval Receiving Hospital Dec 1944 - Dec 1945 Anniversary Booklet

A history of Base Hospital 32 (including Unit R) - 1922

Roster of all regimental surgeons and assistant surgeons in the late war, with their service, and last known address - 1882

No 5 Australian General (Base) Hospital Melbourne

A History of No 7 (Queen's) Canadian General Hospital 1915-1917

The Casualty Clearing Stations of WWI

The Australian Army Medical Corps n Egypt; 1914-1915 (names near back)

The Story of a Red Cross unit in Serbia - UK 1916 (names in back)

Awards for members of Czechoslovak field hospital in Korea - 1953

Chronological history (+ photos) of the 363th field hospital company - 1921

Facts and Fancies (+ photos) of 363rd field hospital company - 1919

Surgery at a Casualty Clearing Station - 1918

Medical Units of the BEF - WWI 1921

Regimental surgeons of the State of New York, in the War of the Rebellion 1861-63

Women as army surgeons : being the history of the Women's Hospital Corps in Paris, Wimereux and Endell Street ; September 1914 - October 1919

Canadian Army Medical Corps reinforcements Nominal Roll 1915

Historical records of No 8 Canadian Field Ambulance: Canada, England, France, Belgium