John Weston^{[1, 2]}

1822 - 1878  (~ 55 years)

• Name	John Weston
  Born	Aug 1822	Brackley, Northampton, England   [3, 4]
  Christened	15 Aug 1822	St Peters Church, Brackley, Northampton, England   [5, 6]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Accountant - Sergeant, A Battery, Royal Artillary.
  Died	19 Jul 1878	Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India   [7]
  Buried	20 Jul 1878
  Notes	In his book (see Documents), Charles Newton Weston (his grandson) says due to financial difficulties John could not go to public school, but was sent to Canada at an early age where the family had some landed interests. When he came home he decided there were no prospects for him in England and enlisted in a regiment to proceed to India. His father begged him to reconsider and offered to buy him out but he refused to consider any change of plans. Although Newton (as he was known in the family) got several facts wrong, this sounds like a likely scenario. It would explain why I can't find him in the 1841 census, and his disenchantment with England might be tied in with his father's impending marriage to a much younger woman. The landed interests in Canada are interesting - Edward, John's elder brother, ended up in America. In India he was attached to the Royal Horse artillery and served in the Madras Presidency. Sources for his passage to India are LDS Film Reference L/MIL/9/102 IOR Reference 1835691 Source Name Embarkation Lists, EIC Army Recruits IOR Reference L/MIL/9/102 These were found on the FIBIS site. He is given as 22 years old in 1848 which doesn't quite match up. He is described as a farmer from Northampton, recruited as a gunner in London. First Names John Surname Weston Rank Gunner Service Recruited Artillery Presidency Madras Age 22 Home Parish Brackley Home County Northampton Occupation Farmer Where Enlisted London Attestation Date 2 Nov 1847 Embarkation Record Elizabeth 1848 Transcribed by Joan Birtles Type Recruitment Ship name Elizabeth Embarked from Chatham Principal Destination Madras Date Departed 8 Mar Year Departed 1848 He retired from the army as a Sergeant Major in 1860, and took up service in the Nizam's Public Works Department - as an accountant - until he died in 1878. Newton also says 'My grandfather arrived in India 1856 just before the Mutiny in 1857. Married shortly after he arrived to an anglo indian girl Mary Anne Maine - an old anglo indian family from the Central Provinces.' He got the date of arrival in India wrong, but the information on Mary is likely correct. Also the family was in Kamptee when Newton's father was born in 1862. 'Later the regiment was stationed at Jalna and then at Secunderabad where the family stayed. When his period of service in the army was completed his Commanding Officer strongly recommended him for a commision in HEH the Nizam's forces, and he stayed there the remains of his active life.' NB He could havs enlited for 12 years in 1847. See this site http://wapedia.mobi/en/British_Army_during_the_Victorian_Era This is for the Brotish Army, rather than the East India Company Army, but no doubt, to get recruits, they would have introduced the same short term enlistments.
  Person ID	I35	Family
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2010

  
  

  Father	Robert Weston,   b. 1786, Aynho, Northamptonshire, England ,   d. 20 Jan 1872, Brackley St Peter, Northampton, England  (Age 86 years)
  Mother	Mary Rebecca Shorter,   b. 1790, Bloxham, Oxfordshire, England ,   d. 23 Jul 1844, Brackley, Northampton, England  (Age 54 years)
  Married	8 Jun 1814	St Peters Church, Brackley, Northampton, England   [8, 9]
  Notes	They were cousins.
  Photos		St Peter's Church, Brackley, Northants, England Where Robert Weston married Mary Shorter
  		Churchyard at St Peter's, Brackley, Northants, England John Weston and his son Robert are buried here. There is a strong possibility that Robert's daughter Mary and son John (the first one) who both died young are also buried here. Most headstones are unreadable due to erosion.
  Family ID	F3	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Anne Maine,   b. 25 Mar 1833, Trichinopoly, Madras, India   [10]
  Married	20 Oct 1853	Jaulnah, India   [11]
  Notes	His grandson Charles Newton Weston says that his father, John Augustus, had three older brothers (who all regularly took liquor) so there would have to be at least two other children here. Robert Shorter Weston seems like an extremely good fit for various reasons noted on his page. However, Karen Brown, Emily Maude's great granddaughter, was told by her mother that there were only four children. The oldest Emily Maude, then John Augustus, then two daughters Lydia and Alice. So there is quite a bit of mismatch here, and all the sources seem good.
  Children	+ 1. Robert Shorter Weston,   b. 17 Nov 1855, Jaulnah, India + 2. John Augustus Weston,   b. 11 Aug 1862, Kamptee, Hyderabad, India ,   d. 1931  (Age 68 years)   3. Alice Jessie Weston,   b. 24 Nov 1864, Poonmallee, Madras, India   4. Rebecca Lydia Weston,   b. 9 Jul 1867, Kotagiri, India   5. Emily Maude Weston,   b. 7 Aug 1869, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India
  Photos		A Weston Family Tree Provided by Joan Andersen via Joy Weston. There are a few mistakes - eg Edwin's daughter Winnie married Ted DAVIS FROM Durham.
  Last Modified	10 Jul 2014
  Family ID	F32	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - Aug 1822 - Brackley, Northampton, England Christened - 15 Aug 1822 - St Peters Church, Brackley, Northampton, England Died - 19 Jul 1878 - Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Documents

  Charles Newton Weston's Book This is a chapter from a book written by Charles Newton Weston, son of John Augustus Weston, about 'Revolutionary Christians'. He was Headmaster of Baldwin's Boys High School in Bangalore. The chapter describes his father and mother, with some information about other members of the family.

  
  

  Letters

  John Weston's letter to his son 1877 As reproduced in Newton's book.

  
  

• Sources

  [S24] Rootsweb.com India-L Archives. There was a John Weston, Sergeant in the F Royal Horse Artillary, who got the Indian Mutiny Medal (1857-59) - the link for this no longer works [S48] FIBIS, Indian Mutiny Medal Roll. Regimental number 3048 Troop Q M Seargeant, A Troop Madras Horse Artillary - this might be him [S2] Other Researchers - Newcastle family branch. Also Ancestral File (Mormons) 1BV2-P95 [S54] Other Researchers - Marion Carson, Family Bible. [S57] Other Researchers - Descendents of John Benjamin Weston, Baptism Certificate. [S83] Parish Records. [S7] BMD - British Library, N2 v59 p303 (Reliability: 3). Died of cancer. He was a pensioned sergeant in the Royal Horse Artillery. [S2] Other Researchers - Newcastle family branch. [S27] Other Researchers - Alan Clarke & Marilyn Ponting. I have the CD of Northants Marriages. by License. Robert is of Deddington, Oxford (at university?), and Mary Rebecca is outside the parish of St James. In the census she is shown as born out of the area and her parents were born in Oxford, so presumably he met her there. [S97] Other Researchers - Karen Brown. Yvonne , this information was researched in 1966, so a lot of it could wrong. This is an extract of a letter mum had written to me , John and Mary Anne produced 4 children; Emily Maud who lived from 1869 to 1953, then came the only son, John, daughter Lydia and another daughter Alice.When I was very young indeed I recall the two other girls. Lydia was a school teacher and very frail looking, she used to carry around a tin of chocolates and I used to follow her around,not for the contents of the tin, but for the tin itself which was large,round and emblazoned with an austere picture of Queen Victoria!! Alice was short but very majestic looking and married Great Uncle Willie Prendergast,when she was a mere girl of 17 years. He was a well built gentleman , and as I recall had a stock of white hair and a fullsome white bristly moustache. He was attached to the staff of the Nizam of Hyderabad,as was his wife Alice, who was Lady-in-Waiting to one of the Nizam?s many wives. Dimly I can visualize Alice, who wore a navy blue coat and skirt and a black felt hat on her white head of hair. Oh, she always had a parasol. I think Willie died first,then Alice and then Lydia but these are very sketchy facts. [S7] BMD - British Library, Marriage, N2 vol 32 folio 321 c/7/15. Additions and amendments c/7/15 gives their ages - she is 20 which is correct, he is given as 29. If we are right about his birth in Aug 1822 he was actually 31. If he had been 22 in 1848 as he said when joining the army, he would have been 27 at his marriage.