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I don't think your guys were quelling any rebellions in Nova Scotia. ;)
1867 was Confederation -- Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick + Nova Scotia = Canada, as of then.
They were there quite a long time -- Mary/Minnie Bird wasa born in NS in 1857ish, and the regiment didn't return home until 1871.
Since they were there well before 1867, I'd say they were just part of the British military presence in North America. I would assume they were in Halifax -- go to google images
http://images.google.co.uk/
and ask for Halifax Citadel. Or if you do copy and paste, just go to this link:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=halifax+citadel&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
and take your pix. ;)
The three Mullin-s and the one Mullens in the 1851 census are in Halifax County, so I'd expect one of those households is yours.
Aha -- the census images do say how many people of what sex and age group were in the household.
Mrs Mullens Nova Scotia, Halifax County, Halfax Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
-- she seems to be living alone; the image is awful
edit: no, there's also one female, 30-40
I'd say this one says Mullins too.
The other three are almost in sequence on the same page, and I'd say they all say Mullins.
Unfortunately, there is a big smear down the page for the 20-30 and 30-40 age groups ... extremely difficult to read in places.
Wiliam Mullin Nova Scotia, Halifax County, Halifax
2 males, 1 female 10-20
1 male, 1 female over 50
James Mullin Nova Scotia, Halifax County, Halifax
2 males, 1 female under 10
1 female 10-20
1 male, 1 female 20-30
Timothy Mullin Nova Scotia, Halifax County, Halifax
1 male under 10
3 males, 1 female 10-20
1 male, 1 female 40-50
I'm pretty sure that's all. There are little strikes meaning "none" in each box too, and in the smudged areas it's a bit difficult to tell them from a "1" stroke.
So in 1851, Ann and Margaret would have been about 14. There are three female persons in that category in the list, one in each household.
Oh -- I can save those images and send them to you if you like!
I'd also just note that given the horrible quality of the images and the predictably horrible quality of Ancestry's transcriptions, there's no guarantee that this is all the Mullins-s there were. But the opulation was small and Ancestry returns anything that looks like the name, at least to the extent that it has been transcribed as something similar, and those are all within similar range.
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There's a thought hadn't occurred to me Heidi -- that Margaret Mullins Barry herself (and Ann too) could have been a daughter of the regiment. ;) Marian could have been a sister.
In fact ... you never know:
1871
Name: Marian Thomas
Age: 47
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1824
Relation: Housekeeper
Gender: Female
Where born: Halifax
Civil Parish: St Leonard Shoreditch
Ecclesiastical parish: St John The Baptist
County/Island: London
Country: England
I can't tell what it says next to "Halifax", but it could be North Am.
I was also going to get around to searching censuses for Mullins-s born in Canada. Here's an interesting household in 1881:
Name: John W. Mullins
Age: 12
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Jane
Gender: Male
Where born: Halifax Nova Scotia, North America
Civil Parish: St John The Baptist
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England
His sister was born in Aldershot in 1872, so it looks like they could have been with the same military group.
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A picture:
http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/image_444.asp?page_id=507
"British infantry officer in winter, 1873.
Part of an 1873 series of comic illustrations on a military theme, this drawing gives an accurate idea of the special winter garments worn by British infantry officers in Canada. British regiments continued to be posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia for several decades after Confederation in 1867, but for most of the Imperial garrison, 1871 marked the last year such Canadian-pattern clothing was necessary."
It's from an online book.
Withdrawal of British troops from Canada:
http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_507.asp
There was nothing more to prevent the total withdrawal of regular British troops from Canada, as the government in London so ardently wished. In spite of Canadian protests, British diplomats were already negotiating with the Americans to settle all their differences, and they reached a general agreement: the Treaty of Washington was signed on May 8, 1871.
The British garrison had already been withdrawn from Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland the previous year. Several high-ranking British officers encouraged the Canadian government to raise a small regular army to replace the troops that had left or were about to depart, but without success. Until the spring of 1871 the government did not believe the British garrison would completely withdraw, and it continued to hope that at least one battalion would be left in Quebec, the Gibraltar of North America and a symbol of British power. London had nevertheless very clearly stated that only its naval bases in Halifax and Esquimalt would be kept for the Royal Navy and that only one garrison would be maintained at Halifax.
As the troops were repatriated, the British government turned over to the Canadian government all its property and all its regular army stores of military supplies, weapons and artillery. In the fall of 1871 it was preparing to do the same in Quebec. The Canadian authorities finally resigned themselves to the situation, and on October 20 issued an order to raise two regular units of Canadian artillery to occupy Fort Henry in Kingston and the Quebec Citadel, and to place detachments in the fort at Pointe de Lévy and the fort on Île Sainte-Hélène in Montreal. These troops would henceforth train and instruct the volunteer artillery corps. There was nothing planned for the infantry or the cavalry.
On the afternoon of November 11, 1871, the officers and soldiers of the 60th Regiment, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers came out of the Quebec Citadel and Artillery Park in full dress and paraded for the last time through the streets, marching from Upper Town to Lower Town singing "Auld Lang Syne" and "Good-bye, Sweetheart, Good-bye." On the dock, with a huge crowd cheering and wishing them "bon voyage," they boarded the troop transport ship Orontes, which glided slowly down the St. Lawrence as dusk fell. A major page in Canada's military history had been turned.
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Another Canadian-born Mullins, in 1871:
Name: Julia Mullins
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Relation: Pupil
Gender: Female
Where born: Montreal, Canada
Civil Parish: Kensington
Ecclesiastical parish: All Saints
County/Island: London
Country: England
Registration district: Kensington
Sub registration district: Kensington Town
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Another possibly interesting household, in 1881:
Name: Susan Mullins
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Relation: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Canada (it says British North America)
Civil Parish: Salford
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address: 32 Isaac St
Condition as to marriage: Married (husband not present)
Occupation: H Wife
Registration district: Salford
Sub registration district: Regent Road
ED, institution, or vessel: 68
Ada Mullins 9 - born in Curragh Camp
Joseph Mullins 3
Margt. Mullins 6 - born in Guernsey
Mary A. Mullins 12 - born in Bermuda
Maude Mullins 2
Peter Mullins
Susan Mullins 33
Several women in the vicinity who are married with husbands not present, so one would assume the husbands were military.
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Hi Kath/Heidi
I've just got back to Perth, and so much information before me, it will take a bit of time to digest once I get my feet back on the ground.
I have my gm birth cert. in front of me now and the only thing that I can add is that margaret could not read or write "+ the mark of Margaret Barry not a x as one would normally expect
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I know this post is a few years old so I hope you are still looking for this family. Hannah Bird married to John Bird is my GG grandmother. I believe her maiden name was Durant. The family state that they were French Canadian.
John was a bandsman in the 17th Foot.
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Hi Bev welcome to the boards
Click on Tonys name and send a private message, if his email address is still the same he will be notified
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