Genealogy Chat

He could have been getting a pension from an insurance policy. I have ancestors from Wiltshire who took out policies with the Wiltshire Friendly Society to pay a small pension when they retired in the 1800's..

Kath. x

Pension: Meaning "regular payment in consideration of past service" first recorded 1529.

The Army is only one possibility, but worth considering!

Thanks Annie,
More to think about...better go to bed now! If anyone has anything to add will see you in the morning...zzzz

Shame you don't know! There are 49 men called John Grant who were discharged to pension from the Army before 1854 on the National Archives website. Some can be excluded having not been born in Scotland, or being the wrong age, but you would need to go through them to find any possibles. Of course, not all records survive, so he might not be there anyway!

AnnieLaurie,
No I don't know yet. Have looked on igi but there are so many John Grant's! He would have been born about 1771 and there are a few there married to an Elizabeth.

Thanks Helen...

Helens suggestion was a good one - he could well have been in the Army and not necessarily long serving - he could have received a pension due to disability. Do you know where in Scotland he was born?

Thanks Joan,
That question about Chelsea pensioners being on death certs was just out of interest really.

Thanks,
I just thought that the word pensioner was a relatively new term. You live and learn...I seem to learn something new everyday doing this geneaology!

John's occupation was a mason...

Not sure as he was born in Scotland, had his family in Portsmouth, Hants and not sure if he was still there after 1841. His son was married in Surrey in 1843 and John's name was on the cert.

He could have been ex-army. Like a Chelsea Pensioner or Greenwich Pensioner.

Jill

I have an ancestor John Grant who is in the 1841 census age 70 as a pensioner. Did not know that word was used then...or could it mean something else?