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Hello Elizabeth ,

Sometimes family history does reflect anomalies along the way. The information you provided is what the family believed at the time.
We have investigated the clues provided and unfortunately we have not been able to ascertain if your Great Grandfather Joseph did serve in the Anglo Boer War. We had a contender with the Imperial Light Infantry man. However the date of his death was 1900 not 1901. We had the Iscoyd clue which gave us the wandering Joseph Elliot who may or may not have been your G Grandfather? Some of the clues did fit in with the families history. The documents pertaining to Joseph's family in Australia are correct and if he was around at the time when his children were born and baptised then the dates for the Iscoyd Elliot are brought into question. I can only apologise that I haven't been able to provide a definitive answer for your original request and possibly muddied the waters even more. It could have been very possible that the family used the Boer War to explain the death of Joseph if there were troubles within the family and a line needed to be drawn under family turmoil. However, it is all supposition on our part.
I do believe I have found the Joseph Elliot who was linked to the Iscoyd clue. This Joseph Elliot died aged 61 in 1913 and his registration was December 1913 at Whitchurch Shropshire. I wish you well in your future research and don't be too down hearted, we can only investigate historic details which have been passed down through the generations regardless of the accuracy of the data. I will of course keep you posted if I find anything that links your Great Grandfather to the Boer War, I do like a challenge, you never know, we might find a record in the not so distant future.

Kind regards


Dave........

Hi Dave, I have done more research on Joseph William Elliott and have been able to trace some of his early years. He was born 10 years later than I had thought (about 1860). His Dad died when he was only a few months old and his mother when he was approximately 5. His mother was Esther Shackleton as indicated to me on a transcript of his marriage certificate. After his mother died he was put into the care of his maiden Aunt, Mary Shackleton. He was still living with her as was his sister Margaret in the 1871 census. He appears to have had a brother who died in the first year or so of his life. Even in the census he is constantly referred to as Joseph William and I have again gone back to the entry for a Joseph William Elliott from your website, service number 517 (or is it from Find my Past?). All this is leading to my main question which comes from looking him up on the Forces War Records website. He is listed there as being of South African nationality. If so then this person is plainly not him. Would you expect this website to be accurate in their information. Also on the Find My Past entry it refers to Literary references such as the National Archives WO126 - Local Armed Forces, Enrolment Forms, South African War. Would you know if these enrolment forms are able to be accessed online (even if I have to pay for access)?
Kind regards
Elizabeth

Hello Elizabeth
Many thanks for the update. It seems that your previous family information was not very accurate regarding Joseph's birth mother.
With regard to on line research, all sites have anomalies when information is transcribed. Some sites are worse than others. (I'll leave it at that) With reference to FMP and the South Africa lead, if you are still persuing 517 Joseph W Elliott it will take you back to the Lance Corporal who died in 1900 serving with the Imperial Light Infantry and was indeed a South African regiment, hence the link to WO /126. However,we have the issue with family dates 1901 as opposed to 1900 for his demise. The National archives is a good place to start and there is a cost.

My only other question is where the Shackleton's were living? Cheshire, Shropshire, Flintshire or somewhere else?

Previous information stated that Joseph's mother was called Elizabeth.
Which brings me back to my previous post.....Family history which is passed down through the generations can sometimes send you off on a wild goose chase.

I have attached information reference the NA.

Good luck

Dave.......

Thanks for your response Dave. I have followed up on your suggestion to try National Archives and requested if I there is a way for me to access No.517's consent form.
Family information didn't really indicate who his mother was but another Ancestry person had suggested his mother's name was Elizabeth. I had discounted Elizabeth Elliott quite a while ago. The same Ancestry person also thought Joseph might have been brought back to Australia and buried in South Australia so I have pretty much discounted his suggestions. The breakthrough came when I was able to identify the Joseph in the family photo and find not only his will leaving everything to Esther but then his death notice exactly matching the information on the back of our photo. Esther lived in Salford Lancashire and that is where she and Joseph were married. They found their way to Cheshire in the intervening years and each of the children seem to have been born at Northwich. Esther was also living in Northwich Cheshire at the time of her death The census of 1861 shows that Mary (sister) was living with Esther and her three children. I think we have to discount the Iscoyd Joseph as now that I know J W was born in 1860, there is too many anomalies. I am enjoying the chase.
Kind regards
Elizabeth