Scrapbook of Samuel and Elizabeth Logan and family
Samuel Logan grew up in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. He established a boat building business and he and Elizabeth had six children including my great grandfather, John Maxwell Logan.
The brothers, Thomas (1789 - 1863) and Benjamin (1791 - 1876) were born to John Jolley and his wife, Elizabeth née Bird in Chesterton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. We have a record of Thomas Jolley being Christened on 31 Jan 1790 and Benjamin was Christened on 6 Nov 1791 to John and Elizabeth.
In the 1841 England Census, Benjamin (aged 46) and Thomas (aged 49 and living with Benjamin's family in Water Street, Chesterton) both declared their occupations as Pensioners. The same scenario applies to the 1851 Census - still in Water Street and both are Chelsea Pensioners - Benjamin 60 and Thomas 62. The same goes for the 1861 Census - Benjamin is 70 and Thomas 73 - Chelsea Pensioners. I think Thomas indicates he is single. In 1871 there is no Thomas as he passed away in 1863, and Benjamin is now living with his son William and his family in Water Street. Ben is a widower, aged 81 and a pensioner still.
I've included all of the dates and ages as I went looking for both Benjamin's and Thomas' Army Records and found decent - but confusing - records for both - the confusion arising from the years of service stated for both and that they would have been under 10 years old to have served so long. It may be that the time served was increased using some sort of formula for service overseas or in different campaigns when used to calculate their pension.
I found an entry for Thomas on forceswarrecords.com of 'Examination of Invalid Soldiers on Wednesday the 8th January 1834' relevant to the Chelsea Pensioners. The record indicated that he was with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot under Colonel Wynyard (pictured left) who commanded the 46th from 1816 until 1838. I am pretty sure the record indicates that Thomas had only been with the 46th for two years and before that, he had been with the 30th Foot along with Benjamin. His age is 41, his previous occupation as a labourer and his character was good. He is 5'5½" tall, grey eyes, with a fair complexion.
The following excerpt on Thomas was provided by dfwilliams11 on Ancestry in 2016 as to why he was Court Martialled for breaking his leg:
According to Army records, Thomas was discharged from the Army 'disabled'. This happened aboard a returning Ship 'Roberta', where he fell down the Hatchway ladder ('partly from intoxication & the rolling of the Ship') fracturing the Tibia of his right leg.
He was called to the Maritime Court on 19.06.1833 and charged with disabling himself but the Court decided that it was purely due to the rolling of the Ship.
So Thomas was pensioned out of the army in 1833 and it appears he remained unmarried and lived continuously with Benjamin's household after they had both retired.
We have the Christening record of Benjamin from 1901 but his papers at discharge indicate that he joined up in 1810 at the age of 15 years (whereas he should have been 19). Considered underage, his first two years in the army did not count towards his pension.
The service record reads as follows:
Whereof Lieut Colonel Sir Thomas Bradford GCB GCH is Colonel.
No. 73 Benjamin Jolly - Private
Born in the Parish of Chesterton in or near the Town of Chesterton in the
County of Cambridge by Trade a Thatcher.
ATTESTED FOR THE THIRTIETH
…soldiers have rarely won wars. They more often wipe up after the barrage of epidemics. And typhus, with its brothers and sisters – plague, cholera, typhoid, dysentery – has decided more campaigns than Caesar, Hannibal, Napoleon, and all the inspector generals of history. The epidemics get the blame for defeat, the generals the credit for victory. It ought to be the other way around.
H. Zinsser, in Rats, Lice and History, 1935
