by Shona » Tue Feb 25, 2014 4:31 pm
Hello, welcome to the forum, Margaret.
I'm sure you know most of this, but I'll post it so it can be picked up by search engines.
Malcolm Blair married Sarah Annie Cooling in Pembroke Dock, January February March quarter of 1881.
When the census was taken later that year, the couple are with Sarah's mother Weston Road, Portishead.
Mary Cooling, head, widow, 51, former laundress, b St George's
Annie Cooling, dau, married, 21, seaman's wife, b Portishead
Elizabeth Cooling, dau, single, 18, b Portishead
George Cooling, grand son, 4, b Portishead
Edith Cooling, grand dau, 3, b Long Ashton
Elizabeth Davis, sister, single, 37, laundress, b Portishead
Emily Davis, niece, single, 25, dressmaker, b Long Ashton
William Davis, nephew, 5, b Bristol
Malcolm Blair, 30, married, seaman, born Campbeltown
This suggests that George and Edith were both illegitimate. There is a birth registration for a George Henry B Cooling in the July August September quarter 1876, in Bedminster, Somerset. The B may stand for Blair. Have you ever ordered the birth cert to see if it names the father. Ditto for Edith who was also born before Malcolm and Sarah Annie were married.
Sarah Annie Blair was at 12 Lorne Street in 1891.
Sarah Annie Blair, 31, housekeeper, b England
George H Blair, 14, trumpeter, b England
Mary Annie Blair, 5, b Campbeltown
Jeannie L Blair, 3, b Campbeltown
Charles Denny, 36, boarder, seaman
Where is Edith?
Looking at George, he did serve with the army.
Find My Past have 10 pages of his military records. Here's a summary. George Henry Blair, born in Portishead, enlisted in Campbeltown on 3 February 1891. He described himself as a schoolboy aged 14 years and 5 months. This ties in with the birth registration above. He was smaller than 5ft, had a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. His religion was Church of Scotland, but this was crossed out and RC written in. He served 'at home' until the end of 1894 and then in India. Indian didn't agree with him and in 1898, he was sent home because of the effect of the climate. It seems as if he was also in prison for a short period. He was at the military hospital in Nettley and finally discharged on 13 October 1898. George was described as 'bad', 'irregular' and 'intemperate'.