3rd Great Grandparents; Colonel Paris William Augustus Bradshaw and Isabella Kernaghan

Colonel Paris Bradshaw (1807-1885)

When Colonel P. W. A Bradshawe was born on July 14, 1805, in Cude, East Indies, his father, Paris Bradshawe, was 43 and his mother, Charlotte Maria Hearsey, was 29. He was baptized: 8 Dec 1809 in Cawnpore, Bengal, India. (Reference ID: v 8 p 181. FHL Film Number: 498609) According to the 1881 Census his birthplace is listed as Cude, East Indies, but there is only Cube in the West Indies. Cude is actually in Bosnia. In the 1851 census his birthplace is listed as East Indies.

 He had one brother and three sisters. He married Isabella Kernaghan on May 12, 1830 at Cashel, Munster and they had four or more children together. Four daughters were listed as being born in quick succession to his young wife, Isabella,  Anne Bradshawe 1828-,  Charlotte Maria Bradshawe ca 1830-1911,  Isabella Bradshawe 1831-1898, Mary Bradshawe 1832-1898. Later, two more children are born to the marriage, Thomas Christie Bradshaw (1838-1880) and Paris (1840-41) although these children were born in the workhouse and thus their paternity is uncertain. He then married Rebecca Frances (1820-1890) (from the Carribean) and they had three children together.  A new Thomas (born 1841), another Paris and George Paris. He died on December 28, 1885, in Malta having lived a long life of 80 years.

During his time in the military he served from 1838-1840 as Adjutant-77th (East Middlesex) regiment, stationed in Malta. In the 1851 census he was living at 21 Champon Grove, Camberwell (Surrey). His occupation was Major, Army and was half pay, unattached. In his house, at that time, is listed his daughters Isabella (19), Mary (18) and his son Paris.  In 1856 he was Lieutenant-Colonel- Assistant Adjutant-General in Tasmania (Australia). He seems to have appeared in the United States Federal Census in 1870 as living in Limerick township, County of Montgomery, Pennsylvania, having no occupation. (His personal estate value was listed as 1000 and his real estate as 2000)In the 1871 census,  he is living in the district of Croydon (England) with his wife, (57) and son Thomas (30).  In the 1881 census he was living at 7 Salisbury Knights Row, New Windsor (Berkshire).  He is listed as a Retired Colonel of the army.

Isabella Kernahan (1816-1880) 

When Isabella Bradshawe was born in 1816 in Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland, her father, William, was 39, and her mother, Margaret, was 34. She married Colonel P. W. A Bradshawe on May 12, 1830. They had four or more children in 12 years. Anne appears to have been born before the marriage (December 3rd,1828, in Weybridge, Surrey, England) and the second daughter was born the year after the marriage (August, 27th 1831, in Cork, Ireland) A third daughter was also born in Ireland, Charlotte Maria (Mary) in Limerick (November 23, 1832) The fourth daughter,  Rachael was born on December 10, 1833, in Trelawny, Jamaica. Isabella died in September 1880 in Chertsey, Surrey, England, at the age of 64.

There is some mystery surrounding the life of Isabella. She was married to the Colonel and had four daughters. This was a wealthy family. Then she appears in the records as being a resident of Chertsey Union Workhouse where she gave birth to Thomas Christie Bradshaw (my ancestor) and Paris. It is not certain that Thomas was the child of Paris as Thomas was raised in the workhouse and Paris appears to have taken no responsibility for him. However, since Isabella was still technically married to Paris, Paris  is registered as the father.  This is strange because Isabella then gave birth to another son, which she named Paris, an unusual name, which must have been named after her husband. This baby died. Paris went on to remarry someone from Jamaica, Rebecca.

The parentage of Thomas is uncertain. In the 1851 census the daughters of his marriage to Isabella were listed as living with Paris and his then wife Rebecca Fanny but Thomas was not with them. When Thomas joined the navy as an ordinary seaman (his father was a colonel) he did not get his parent's permission to join and did not register his father's name or rank. However, later he did use the Bradshaw name and did write that Paris was his father.

Isabella's behaviour in the workhouse was poor and she was taken to court on a number of occasions for poor behaviour. Also, at one point, she was prosecuted for abandoning Thomas. Did Paris disown her for mental illness or alcoholism or simply for unfaithfullness? She was young. Perhaps Thomas's middle name, Christie, was the name of his actual father.

It is possible that Paris was the father of Thomas Christie Bradshaw. That Paris did not seem to take responsibility for him, and left him to the tender mercies of life in Chertsey Union Workhouse, was perhaps characteristic of Paris, who may have been a hard man. He did, after all, seem to later abandon his son Paris (born later to his wife Rebecca) to the lunatic assylum without means of support. Paris is registered at the asylum as a pauper.

Paris married Rebecca shortly after Thomas was born. Thomas was born in 1838 and Rebecca is listed as his wife in the 1841 Census. 

Thomas was born when Isabella was only 23. She already had four daughters to Paris. In the census she was listed as an inmate in the Chertsey Union Workhouse and she was 25 and Thomas was 2. Thomas was born in 1838

*Family trees on Ancestry.com differ on the number of daughters born to Isabella and Paris. Some claim four and some claim 5.  I have 

Above; 1841 England Census for Isabella Bradshaw, District Chertsey Union Workhouse according to Ancestry.com

Above; 1881 Census record for Paris Bradshawe and his wife Rebecca.

Below; 1870 United States Federal Census. Is this the Paris Bradshawe born 1805, married to Rebecca aged 50 with a son, Paris, aged 25? Paris is listed as no occupation, his wife as keeping house and his son as "At home"?

Below; Marriage of son Thomas Christie Bradshawe to Eliza Blake. In this document Lt Colonel Paris William Augustus Bradshaw is listed as his father. (Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937) It appears that both Eliza and Thomas could write, as could Eliza's sister Emma (a witness), whereas two other witnesses could not, as they could only make their mark.  They must have been educated although they appeared to be raised in the workhouse together.

Above; the baptism and birth dates for the first three daughters, Anne, Isabella and Mary, who all seem to have been baptised together. (Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1917)

Below; The will of Paris William August Bradshawe. He only left about 31 pounds and Rebecca was the sole executrix.

Above; 1871 England Census. Paris is 65, living with his wife and son Thomas (30). He is listed as an annuant(???) How could he have a son, Thomas, aged 30, when there is supposedly another son, Thomas (born 1838), who would be aged 33 at the time?? The writing describing Thomas's occupation is illegible.