Some help with a Lincolnshire mystery?

Question

Arnold Trueblood was in the South Lincolnshire Militia for 42 years.  That's a long time.  I am not any sort of expert on British military records.  Any idea if I can find out more about him?

My real issue is with his parentage.  He says he was 21 when he enlisted 2 January 1792, meaning he was born in 1770.  He says he was born in Halton Holegate in Lincolnshire.  The only Truebloods active in the baby-making business at that time in that smallish village are John and Mary Trueblood.  They are married in 1768 and have other children in 68, 69, 71 and 73.  There is no room to fit in another pregnancy in the midst of that.  In fact there is no Arnold baptised at that time in Lincolnshire (records can be pretty dodgy, I know).  Could he be a unlisted younger son who lied about his age to enlist?  Why would you claim to be from an obscure village if you weren't?

Can anyone else come up with a theory?  

Thanks, Stephen

Comments

Thank you everyone for your help!  I am going to try to come at it from the other direction and work down the tree.  Then I will hopefully have a list of all the Truebloods in the Halton Holegate area who might be the parents.  I'm about two generations above at the moment so it shouldn't take too long.

Answer 1

It's possible he's illegitimate. Middle names had come into style by then, so it's also possible he's [*] Arnold Trueblood. I'd check all the baptisms around the right date to see if they have any later records that confirm they were different people. If there's any evidence that he's a Dissenter, that would explain the lack of a baptismal record too. I'd also see if John Trueblood had any relatives, since he may have had a brother or cousin or something living with him. I found some marriage records on FindMyPast that are probably connected to your guy, including an "Arnill Trueblood" in Addlethorpe, Lincs. in 1821 and an Arnold Trueblood in Lincs. in 1832. He's also got a hit in an 1824 Lincs. death duty register, and I'd see what that's about, maybe a next of kin or something.

Comments

Oh, you know what, there are burials in Halton Holegate of a James Trueblood in 1777 and a Jane Trueblood in 1776. Could be parents.

---

There is an1824  administration of an Arnold Truelove from Hogsthorpe .I assume that might be the same man as on the death duty register https://www.lincstothepast.com/Admon---Trueblood--Arnold--1824--------/831820.record?pt=S

---

Have you got his obituary?

"British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCJ-3CK1 : 17 July 2018), Arnold Trueblood, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 18 Mar 1836, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .

---

Sadly, you have to be a Mormon to sign in there.  Going to have to look elsewhere

---

No, they let anybody sign up. It doesn't have the original article anyway, but you can find it elsewhere. If it were me, that would be my highest priority.

---

Ben is right, you don't have to be a mormon to sign up and use Familysearch records, which are free. Most of us on here use them, including me and I'm not a mormon.

---

Here's a transcription from the "Died" column:

On Friday last, in St John's Stamford, suddenly, Arnold Trueblood, formerly Sergeant-Major in the South Lincoln Militia, aged 66.

---

Thank you Ros!

Answer 2

https://books.google.ca/books?id=la0_AAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA197&lpg=RA1-PA197&dq=%22South+Lincoln%22+Militia+Earl+Brownlow&source=bl&ots=mTRSouX-ou&sig=4Bwg9m29mPbt1ZtYB-tRktbmi_Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG_te7uebeAhXGTd8KHRW_C3UQ6AEwCnoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22South%20Lincoln%22%20Militia%20Earl%20Brownlow&f=false

Blurp about Earl Brownlow, mentions his colonelcy of South Lincoln Milita.

Comments

A neat full circle there.  Earl Brownlow signs Arnold's discharge papers at Belton House.  In the grounds of the house are Belton Church, where the first recorded Trueblood was baptised.  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Trueblood_Name_Study

Answer 3

John and Mary weren't the only Trueblood couple of child-bearing age, there were also William and Ann. 

Ann HARKER & William TRUEBLOOD Marriage

28 May 1761 Lincolnshire Halton Holegate : St Andrew : Parish Register

Mary HUTTON  & John TRUEBLOOD Marriage

08 Jun 1768 Lincolnshire Halton Holegate : St Andrew : Parish Register

Although I agree there's no trace of a baptism for Arnold. I looked up Halton Holegate on freereg.com and only the marriage records have been transcribed by them for the period so it might be worth consulting the parish register directly.

Comments

I have been through the register year by year.  It is a bit of a mess: poor handwriting and poor preservation.  But there is no sign of an Arnold.  In fact there is no sign of any Trueblood having babies except John and Mary.  One of John's brother's is Arnold but then the family has a lot of Arnolds/Arnalls/Arnills.  All are a consequence of the Quaker martyr, Arnall Trueblood, who dies in 1658.

---

Have you checked out the Quaker records? I have a Lincolnshire ONS and some moved away and are found in Quaker records.

---

Oh, if they're Quakers, a lot of them won't have christenings recorded.