George Alexander COPELAND

  General Notes:

Sourced from "Wilton Family Web Site"

http://www.jcwilton.com// (no longer exists)

Dear John,

Thank you for thinking of me. As your E-Mail arrived I was just in the
process of possibly arranging for someone to look up the Parish records
in relation to Elizabeth Gilbert's birth and William and Elizabeth's
marriage.
I have also arranged for a friend to search the Coast Guard records by
hand when she is in London next week and I'm really busting to hear what
she finds out.
In the meantime, I apologise for not having got back to you earlier with
an outline of Elizabeth Gilbert and George Alexander's life after they
married.
As you know Elizabeth was born in approx. 1820 in Fowey. George Alexander
Copeland was born in May 1815 in Woolwich, Kent. They met and married in
Kent on April 29th, 1839. George joined the Royal Artillery as a drummer
boy originally and worked his way up to Master Gunner before retiring
from the Army on medical grounds in about 1853. He apparently had
developed an eye problem of some kind. George's father was also a career
man with the Royal Artillery.
George went on to establish a business in Cartridge manufacturing and was
apparently very successful. I guess his Royal Artillery background really
paid off.
George and Elizabeth had a least twelve children that we know of for sure
but one or two others have turned up as possible deaths at birth. We have
come across duplicated names and the dates of birth certainly don't add
up so there must be more children lost at birth and subsequent children
named after them.
My gr-grandfather was an Alfred Edkins Copeland and he was born in
Falmouth on May 9th, 1854. He met and married a Jane Margaret Bell on
October 28th, 1875 in a Newcastle upon Tyne Register Office. He lived in
Durham and worked on the Railways after that time. They had at least four
children that we know of and my grandfather John Bell Copeland was their
third born in 1882. He went to sea as a young man and met and married my
Grandmother Lydia Mary Greenham in Melbourne Australia and they married
in Townsville Australia in 1907. Together they had eight children one of
whom was my dad Alfred Ernest Copeland. I in turn have five siblings.
I will pass on to you in due course (if a definite connection is
established) a very detailed outline of Elizabeth Gilbert Wilton's life
as a wife and mother and I will write again as soon as I have anything to
report. My Friend who is looking up the Coast Guard records is going to
be in London all of next week so I don't expect an answer until she gets
home again and gets back to her trusty computer.

Marriages Jun 1839 Lewisham 5 316
COIL Eliza
COPELAND George Alexander
CROW Elizabeth
FRENCH George
HALL John
SHARDIN Margaret
Walker Alexander
Wilton Elizabeth

Deaths Jun 1891
Copeland George Alexander 76 Bodmin 5c 68

1841 census
HO107/492/6 F30 P54
Brewer Street, Woolwich, Kent
George Copeland, 25, Army, Y
Elizabeth do, 20, , N

1851 census
HO107/1911 F321 P36 & P37
Pendennis, Budock, Falmouth, Cornwall
Geo Alex'r Copeland, Head, Mar, 36, Master Gunner of Pendennis Castle O.S., Kent Woolwich
Eliz'th G do, Wife, Mar, 31, , Cornwall Fowey
Geo W do, Son, , 9, Scholar, Kent Woolwich
Benjamin G do, Son, , 7, Scholar, Kent Woolwich
Jane P do, Daur, , 5, Scholar, Kent Woolwich
Henry A do, Son, , 3, , Kent Woolwich
Horace Copeland, Son, , 1, , Cornwall Budock
Tamazin Preston, Serv, U, 17, General Serv, Devon Exeter

1861 census
RG9/1568 F67 P25 & P26
Carwythenack, Constantine, Cornwall
Geo A Copeland, Head, Mar, 45, Cartridge Manufacturer, Kent Woolwich
Eliz'th G Copeland, Wife, Mar, 41, , Cornwall Fowey
George W do, Son, Un, 19, Assist Manuf, Kent Woolwich
Benj'n G do, Son, Un, 17, , Kent Woolwich
Jane P do, Daur, Un, 15, Scholar, Kent Woolwich
Henry A do, Son, , 13, Scholar, Kent Woolwich
Horace do, Son, , 11, Scholar, Cornwall Budock
Emily F do, Daur, , 9, Scholar, Cornwall Budock
Alfred E do, Son, , 6, Scholar, Cornwall Falmouth
Georgina T do, Daur, , 3, Scholar, Cornwall Constantine
Fred J do, Son, , 2, , Cornwall Constantine
Eliz'th B do, Daur, , 2mo, , Cornwall Constantine
Ann E Peck, Governess, Un, 22, Governess, Devon Dartmouth

1871 census
RG10/2320 F12 P16
West Row, Tucking Mill, Illogan, Cornwall
George A Copeland, Head, Mar, 55, Safety Blasting Cartridge Manufacturer employing 4 men, Kent Woolwich
Elizabeth G do, Wife, Mar, 51, Wife of a Cartridge Manuf, Cornwall Fowey
Benjamin G do, Son, Unm, 27, General Merchant, Kent Woolwich
Jane P do, Daur, Unm, 25, None, Kent Woolwich
Henry A do, Son, Unm, 23, None, Kent Woolwich
Horace do, Son, Unm, 21, None, Cornwall Budock
Emily F do, Daur, Unm, 18, None, Cornwall Budock
Alfred E do, Son, , 16, Scholar, Cornwall Falmouth
Georgiana do, Daur, , 13, Scholar, Cornwall Constantine
Frederick J do, Son, , 11, Scholar, Cornwall Constantine
Elizabeth B do, Daur, , 8, Scholar, Scholar, Cornwall Constantine
Caroline M do, Daur, , 5, Scholar, Cornwall Penryn

1881 census
RG11/2338 F18 P1
Carnhill Private House, Gwinear, Cornwall
George A Copeland, Head, Mar, 65, Merchant & Safety Cartridge Manufacturer for Blasting, Kent Woolwich
Elizabeth G do, Wife, Mar, 61, , Cornwall Fowey
George W do, Son, Unm, 39, Merchant, Kent Woolwich
Henry A do, Son, Unm, 33, none, Kent Woolwich
Elizabeth B do, Daur, Unm, 19, Scholar, Cornwall Constantine
Caroline Mary do, Daur, Unm, 15, Scholar, Cornwall Penryn
Frederick J do, Son, Unm, 21, Farmer under Instruction, Cornwall Constantine

1891 census
RG12/1816 F163 P30
The County Lunatic Asylum, Bodmin, Cornwall
G A C, Patient, M, 76, Gunner Royal Artillery, , Lunatics

George married Elizabeth Gilbert WILTON, daughter of William WILTON and Elizabeth, on 29 Apr 1839 in Lewisham, Kent, England. (Elizabeth Gilbert WILTON was born in 1820 in Fowey, Cornwall, England.)