US Army Records

[Andrew193]

If this is in the wrong section please move.

My great grandfather Raymond Furniss (B1868 Birkenhead Cheshire) was a bit of a rogue. Born into a fairly well off family at age 16 was apprenticed into the merchant navy for 4 years in 1884 only to desert in January the following year and join the US Army in Canada and lied about his age saying he was 21!!
He signed up for 4 years with it's thought the 14th infantry only to be discharged after 2 presumably they found out his true age??
I have a not very good copy of his enlistment papers but wondered whether there is any access to his US army records online.

 

[gibbo]

Hi,

I found this which has some conflicting information when compared to what info you have posted.

Raymond Furniss
Military Service
Event date 01 Jan 1885
Event place Vanco BKs, , Wyoming, United States
Age 21
year of birth 1864
Volume and page 85 26

On the corresponding page it states he Des. March 31 87

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRQ6-H6C

 

[Andrew193]

Thanks Gibbo.
Yes that does conflict with what i knew but in my defence the copy i had was VERY bad and trying to decipher it was difficult.
Now the even bigger question is how did he end up in Wyoming having jumped ship???

 

[gibbo]

Now the even bigger question is how did he end up in Wyoming having jumped ship???

Any ones guess at the moment :2fun::2fun:

I have been trying to find more on him but no luck at the moment.

 

[Andrew193]

Any ones guess at the moment :2fun::2fun:

I have been trying to find more on him but no luck at the moment.

Gibbo,

I now find that there was in fact a VANCOUVER Barracks in Wyoming but taking a better look at the image i now think that the "Des" means Deserter as "Discharged" for all others is clearly written. That would make him a serial deserter.