Austria-Hungary Thomas Crewe-Preston (Creve Preston)

[Iver]

Dear Collegues..

Looking for any informations on austrian officer named Thomas Crewe-Preston (sometimes written as Creve Preston), in 1845 Oberlieutenant of Kurassier Regiment Nr.4. Born 10.2.1816 in London, died 10.8.1849 in Bosing near Pressburg (now Pezinok, Slovak republic). Mentioned in 1837 as Cadet of KR.4, later Unterlieutenant, from 1844 Oberlieutenant. Married to Antonia Edle von Nedeczky (*1825+1850). I found the Grave of them, want to find some informations on them.. Maybe it would help to raise some money for reconstruction of the gravestone.

Thanks

Ivan

[Trooper_D]

Iver

This is a fascinating but rather curious puzzle you've set us! I'm sure that you have googled "Crewe-Preston" already, in which case you will know that there are no instances of the family to be found (or at least, that I can find). Furthermore, familysearch.org, where I would normally expect to find reference to a London baptism, is silent and ancestry.co.uk is no better. It is possible, I suppose, that he was born in London but baptised overseas (Austria?).

Did you find his date-of-birth on his gravestone or do you have another source? Can you, perhaps, give us some more clues?

[Iver]

..date of birth only from grave, but i will try to contact wienna, maybe they have there something...

Informations about his career in K.k. Army from Schemtismus (1837-1846)

I found informations about the marriage (1846) and birth of two daughters (1847 nad 1848), in the next year he died, a year after him also his wife... The older daughter (married Peters) had a son Erich Maria Demeter - later also a soldier of KuK Army.

Here is the marriage record (hungarian)..

Edited March 9, 2014 by Iver

[Markgraf]

According the marriage record Crewe-Preston was retired in 1846.

His religion is anglican (by the record: English Church).

[Trooper_D]

i will try to contact wienna, maybe they have there something...

I will be very interested to see whatever they give you. I am coming to think that the name "Crewe-Preston" may have been an affectation to improve his social status. In any event, the origins of this man are obscure so it would be nice if we could cast some light on him. As a general point, I am always interested in finding English names in the Schematismus as, as I indicated in another thread, I am interested in this idea that loyalties were more fluid at this time (in other words, it was easier to serve in a foreign army).

[Markgraf]

I As a general point, I am always interested in finding English names in the Schematismus as, as I indicated in another thread, I am interested in this idea that loyalties were more fluid at this time (in other words, it was easier to serve in a foreign army).

Did you heard about Richard Guyon?

Edited March 11, 2014 by Markgraf

[Trooper_D]

Did you heard about Richard Guyon?

Thanks for introducing me to this interesting man, Markgraf. I had previously been unaware of him. Although he was born in England, he appears to have been of French and supposedly noble heritage. I reproduce below the first paragraph from his entry in the Oxford National Dictionary of Biography (ONDB), which is a bit more informative than his Wikipedia entry,

Guyon, Richard Debaufre (1813–1856), army officer, was third son of John Guyon, of the Royal Navy, who, after much service, retired with the rank of commander on 28 July 1829, and died at Richmond, Surrey, on 15 January 1844, and his wife, Elizabeth. Richard Guyon was born at Walcot, Bath, on 31 March 1813, and being intended for the army at an early age held a commission in the Surrey militia. He afterwards studied in the military academy in Vienna, and aged eighteen received an appointment in Prince Joseph's 2nd regiment of Hungarian hussars, where he attained the rank of captain. In November 1838 he married a daughter of Field Marshal Baron Spleny, commander of the Hungarian life guards. Soon after his marriage he left the Austrian service, and retired to an estate belonging to his wife near Pest, where he occupied himself in cultivating farms.

I am reminded of the early career of another Englishman who spend time in Austrian service, Captain Nolan of Charge of the Light Brigade fame. Again from the ONDB:

Nolan, Lewis Edward [Louis, Ludwig] (1818–1854), army officer and writer on cavalry, was born on 4 January 1818 in York county, Upper Canada, the second son of John Babington Nolan (1786?–1850), captain 70th foot, and his second wife, Elizabeth (1779–1870), daughter of George Harland Hartley and already twice widowed. Lewis had two stepbrothers and two brothers, all of whom held commissions in either the Austrian or British armies. His grandfather, Babington Nolan, died in 1796 on the West Indian island of St Domingo, serving with the 13th light dragoons.

Shortly after Nolan's birth, the family moved to Scotland and subsequently to Italy, where on half pay his father became British vice-consul in Milan, then Austrian-ruled. Educated at the military college in Milan, on 15 March 1832 Nolan joined the 10th Imperial and Royal Hussars, a Hungarian unit of the Austrian army. Tutored by the famous riding instructor Colonel Haas and later serving with his regiment in Austria's Hungarian and Polish provinces, Nolan's ‘great zeal and application’ and his skills as a daring horseman and expert swordsman were officially praised.

Interesting that both men served in Austrian Hussar regiments at the same time. I wonder if they ever met?

Edited March 11, 2014 by Trooper_D

[Markgraf]

Trooper_D: Thanks, I heard about Nolan, but I didn't know that he served in the Austrian Army! It's very interesting!

Besides Guyon a British Yeomanry(?) captain served briefly in the Hungarian Army in 1849, named William Francis Brown (but previously he didn't served in the Austrian Army).

[paul wood]

After the end of the Napoleonic Wars the British army was drastically reduced in size and many officers were put to grass on half-pay. A fair number of them went on to find service in foreign armies, it is well documented that many British officers found service in the Portuguese and Spanish service (that was where the action was)but others also sought service in other countries such as Austria and Germany.

This is a most interesting thread and I am sure with more digging other British Officers will come to light.Re the memorial is there any way that some fund can be set up towards the restoration of the grave.

Paul

[Trooper_D]

This is a most interesting thread and I am sure with more digging other British Officers will come to light

In order not to swamp Iver's interesting thread on Thomas Crewe-Preston's grave, I have started a new thread for anyone who would like to post information about men of British (including Irish) extraction who served in the Austro-Hungarian forces.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/62000-british-officers-in-the-imperial-austro-hungarian-forces/?p=584258

I have got the ball rolling with a post on Captain Nolan, which contains a bit more information than I have posted in this thread.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Trooper_D

[Trooper_D]

Re the memorial is there any way that some fund can be set up towards the restoration of the grave.

I wonder if the British Embassy in Slovakia know about this grave? Perhaps they might be able to coordinate such an admirable fund?

[Iver]

I want to contact embassy but first try to find out about him so much as possible. And also contact an expert to know the options for reconstruction and choose the best one. And also to know how much will that cost..

Edited March 12, 2014 by Iver

[Iver]

..I just found out, that someone used the informations I found out about this officer (and wrote here) and wrote an article about the grave in a local newspaper, but dont bothered to write the source of the informations or at least write me to ask something more... unfortunatly... some informations there not complete, some not true... hmmm..

at least one new information - the godfather of older doughter was Evarist count Arz von und zu Arzio-Vasegg...

Wrote to Kriegsarchiv and Adler (geanealogic-Herladic Society in Wienna), maybe something new appears

[Iver]

..and he was also the witness at the wedding...

[Iver]

...so some news... Kriegsarchive wrote, they will not do a recherche on him, they are taking part in many projects so dont have time for that (anwered in august 2014), from "ADLER" no answer... I wrote yesterday to military archive in Prague, maybe...

Now the good news... I have spoken with the major of our city - they have money and will preserve the gravestone and put it in interior and a copy of it will be placed on the cemetary - in the occasion of 200. anniversary of birth of Thomas Creve Preston. also a brochure is planned about him and the reconstruction! I managed to find out some more details about his family, unfortunatly nothing about him or his family in england... but i am not giving it up...

Edited July 5, 2015 by Iver

[Trooper_D]

Thanks for the update, Iver.

[Rogi]

What a great update Iver (the second part :D)

[Iver]

...an answer from Prague military archive arrived. Unfortunatly no materials on Thomas Creve Preston there. As they wrote me, the only place where can i find some informations is the Wienna war archive :-S so i am back at the beginning.. Has someone please contact on a person working there? Thanks..

[Markgraf]

Iver: Now everybody are on holiday, but in September I'll try it.

[Iver]

Thanks! I hope you will have more luck than me, i will wait..

[Iver]

..thanks to colleague and also Austrian Black Cross i have some new informations. In the military records is the birthyear 1818 (no exact date). Can someone registred on the british genealogic web try to look after some Thomas Crewe Preston (or only Preston or Crewe) born in London in that time?