Michael Miles joined the British Army at the age of 17 at Castlebar, on Feb. 17, 1817. His attestation papers stated that he was born in "Magomagh" parish, near Castlebar, County Mayo. Since no such place exists, the only other parish name that comes close is Moygownagh. He joined the 68th Regiment of Foot and was posted for 11 years 6 months to Canada, probably Quebec.
He married Martha Courtney in Canada in 1829 and moved with his regiment back to Ireland. In 1830, he had a son by the name of John James Miles in Fermoy, Cork where the regiment was posted. Subsequently he, Martha and John travelled with the regiment to Gibralter (1834), Jamaica (1838) and Quebec (1841).
Michael Miles was granted a honourable discharge in June of 1842, after serving 26 years, 33 days and received a pension until his death in 1854 in Montreal, Quebec. His death is listed in the Notre-Dame Basilica archives as part of the Drouin Collection of Canadian births, deaths and marriages. He listed his occupation as labourer and was a private for most of his service in the 68th.
Marriage documents state that his parents were John Myles and Mary Horan, presumably from Moygownagh.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1800 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 8th Jul 1854 | |
| Father (First Name/s and Surname) | John Myles | |
| Mother (First Name/s and Maiden) | Mary Horan | |
| Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname) | Martha Courtney | |
