Common Ancestor Tales

The McHugh Family of Alexandria and Ireland

The McHugh family like the Colvin family were another large family that were in Egypt with the Army. There were six children in the family and they married within the army community.

The father Matthew McHugh was a Major in the Army. He married Louisa Emma Sawyer in Kent in 1865,

Emma McHugh was their fourth daughter (not to be confused with her eldest sister who was called Emily Emma McHugh). Emily was born on the 4th April 1871 in Spike Island, County Cork, Ireland.
She married George Simpson Smith at just 18 years old.

Emily immeadiately became pregnant. She gave birth to Emma Smith in Alexandria on the 18th January 1891. Sadly she died 10 days later as the record below records.

Myself and a McHugh relative have looked in vain to try and find out what happened to the baby Emma Smith. The records in Alexandria are not easy to find. We wondered if she was adopted by her McHugh relatives but could find no record of her.

George was only 21 at this time – it must have been very difficult for him. He married five years later to Blanche Edith Colvin who also lived in Alexandria from an Army family.