From his military record (WO 121/166/92 and WO 121/2/25), it is known that 'Serjeant Jeremiah Yewdall' served in the 12th Regiment of Foot, commanded by Major General Picton. His discharge document gives the place of his birth as 'the Parifh of Eccleshall (sic) in or near the Market Town of Bradford in the county of York', from present evidence c. 1749, although no formal contemporaneous record of the birth is known.

Jeremiah, a weaver to trade, enlisted in the regiment c. 1768 aged 19. He served fourteen and a half years in the Garrison of Gibraltar, the siege by the Spanish occupying the latter part of this period. He was six years a sergeant, and a corporal for six years before that.

He married Esther Read at Bradford on the 1st of May 1785. The couple had a daughter, Sarah, who was born at Ballantrae, Ayrshire, Scotland, on the 14th of October 1786 and was baptised on the 17th.

The entry reads:

'Sarah lawful daughter to Jeremiah Yuedall Sergt in the 12th Regt and Easther (?)'

Note that the microfilm copy of the entry is imperfect, and that owing to damage to the source document the right hand margin is unclear. It is therefore uncertain whether the surname was entered as 'Yuedall' or 'Yudall', although the former seems more likely. 'Easther' is obviously a mispelling of 'Esther'. Her maiden name is given, but it is illegible. It appears to be short however, most probably with four letters, consistently with Read.

The child was presumably named for Jeremiah's mother.

Jeremiah was honourably discharged from the army at Edinburgh Castle on the 15th of June 1787, aged thirty-eight, after nineteen years of service. He was at this time in Major John Hay's Company. He was suffering from 'an Asthmatic Complaint, and worn out in the service', and was 'humbly recommended as a proper Object of His Majesty's Royal Bounty of CHELSEA HOSPITAL.'

He was given twenty-eight days' full pay to carry him to London, and was made an out pensioner of Chelsea College on the 2nd of August following.

He eventually returned to Yorkshire and apparently settled there.

The Bradford Parish Church Burials register discloses the interment of:

'Yewdall (blank) infant of Jeremiah (Eccleshill) April 19 1792.'

The child was unnamed and was therefore presumably stillborn or else died shortly after birth.

Esther, Jeremiah's wife, followed her child to the grave three days later on the 22nd, and it seems reasonable to infer that she died owing to complications in childbirth.

Jeremiah was recalled to serve in the Recruiting Staff on the 25th of July 1803. Having served for a total of twenty-three years, he was discharged on the 24th of July 1807 and was restored to the List of Pensioners.

Under an oath sworn before a Justice of the Peace on the 12th of August following Jeremiah stated inter alia that he had been aged 'about 38 years' at the time of his original discharge, and that he was now living in the Parish of Bradford.