I was looking at a passenger list for one of my ancestors, John Harris (Harries), his wife Mary Gilmore, and one of their son's William Harris. They arrived at the New Orleans port in March of 1854. On the passenger list, it stated that he was a sawyer and also listed a "Greenwich Pensioner". What does a Greenwich Pensioner mean? I have looked for information about it and the only thing that I can find is that it is possible that John Harris was some how associated with the Royal Navy. This seems to be consistent with the rumor that John Harris in the military and met his future bride, Mary Gilmore in a hospital in Ireland where she was working as a nurse. There is another family myth that he was a excellent swordsman, but I don't know much about that either. Any ideas? I try to learn as much as I can about my ancestors because it just seems to bring them to life for me.

I am curious. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Jennifer