Families In British India Society Newsfeed

Times of India 1862, 1872, 1873

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:11:10 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1862, 1872 and 1873 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

Members Only Access

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:05:21 GMT

Members only material is now being added to the fibis search part of the FIBIS website. To view this material you will need to log-in to the fibis search site by using the members login button on the left-hand navigation panel and entering your username and password.

Please remember that your username is ALWAYS your membership number. Your password will be the same as the one you are currently using in the fibis members part of the website for the first time you login to fibis search. You will then be prompted to change your password to a more secure one. If you can't remember your password you have the option of clicking a forgotten button which will send you an email to reactivate your login, so please ensure FIBIS have a valid email address for you. If you have changed your email address since joining please contact the FIBIS webmaster.

Members research interests and the FIBIS Journals 1-19 have been moved from fibis members to fibis search as searching these items is easier and faster in fibis search.

If you have any worries or problems at all please don't hesitate to contact me.

Overseas BMD records available online

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:54:45 GMT

The following announcement has today been made by The National Archives.

More overseas birth, marriage and death records available online

03 November 2009

Records from the General Register Office: Miscellaneous Foreign Returns, 1831-1964 (RG 32) have been added to the online service at BMD Registers. Searching the records is free, but there is a charge to download images of the original documents.

The records contain largely non-statutory documents relating to births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials abroad, and on British as well as foreign ships, of British subjects, nationals of the colonies, the Commonwealth and countries under British jurisdiction. Events affecting some foreign nationals are also included.

Records consist mainly of certificates issued by foreign registration authorities and copies of entries kept by incumbents of English churches and missions, chaplains and burial authorities. While many are in local languages, these have been translated for this service. The records also contain documents sent voluntarily by individuals to the Registrar General.

The records were previously only viewable on microfilm at The National Archives, Kew as the RG 32 series. This latest release further opens up these fascinating and intriguing records for family historians.

For the Second World War:

Notifications of deaths of some members of the British armed services, prisoners of war, civilians, internees and deaths through aircraft lost in flight
Records covering deaths in Japanese and German prison internment camps (including executions)
One message marked 'secret' covers Manila and the Japanese massacre of both internees and non-internees

Other notable records:

Notifications of some post-war deaths of civilians in mining service
Material relating to the Channel Islands and a return for births on Lundy Island (Devon)
The baptism of Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton, whose grandfather Lord Lytton wrote 'the pen is mightier than the sword'. Constance later became famous as a suffragette who carved a V (for Votes for women) over her heart while in prison

Irish Townlands

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:13:39 GMT

As many as 50 percent of soldiers recruited to the East India Company's Armies were born in Ireland. In many cases, the places of origin that they reported to the authorities were 'Townlands', i.e. sub-divisions of parishes. This information is not totally helpful, since many townlands were identically named, even within a single county.

To browse a list of townlands of Ireland, together with alternative possibilities for the parish and county in which it is located, see Irish Townlands Category of the Fibiwiki.

We are grateful to Leslie Rogers for the compilation of this most useful list.

Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:21:29 GMT

The exhibition Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts is at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London SW7 from 10 October to 17 January 2010.

Tel: 020 7942 2000.

£11 Adults

£ 9 Seniors

£ 6 Students, 12-17 yrs, ES40 Holders

Readers may also be interested in William Dalrymple's article about the exhibition in the Guardian newspaper .

Times of India 1863-64

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:17:50 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1863 and 1864 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

Regimental Mess Presidents

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:11:27 GMT

Per PAYNE & CO WINE MERCHANTS & REGIMENTAL AGENTS

Payne and Company were Wine Merchants and Regimental Agents based in Calcutta with branches in London, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Manilla. On Monday 14 December 1868 they placed a large advertisement on the front page of The Times of India advising the opening of a branch in Elphinstone Circle (immediately opposite the Custom House) in Bombay. Payne and Co claim to have been supplying most of the Messes in India and in evidence they provide a list of the “Regiments and Batteries which have entrusted us with their orders since the Mutiny in 1857” which include the names of the Mess Presidents responsible for placing orders. These comprise:

11 Regiments of British Cavalry

82 Regiments of British Infantry

07 Brigades of Horse Artillery

53 Brigades of Royal Foot Artillery

26 Regiments of Bengal and Madras Cavalry

61 Regiments of Bengal Infantry

11 Regiments of Late Bengal Infantry

15 Regiments of Bombay and Madras Infantry

22 Miscellaneous Regiments.

Those regiments which did not include the name of the Mess President have been excluded from the data base.

"The Native Born"

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:27:17 GMT

A talk by Geraldine Charles.

Some thoughts on life in British India illustrated by extracts of Kiplings poetry and his other wrtings followed by a two course lunch.

Venue: Batemans, Burwash, Etchingham, East Sussex TN19 7DS

Booking Booking Essential: 01435 882302

Date: 21 November 2009

Time: 11am - 12pm

Tickets: £20

Suffolk Family History Fair

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:13:44GMT

FIBIS will once again have a stall at Suffolk Family History Fair. The fair includes Suffolk FHS AGM & Research help desks.

Address: DEBENHAM LEISURE CENTRE, Gracechurch St, Debenham, Stowmarket, IP14 6BL

View map

Date: SATURDAY October 3rd

Time: 10am-4:30pm

101 Essential Websites

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:34:17 GMT

FIBIS is pleased to see that this months “Ancestors” magazine has a little booklet listing the 101 Essential Websites for Family Historians and the FIBIS Wiki is listed at number 65!

Many thanks to all the volunteers who have contributed so much of their time to adding material to the FIBIS wiki. I am always amazed at how much is being added on a daily basis!

Sir Catchick Paul Chater

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:27:18 GMT

A few weeks ago Anne Marie Evans, from RTHK Radio 3, interviewed FIBIS member Liz Chater about her ancestor Sir Catchick Paul Chater.

To listen to a podcast of this interview got to the RTHK website at http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/radio3/hongkongheritage/20090913.html and click on Listen at the botton of the page.

Bombay Army Service Records

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:28:34 GMT

Service Records of soldiers in the Bombay Army 1793-1860 taken from India Office Records L/MIL/12/109 have today been added to the FIBIS Search database. This adds nearly 15,000 lines of data and can be found in browsing Military Records - Soldiers' Service Records.

Note that, for some reason, there are no microfilm copies of these records available in the cabinets in the Asia & African Studies Reading Room at the British Library.

Tracing Your Roots Podcast

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:50:33 GMT

Readers may be interested in the BBC Radio 4 programme called "Tracing Your Roots" that was broadcast Mon, 14 Sep 09 and is now available as a podcast from the TYR website.

In the programme, hosted by Sally Magnusson, Sam Merry investigates his great-grandmother's move from India to Mansfield around 100 years ago.

Download the podcast from the TYR website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/tyr

Times of India 1890

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:52:56 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1890 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

FIBIS Google Books Library

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:00:54 GMT

FIBIS has noticed the number of books in the Google Books project that could be useful to people researching family history and social history in British India, so we decided to gather as many of these books as we could find and start a FIBIS Google Books library using the Google Books "My Library" feature.

You can find the FIBIS Google Books Library at:

http://www.google.com/books?hl=en&uid=4345922024743697884

Using the Search "FIBIS's library" function you will be able to find results from just within the books in the FIBIS library or you can simply browse. All books in the library have also been categorised to make browsing books simpler. You will see the categories down the left hand side of the page.

We now have 156 books in our library, but if you know of any that we haven't got in our library please let us know.

Many thanks to Maureen Evers and Sarah Bilton who have helped FIBIS by adding titles to this project and to Sy Morse-Brown and Phylis Danko for bringing many of them to our attention.

Suffolk Regimental Gazette 1905

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:55:33 GMT

The Suffolk Record Office at Bury St Edmunds and the Suffolk Regiment Museum have very kindly allowed FIBIS to index entries from the 'Suffolk Regimental Gazette'. This is an ongoing project and approximately 4000 entries from the 1905 volume have now been added to the database alongside the 1580 entries added last year for the year 1891.

The Gazette was published from February 1890 to July 1959 except between October 1914 - December 1915 and January 1917 - June 1920. Examples of entries included in the index are:

* births, marriages and deaths

* photographs (from 1897)

* lists of appointments, promotions, awards of certificates

* sporting and social events

The beauty of this database is that the entries are not just about the Suffolk Regiment. There are numerous entries about other serving men in other regiments such as the Royal Field Artillery, 5th Dragoon Guards, 30th Mule Corp, Nilgiri Volunteer Rifles, 83rd Wallajabad Regiment and numerous others. There are also entries referring to Europeans in India.

Please remember that this is just an index and that the full entry may include more information than the index discloses.

For further details of any entry contact: Suffolk Record Office 77 Raingate Street Bury St Edmunds IP33 2AR Telephone: 01284 352352 Email: Bury.ro@suffolk.gov.uk quoting the year, issue number and page from the index.

Calcutta Lower Orphan School

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:05:28 GMT

The Lower Orphan School & Free School in Calcutta: Maureen Evers will share some results of her extensive research into the history of Calcutta's Lower Orphan School and Free School, the children admitted and staff. Boys from the school were selected to train as hospital apprentices and apothecaries. This is a fascinating topic for anyone with links to Calcutta or with orphaned ancestors in India, or even with hard to trace apothecaries.

Price: $12

Date: Saturday, 29 August 2009

Time: 13:30 - 15:30

Location: Society of Australian Genealogists Street: Richmond Villa, 120 Kent Street, Town/City: Sydney, Australia

Bookings essential. Phone 9247 3953 or on-line http://shops.ecorner.com/epages/sag.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/sag/Products/21008.

Atlas of Mutual Heritage

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:28:55 GMT

The Atlas of Mutual Heritage is a database of maps, plans and various illustrations of locations within the control of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and WIC (Dutch West India Company). I managed to find several good quality maps of Surat and many other places in India. You can zoom in and out and maintain a good quality image.

Scottish Cemetery Kolkata

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:50:19 GMT

Readers may find this official blog of the team who travelled to in 2008 to survey the Scottish Cemetery in Kolkata for The Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust interesting.

Times of India 1889

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:47:59 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1889 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

Overseas marriage records go online

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:37:40 GMT

The National Archives announced today that "The overseas marriage records of more than 38,000 people have been added to the online service at BMD Registers. Searching the records is free, but there is a charge to download images of the original documents.

The records cover British subjects marrying abroad and come from various sources worldwide. They include marriage registers from British churches abroad and records of marriages of British soldiers in France, Flanders and Holland during and after the First World War, many of whom had been prisoners of war.

The records were previously only viewable on microfilm at The National Archives as the RG 34 series.

Safekeeping

Some British subjects who married abroad sent evidence of their marriage directly to the Registrar General for safekeeping, including a Mr Christopher Tatham who married in Colombo in 1867. He sent the documents because the original in the church register was, 'I believe subject only to the old and very unsafe regulations of the Island of Ceylon.'

He was right to be concerned, because this document is the only one in the whole collection to come from Ceylon. He also helpfully enclosed a Statutory Declaration with details of his and his wife's ancestry"

Lucknow’s Siege Secrets Discovered

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:46:53 GMT

Some readers may be aware of FIBIS's involvement in an exciting new project with West Yorkshire Archives Service. WYAS today released a Press announcement that starts "What may be one of the smallest but most remarkable records has been discovered, just four months into the year-long National Cataloguing grant-funded project at West Yorkshire Archive Service to list the family and Estate Archive of the Earls of Harewood.

Hidden, until now, amongst ‘Letters to Dunkellin concerning Indian affairs’, the discovery was made when a tightly folded scrap of blue paper, measuring just six by five centimetres and covered in miniscule Greek characters and English, revealed an encrypted message that had been smuggled out of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion in 1857."

Please visit the WYAS website to read the whole fascinating article and to see photographs of the document.

Free Access to WorldVitalRecords

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:42:53 GMT

WorldVitalRecords is offering free access to the records on their website until 18 August 2009.

Nurses in India

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:07:31 +0100

FIBIS member Maureen Evers has researched an excellent article on nurses and the nursing services in India. There are many, links and references to source material available in various libraries and archives including the British Library.

Times of India 1888

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:55:24 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1888 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

Members Newsletter

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:14:29 GMT

The FIBIS members only newsletter has been emailed to members this week. We found that a few email addresses were no longer valid. If any members didn't receive a copy could you please contact the membership secretary at membership@fibis.org with your correct current email address please.

Advice For Your First Visit to the APAC Reading Rooms

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:02:56 GMT

FIBIS Chairman, Peter Bailey, has recorded a new video on YouTune giving advice on your first visit to the Asia Pacific and Africa Collection Reading Rooms at the British Library to research your family history in British India.

Times of India 1887

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:25:44 GMT

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1887 have now been added to the FIBIS search database.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

EIC Shipwrecks Podcast

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:03:04 GMT

'Wrecked or Captured, the East India Company Ships that Failed to Arrive'

A fascinating talk given by Andrea Cordani, writer and researcher on East India Company Ships, at our Spring lecture meeting in May, is now available to download or listen to on our podcast page. The presentation that accompanied this talk and a book list for further reading can be found in the members area of the FIBIS website.

Graves at Haiderabad

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:37 GMT

Liz Chater has put together a web page on the graves and photos of the Armenian cemetery at Hyderabad following an article she read a couple of months ago about the neglected Armenian cemetery there. Visit http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chaterfamilytree/haiderabad.htm to find out more.

William Dalrymple's Lecture at Gresham College

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:25:51 GMT

Best-selling novelist, historian and travel writer William Dalrymple flew from India to London last year to deliver a lecture as part of the College's contribution to the City of London Festival programme.

The full transcript is now online at: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/event.asp?PageId=108&EventId=755

Audio recording (31 mb) at http://podcast.streamingwizard.com/gresham/MP3Audio/2008/July08/The_Last_Mughal.MP3

Video recording (208 mb) at http://podcast.streamingwizard.com/gresham/2008/July08/The_Last_Mughal.MP4

and also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p6YSVWA_xM&feature=channel_page

India: landscape and culture

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:16:58 GMT

An evening lecture by Michael Wood
Thursday 9 July, 18.30
BP Lecture Theatre
£5, concessions £3

From prehistoric rock paintings to Mughal miniatures, Michael Wood, broadcaster, author and historian, looks at some aspects of the role of the landscape in Indian culture and belief, with special reference to the continuing tradition of Indian pilgrimage.

Related to the exhibitions India Landscape and Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur. Booking information

Telephone the Ticket Desk on +44 (0)20 7323 8181 Or book tickets in person at the Ticket Desk, open daily 10.00 to 16.45

Indian Late

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:46:18 GMT

Enjoy an evening at the British Museum
Friday 17 July, 18.30- 21.00
Great Court and galleries

A summer evening of live Indian music and dance by performers from Rajasthan. Concert and informal music in the galleries combine with Indian food tasting from across the regions.

Related to the exhibitions India Landscape and Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur.

California Digital Newspaper Collection

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:04:00 +0100

Free online access to the Golden State's historical newspapers

19th Century Newspapers Online at the British Library

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:50:28 +0100

Explore two million pages of 19th century newspapers

* Search 49 local and national titles using keywords
* See your search terms in context
* View complete articles from the Penny Illustrated Paper and The Graphic free of charge
* OR buy a 24-hour pass for £6.99 allowing you to view up to 100 articles, or a seven-day pass with 200 article views for £9.99
* OR access the whole site free if you are a member of a subscribing institution

Family History Week - NSW

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:51:43 +0100

Family History Week is 1 - 9 August 2009 in Australia.

Sylvia Murphy will be conducting a free session for FIBIS at the local LDS FHC on Saturday 1 August; see: http://www.familyhistoryweek.org.au/EventsNSW.htm . This will involve a talk:

"Researching in Sydney for Colonial Ancestors in India" by Sylvia Murphy at LDS Family History Centre, 169 Pennant Street, North Parramatta and also a display of FIBIS material and general information session.

FIBIS Search

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:53:04 +0100

The FIBIS Search Site is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance. It will hopefully be back online at the weekend. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Masonic Lodges

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:21:55 +0100

A list of all the Masonic Lodges in India in 1860 under the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Scotland have been added the the FiBiWiKi. The list also shows which Lodges have Chapters attached.

1913 Lucknow Photographs

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:09:17 +0100

Two wonderful photographs have been added to the FIBIS search website:

The Alum Bagh Gate, Lucknow
The Commissariat Mosque in the Residency, Lucknow

These photographs were taken about 1913 by C Jackson, who was a painter and gilder for the Maharaja of Balrampur. They were given to FIBIS by Margaret Harris, his grand daughter.

Times of India 1886

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:14:54 +0100

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1886 have now been added to the FIBIS search database. The years now covered are 1859-1861 and 1874-1886.

Many thanks, once again, to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work.

Research sources for Indian Railways

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:50:47 +0100

Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947.

2009 (FIBIS fact files; 4) 28pp.

by Hugh Wilding

FIBIS Fact File No. 4 is the latest in the series of handy guides to sources being produced by the Families in British India Society. Inspired by the discovery that a great grandfather had been an employee of the Indian Railways, the author has over the past fifteen years made himself thoroughly acquainted with all UK sources for researching ancestors connected with the Indian railway system. After an introduction which includes an article by Anthony West, another FIBIS researcher in this field, Wilding provides comprehensive lists of the relevant UK archives covering not only the India Office Records, but also The National Archives, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Centre of South Asian Studies. There is also a very full book list, a glossary, and something which has probably never before been attempted - a complete finding list of railways known to have operated in India between 1853 and 1947.

Indian Directories Fact File

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:48:04 +0100

Indian Directories

2009 (FIBIS fact files; 3) 16pp.

by Richard Morgan

FIBIS Fact File No. 3 provides an invaluable guide to the printed directories available on people who lived or served in British India , with examples of the kind of information useful to family historians to be found in them. Written by Richard Morgan, whom many will know from his articles in family history journals on genealogical research relating to India, it is in his characteristically brisk and down-to-earth style, and full of practical advice on how to get the best out of these important sources. In particular he draws attention to the sometimes underestimated Thacker's Indian Directory which so often comes to the rescue when your ancestor was a 'non-official' and therefore omitted from almost all the official records. All the directories discussed are readily available at the British Library and directions are given on locating them elsewhere.

India on the Move Exhibition

Mon, 25 May 2009 14:22:28 +0100

India on the Move Exhibition at the National Railway Museum in York runs from 4 Apr 2009 to 7 Sep 2009 and entry is free.

India on the Move takes you under the skin of the Indian Railway to meet the people who make it work. Through the films and photographs of award winning TV documentary maker, Gerry Troyna, you can share in a cross section of daily lives from penniless street kids to senior railway executives. Its an honest portrait of private lives, woven around the worlds busiest railway.

Railways of India

Sun, 24 May 2009 16:24:06 +0100

FIBIS trustee, Hugh Wilding, has spent several months adding information on over 150 railway lines that were running in India from 1845-1947. An amazing amount of information is contained in these articles and includes:

brief histories
lists of stations
workshops
timelines
associated
auxiliary forces
useful links and much more

Introduction to Family History Sources

Sun, 24 May 2009 16:13:53 +0100

Every month members of the APAC Reference Services team offer a free, 75-minute introduction to the Department's family history sources. Anyone is welcome to attend - participants do not have to be holders of a Library Reader Pass. The emphasis is on explaining the background to our holding returns of baptisms, marriages and burials of European Christians from all over South Asia, and providing practical guidance on how to use the name indexes. The next sessions will be held on:

16 June 2009
22 July
18 August 17 September
13 October
19 November
16 December

All sessions last from 11:00 to 12:15

To book a place, please contact:

Email: hrs-training@bl.uk
TEL. +44 (0)20 7412 7865
FAX +44 (0)20 7412 7641

Spring Lectures

Tue, 19 May 2009 16:14:10 +0100

Saturday, 23 May 2009 at 1.00 for 1.30 p.m. at The Friends House , 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ in Rooms 7+8+9 (near Euston Station)

FIBIS Meetings are free-of-charge (apart from a small nominal charge for tea and biscuits) and all interested are welcome to attend provided that they notify FIBIS as indicated below.

There will be two talks:

A. "Wrecked or Captured, the East India Company Ships that Failed to Arrive" by Andrea Cordani, Writer and Researcher on East India Company Ships.

B. "The Railways of India" by Hugh Wilding, FIBIS Member

Apothecaries Article

Thu, 14 May 2009 11:09:06 +0100

An excellent article, researched and prepared by Maureen Evers and Joss O’Kelly, on Apothecaries and Assistant Surgeons has been added to our wiki.

Ancestors in British India often followed the professions of Apothecary (title changed in 1894 to Assistant Surgeon) and it is hoped that this article will help you to track yours down and learn more about how they lived and worked.

FIBIS would like to thank Maureen and Joss for this extremely well researched article and would like to hear from anyone who would be interested in writing similiar articles for the Fibis wiki.

Research Volunteers

Wed, 06 May 2009 13:10:18 +0100

Are you able to assist members who cannot access records in the British Library (or National Archives) due to distance or disability? Reasonable expenses, such as travelling, will be covered. Even the offer of simple lookups would be appreciated and the research co-ordinator would be pleased to hear from you. Contact research@fibis.org

Times of India 1884-85

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:07:36 +0100

Births, marriages and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for 1884 and 1885 have now been added to the FIBIS search database. The years now covered are 1859-1861 and 1874-1885.

Many thanks to our Australian volunteers for all their hard work. Their work has certainly helped me find a few deaths that I have been unable to find in the ecclesiastical returns over the years!

1931-48 Film Clips

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:10:12 +0100

The Maharajadhiraja Kameshwar Singh Kalyani Foundation have kindly allowed us to add some snippets of vintage films that they have in their archives. These snippets include:

Lord Sifton, the Governor of Bihar's, visit to Darbhanga shot on 10 December 1932. Lord Sifton is accompanied by Lady Sifton as well as their daughter Betty and officials.

Viceroy Lord Wavell's visit to Darbhanga on 14th December 1945. The first colour film to be shot in India. It covers the arrival of Lord Wavell at Darbhanga by air, accompanied by Lady Wavell and Sir Thomas Rutherford, Governor of Bihar.

A Polo Match

These can be found in the photography section of the database under People

Members' Interests

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:16:01 +0100

The FIBIS members interests list has been updated in the members only area of the FIBIS website.

Cemeteries and Monumental Inscriptions

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:55:03 +0100

Inscriptions on gravestones and memorials are often a rich source of information for family historians. As well as providing dates of birth and death, they may confirm family connections or provide career information. Sometimes one even discovers previously unknown family members. A trip to Asia may not be feasible or the graveyard may no longer exist, but there is another possibility for finding this information. FIBIWiki’s Recommended Reading section lists an extensive range of published compilations of monumental transcripts at http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Cemeteries_and_monumental_inscriptions_reading_list Even better, more than 35 of these are available for purchase through the FIBIS Online bookshop at http://shop.fibis.org/amazon.htm

Getting started with the India Office Records

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:46:32 +0100

Getting started with the India Office Records. 2009 (FIBIS fact files; 2)

Planning your first visit to the British Library? This very practical booklet contains two articles which will reduce stress and possible frustration when beginning research using the India Office Records at the British Library in London. Lawrie Butler was the former FIBIS Research Officer and his helpfully illustrated article "Hints on research in the India Office Records at the British Library Asian and African Studies reading room" carefully sets out what can be accomplished before visiting the library, how to gain admission to the library, and what to do once you enter the reading room in order to obtain maximum results. Elaine MacGregor's article "First visits to the OIOC by a 'newbie'" is a useful case study recounting her experience of using the reading room. Both articles were previously published in the FIBIS "Journal".

Researching Anglo-Indian ancestry

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:43:24 +0100

Researching Anglo-Indian ancestry. 2009 (FIBIS fact files; 1)

Essential for any family historian with blended ethnicity. The booklet contains two expanded and updated articles previously published in the FIBIS "Journal": "The children of John Company : the Anglo-Indians" by Geraldine Charles, and "A Luso-Indian voyage" by Cliff Pereira. These two authorities provide invaluable information: definitions of the various terms used for those of mixed race in the Indian sub-continent, a brief background history of these communities, reading lists, and, by using their own families as a basis, a demonstration of how to effectively research Anglo-Indian ancestors.

Members' Interests

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:22:32 +0000

The FIBIS members interests list has been updated in the members only area of the FIBIS website.

Indian Navy Family Pension Records

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:40:00 +0000

These records contain details of Pensioners and their families including wives and children, taken from IOR L/AG/23/18/2 & 3.

Times of India BMD's

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:24:08 +0000

The births, marriages and deaths as reported in the 'Domestic Occurrences' section of the Times of India for the years 1880 and 1882 have been added to the fibis search database.

Battles Project

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:45:41 +0000

Regular visitors and contributors to the fibiwiki will be aware of our ongoing Battles Project. FIBIS member Sy Morse Brown has spent the last year and endless hours adding details of hundreds of battles, wars, conflicts, campaigns expeditions and skirmises that took place in British India to our wiki. Each battles page not only gives details of the battle, but also the co-ordinates linked to an aerial view of the location along with maps, recommended reading, regiments involved, links to other useful websites, google books and a variety of other information.

This project all started with a spreadsheet provided by FIBIS Chairman, Peter Bailey, which he had been compiling over many years. FIBIS members Phylis Danko and David Gore also contributed details and information for the project.

In my opinion, this is growing into one of the best resources available on the internet for anyone researching battles in India during the time of the British Raj.

Please visit http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Category:Wars to visit the Wars page and drill down to find your battle or http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Category:Battles to see the complete list of battles.

If you have information you wish to add please feel free to contribute.

WDYTYA-Live

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:19:23 +0000

FIBIS will take part in the Annual History Show on 27th February to 1st March 2009, Olympia in West London. We shall do our best to answer any question that visitors may have on their ancestors who served in British India. Take a look at the floor plan to see where to find us. Among the lectures is to be one on 'Researching Ancestors in the Army in India'

Visit www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk/ for more information.

Anyone attending the event on the Sunday and travelling by train might like to check www.nationalrail.co.uk/ and www.tfl.gov.uk/ as there are planned engineering works that day.

WAC(I)'s

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:57:35 +0000

Ex WAC(I) Doreen Finlay-Davies is writing a book on the Women’s Auxiliary Corps (India) and would love to hear from anyone who served, or had family who served, in the WAC(I)'s. If anyone would like to contact Doreen they can write to her at 1 and 2 Town Hall Place Bovey Tracey Devon TQ13 9EQ or Email: doreenfinleydavies@live.co.uk .

Members' Interests

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:35:19 +0000

The members' interests in the Members Area of the website have been updated. 4,434 seperate interests are now listed.

Times of India BMD's

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:47:10 +0000

Thanks to our hard working Australian volunteeers, more births, marriages and deaths reported in the 'Domestic Occurrences' section of the Times of India have been added to the fibis search database. The periods covered in the database are now 1859 - May 1861 and 1874-1879. More will be added at a later date.

FIBIS Podcasts

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:35:11 +0000

FIBIS is proud to announce that it now has podcasts available for download. There are currently two available with more planned for the future

'The lure of Indigo - and how the Hills family of East Bengal won three VCs.'

A talk given by Miles Macnair at the FIBIS AGM last November. Miles' ancestor was one of the largest indigo planters in East Bengal (at Neechindapur, now in Bangladesh) with 11 factories and employing up to 60,000 ryots! Miles is a FIBIS Member.

The Batta Mutiny of 1766

How Alistair MacGowan's ancestor, John McGowan was given his first Commission in the Bengal Army

Visit the FIBIS website to find out more.

Organising your family history collection

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:32:06 +0000

'Wednesday 11 February, 14.00-16.30

TALK & WORKSHOP

Organising your family history collection

Venue: London Metropolitan Archives

This session will help you organise your family history material into an archive, helping you keep track of photographs and documents and making things easier to locate.

£10 / £7.50 concessions'.

Contact: 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB

Tel.: 0207 332 3851 Fax: 0207 833 9136

E-mail ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Times of India BMD's

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:38:25 GMT

Thanks to our Australian volunteers, more births, marriages, and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India have been added to the FIBIS search website.

The following periods are now covered:

Births 25 July 1859 to 11 May 1861

Births 1879

Births 1881

Deaths 25 July 1859 to 11 May 1861

Deaths 1879

Deaths 1881

Marriages 25 July 1859 to 11 May 1861

Marriages 1879 Marriage 1881

Family History Training Sessions

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:56:51 GMT

The British Library are offering free introductory family history training sessions in the APAC Reading Rooms.

The dates are for the first half of 2009, all beginning at 11.00 and set for 75 minutes, viz.

14 January

12 February

10 March

23 April

13 May

16 June.

Contact: hedley.sutton@bl.uk , 0207 412 7865

New FIBIS Bookshop

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:05:37 GMT

Introducing the new FIBIS Bookshop. We now offer an online service.

This features a wide range of titles specially chosen to inform and enlighten those with an interest in British India and environs.

Do you have the essential research guides? Would one of BACSA's transcriptions of cemetery inscriptions provide more information about your ancestors? Study the Mutiny from different perspectives. Deepen your understanding of how the people of the Raj lived, worked, fought and entertained. Whatever your level of interest, there are titles to suit.

When you choose items from the FIBIS online bookshop your purchase will be handled by Amazon.co.uk You will pay the same price as if you had gone direct to the Amazon website but FIBIS receives a small commission.

If you go through our online bookshop into the main Amazon site and make a purchase, we may also receive commission.

We continue to offer a mail order service for our highly regarded "Journal". Also FIBIS members may purchase our research guides at a special discount via mail order.

Visit http://shop.fibis.org and see for yourself!

Eleanor Neil, FIBIS Books Coordinator

AGM and Lecture

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:05:19 GMT

Saturday, 15th November 2008 at 1.00 for 1.30 p.m. at The Friends House , 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ in Rooms 7+8+9 (near Euston Station) FIBIS Meetings are free-of-charge (apart from a small nominal charge for tea and biscuits) and all interested are welcome to attend provided that they notify FIBIS as indicated below. There will be two talks: 1. 'The lure of Indigo - and how the Hills family of East Bengal won three VCs.' By Miles Macnair. Miles' ancestor was one of the largest indigo planters in East Bengal (at Neechindapur, now in Bangladesh) with 11 factories and employing up to 60,000 ryots! Miles is a FIBIS Member 2. "The Batta Mutiny of 1766: How Alistair MacGowan's ancestor, John McGowan was given his first Commission in the Bengal Army

Times of India BMDs

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:31:59 GMT

Hard working FIBIS Volunteers in Australia have transcribed 3279 births, marriages, and deaths as reported in 'Domestic Occurrences' in the Times of India for the period 25 July 1859 to 11 May 1861 which have now been added to the FIBIS Search site.

WSFHS FH Fair

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:22:15 +0100

FIBIS will have reperesentatives at the West Surrey Family History Society OPEN DAY AND FAMILY HISTORY FAIR. Saturday 1st November 2008 10am 4.30pm. Woking Leisure Centre, Kingfield Rd, Woking, GU22 9BA . To find out more visit their website at http://www.wsfhs.org/Openday.htm

Northants FHS Conference

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:17:32 +0100

NFHS One-day Conference 'Searching for a Soldier'. Saturday 4 October 2008 at Wellingborough Museum 9.30am - 4.00pm Speakers: Peter Bailey (of FIBIS) - Military Ancestors in India. William Spencer (of TNA) - Researching World War One Ancestors. Ken Divall - Wellington, the Peninsular War and Waterloo.

Suffolk Family History Fair

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:31:25 +0100

FIBIS will have a stand at this years Suffolk Family History Fair. THE LEISURE CENTRE, Gracechurch St, Debenham, Stowmarket, IP14 6BL . Date: SATURDAY October 4th . Time: 10am-4:30pm . Other information: Large Fair plus Suffolk FHS AGM & Research help desks. Stalls include Suffolk Record Office, Norfolk FHS, East of London FHS, Kent FHS, Nottinghamshire FHS, Families in British India Society,Guild of One Name Studies, S&N Genealogy, Genealogy Printers.com and Church Postcards

FFHS Website Award

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:25:55 +0100

FIBIS is pleased to announce that it's website has won 1st place in the 'Specialist Society' category of the FFHS Website Award 2008. 2nd place in the 'Specialist Society' category went to the Guild of One-Name Studies and 3rd place went to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain.

Qualified Midwives

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:02:21 GMT

The 'List of Qualified Midwives, European and East Indian from the Government Lying-in-Hospital, Madras, 1865' has been transcribed by Sylvia Murphy from pages 489-490 of "The Asylum Press Almanac" for 1865, and has now been added to the FIBIS database.

1804 Muster Roll of Scots Brigade

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:00:17 GMT

This set of data is the muster roll of H.M 94th Regiment of Foot (Scots Brigade) for 25th June 1804 to 24th Dec 1804 recorded when the regiment was in camp near Futtypore (Fatehpur) India. On a few occasions comments from the next muster (24th June 1805) have been added by Cathy Day when a soldier died during he following muster period. Where a man's name is followed by the words 1st or 2nd they refer to two men having the same name and are used to distinguish between them. The numbers were included in the original document. At this period soldiers did not have individual permanent regimental numbers to identify them. The numbers after the names do not necessarily indicate that the two men with the same name were related. The original page contained names under the headings "Present for the Whole Muster", "Broken Periods from Commencement of Muster", "Intermediate Broken Periods", "Broken Periods to Termination of Muster' and "Recruits from England". They were separated into ranks from Privates up to Lieutenant Colonels. To make searching easier I have listed the men's names in alphabetical order indicated which original section the soldier was listed in and added annotations from the original muster. Note that there are several inconsistencies and errors (e.g. Wilson BROWN Alexander LISTON). These errors were in the original document. The codes for the original sections are: Officer Commissioned and Warrant Officers Effective Effective for the Whole Muster : 25th June - 24th Dec 1804 BPC Broken Period from Commencement of Muster BPT Broken Period to Termination of Muster IBP Intermediate Broken Period Recruit Recruit from England - Commenced Pay 26th July 1804 - At Poonamallee This data has now been added to the FIBIS database.

South Australian Mariners

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:57:59 GMT

This data is taken from *Intercolonial Circulars* found in the *South Australian Marine Board Letters Inward* from 1897 to 1920 and provides information from Mariner's Certificates of that period. This information was kindly transcribed by Geoffrey Frogley of South Australia and includes details of all mariners' certificates registered in South Australia in which the mariner was born in India or had his certificate granted in India and has now been added to the FIBIS database.

FIBIS Members' Interests Updated

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:27:52 GMT

The FIBIS Members' interests pages have had their monthly update. There are now more than 4000 different interests listed. Read more

Batta Mutiny

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

To indicate their displeasure at the loss of 'Double Batta' in 1766 imposed by Lord Robert Clive at the insistence of the Court of Directors, A large number of Officers conspired to hand in their resignations 'en masse' in May 1766. They hoped that Clive would relent and re-instate this particular priviledge. However, Clive called their bluff by summoning officers from Madras and by offering commissions to other 'gentlemen'.This list includes as many officers known to have been serving in the Bengal Army in May 1766, including those who resigned where known.

Officers of the Bengal Army Serving at the time of the 'Batta Mutiny in May 1766

This list includes those officers found to have been sent to Bengal from Madras as recorded in the 'Madras Proceedings' in India Office Records P/251/55 with the folio numbers indicated.

Officers Sent to Bengal from Madras during the 'Batta Mutiny of 1766'

Find out more

Suffolk Regimental Gazette 1891

fibis-webmaster@fibis.org (Valmay Young) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The Suffolk Record Office at Bury St Edmunds and the Suffolk Regiment Museum have very kindly allowed FIBIS to transcribe entries from the 'Suffolk Regiment Gazette'. This is an ongoing project and we are pleased to announce that personnel entries whilst the Regiment was serving in India in 1891 are now available online on our website.