The British in India

[Neil Barber]

A search of the 1901 census places my grandmother in Dover along with three older siblings plus her mother and father. I don't know how long they were living at this address at the time of the census.

Place of birth for all the family is shown as India apart from my great grandfather who was born in Galway. The childrens' births in India were confirmed by Army Returns as was the marriage in 1886 of my great grandparents in India and I managed to get a copy of their wedding certificate. He is shown as a 28 year-old bachelor serving in the Army, Gunner, FIRA, 1st Bde. RA, and she a 22 year-old dressmaker both residing at Ahmednagar (this was a British Army base). What was disappointing was that the wedding certificate did not show the full names of my great grandparent's fathers only that they were both deceased.

This has effectively stalled any digging back to find out the details of the previous generation. My great grandmother is shown on the certificate as English and gives her maiden name, Gill. A search of Army Returns does not show a birth of someone of that name and age recorded... this suggests that she might not have been born into an Army family but, as the 1901 census shows, she was definitely born in India.

So my first question is:

Were records kept of births to English families in India? I know she was born in 1864 and her maiden name but, annoyingly, not the first name of her father so I can't do an 1841/51 census search in Britain to check to see if he lived here prior to going to India. Were census undertaken in India? Are there any other records I can check?

Secondly:

My great grandfather was born in Galway in 1858 and his surname is shown as Keneally in the army marriage records and birth records of his children and Kenneally for the 1901 and 1911 census records here in Britain. I understand that a lot of Irish census information were lost but are there any other records I can check? Did the army keep records of their soldiers that can be accessed?


As an aside, the 1911 census which still places the family in Dover was a bit of a surprise. My grandmother who was the youngest child in the 1901 is now 18 and shown as a general servant still living at home. My grandfather has shaved four years off his age and there's a three year old in the household shown as his daughter. That must have come as a hell of a shock to my great grandmother who would have been 45 when she was carrying this child. What was intriguing is that the last child is shown as being born in India. I find it hard to believe that the family moved back to India sometime between 1901 and 1906 had a baby and come back again. They were not rich and he was shown in 1901 as being a general labourer and therefore out of the army. There is some conjecture that this child was adopted... could the child have been born to one of my great grandmother's relatives still living in India and shipped back to Britain for some reason? Or (gasp) could the child have been born to my grandmother when she was 15 and adopted by her parents? Maybe the child wasn't born in India after all? Is there any way of checking this?

Finally (and, dear reader, thank you for reading thus far) the 1911 census showed that my great grandparents had had 13 live births but only five lived. What a terrible tragedy but unsurprising as India was not the best place to have babies in the 19th century. On the face of it this accounts for my grandmother, her two older sisters and one brother and, presumably the Doris, the final child who is shown as three years old. But if great grandpappy told fibs about his age maybe he did the same about the origins of Great Aunt Doris.

[peterd]

what is the christen name of your gr granparents and were there any witnesses on marriage cert ?

[Neil Barber]

what is the christen name of your gr granparents and were there any witnesses on marriage cert ?

Annie Gill and Andrew Ken[n]eally

There were two witnesses, a James Flaherty and a Henry McPherson.

Good question though. It never occured to me that she had no immediate family as witnesses.

[peterd]

poss

Ann Gill
Birth: 01 DEC 1863 Chr Jullundur, , West Bengal, India
Christening: 24 JAN 1864 , West Bengal, India


Father: William Gill
Mother: Ann



did you say it didnt have her father name on weding cert ?

it is possble she was a army child if not then parent poss working for one of the trading compaies that was accosiated with india and the british army ?

here a couple of extracts

Jalandhar was burnt by the Sikhs in 1757 and captured by the Faizullahpuria confederacy in 1766. Ranjit Singh annexed it in 1811, and in 1846 Jullundur became the headquarters of the territory acquired by the British after the first Sikh War


It is the headquarters of a brigade in the 3rd division of the northern army


data got from igi put india in for search

[peterd]

My great grandfather was born in Galway in 1858 and his surname is shown as Keneally in the army marriage records and birth records of his children and Kenneally for the 1901 and 1911 census records here in Britain. I understand that a lot of Irish census information were lost but are there any other records I can check? Did the army keep records of their soldiers that can be accessed?





parish record still exsisted but ive not had much luck with my irish ancestors



try here out of out links section


http://www.genuki.org.uk/

http://www.censusfinder.com/ireland.htm

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... #PageTitle

[Neil Barber]

Hi peterd

Thanks for the information and it looks like you found my great grandmother and my great grandfather's Christian name! The date of birth is spot on and her being born in Bengal in India is another positive, I'm convinced this is the right person, I shouldn't think there were many Ann Gills of that age in India at that time. Using that link also found me her parents so I've now tracked back to my great great grandparents on my mother's side.

It confirmed my suspicion that her family was not in the Army because I couldn't find any Gills of the right age in the Army Returns. Maybe her family were involved in trade of some kind.

Because my great grandfather is Irish and census records were lost is problematic. I've put the name about in some forums but I'm not sure whether there will be any response.

I know his regiment details, did the Army keep records of its soldiers?

Many thanks again

Neil