Monday 12 March 2012

Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors

A shameless plug now for a new book out by a friend of mine!

Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors by Emma Jolly takes a look at our British connection to India, and in particular how to trace those who lived there. It's a massive subject with a lot to pack in, and there's no better person to tackle it than Emma, who has helped me with my own Indian connections in the past - one of my ancestors was stationed in Bombay in the 19th century and had two children born whilst there, for whom she brilliantly located their baptismal certs on my behalf in the British Library.

I've been looking forward to reading this, and hope to get a review copy soon from Pen and Sword - in the meantime it is now available from the company's website at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-British-Indian-Ancestors/p/3356/ - here's the cover blurb:

Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors gives a fascinating insight into the history of the subcontinent under British rule and into the lives the British led there. It also introduces the reader to the range of historical records that can be consulted in order to throw light on the experience of individuals who were connected to India over the centuries of British involvement in the country.

Emma Jolly looks at every aspect of British Indian history and at all the relevant resources. She explains the information held in the British Library India Office Records and The National Archives. She also covers the records of the armed forces, the civil service and the railways, as well as religious and probate records, and other sources available for researchers.

At the same time, she provides a concise and vivid social history of the British in India: from the early days of the East India Company, through the Mutiny and the imposition of direct British rule in the mid-nineteenth century, to the independence movement and the last days of the Raj.

Her book will help family historians put their research into an historical perspective, giving them a better understanding of the part their ancestors played in India in the past.

Should be a great read!

Chris

British GENES on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES and Twitter @chrismpaton

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