Author Topic: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana  (Read 16709 times)

Offline drobbo

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Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« on: Sunday 17 July 11 20:43 BST (UK) »
Dear Listers

I am trying to locate ancestors who moved from South India (we think Madras) to British Guyana. I have been told that if I can find the boat/ship that took them from India to Guyana it will possibly help me to throw some light on their emigration.

Surnames I am trying to trace are Tajswah and Dhanpal (sometime spelt Dhanpaul)

I hope you can point me in the right direction

Dave

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 17 July 11 20:47 BST (UK) »
It may be difficult to locate passenger lists but can you give us an idea of dates and names?
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline drobbo

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 17 July 11 20:59 BST (UK) »
Thanks for your prompt reply....

I need to do further work but do know that my wife's grandmother was Elsie Dhanpal and she married Daniel (believe this was his 'english' name) Dhanpal. Elsie we think was born in Guyana @1928 and had a daughter * who married * Deoraj 1961 in Guyana. (I am trying to trace the Deoraj side of the family but need to check more details first)

Trying to find out Elsie and Daniel's parents and when they arrived in Guyana.

Really grateful for any help

Dave

*recent family details removed

Offline drobbo

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Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana early 1900s
« Reply #3 on: Monday 18 July 11 13:43 BST (UK) »
Dear Listers

I am trying to locate ancestors who moved from South India (we think Madras) to British Guyana. I was told that if I can find the boat/ship they travelled on from India to Guyana it will possibly help me to throw some light on their emigration.

I know that my wife's grandmother was Elsie Dhanpal (not sure of her maiden name) and she married Daniel Dhanpal. We think Elsie was born in Guyana @1928 and she had a daughter who married in 1961 to the Deoraj family.

Trying to find out when Elsie and Daniel's parents arrived in Guyana.

Also trying to trace the Tajswah family who we think arrived at a similar time.

Really grateful for any help you can give

Dave

Note: thread merged with previous thread to avoid duplication


Offline Redroger

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana early 1900s
« Reply #4 on: Monday 18 July 11 15:57 BST (UK) »
One possibility might be the British Library which has many records of the British in India. Another possibility might be to try the National Archives at Kew, and also the Guayana national archive.
Ayres Brignell Cornwell Harvey Shipp  Stimpson Stubbings (all Cambs) Baumber Baxter Burton Ethards Proctor Stanton (all Lincs) Luffman (all counties)

Offline hoolianama0508

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #5 on: Monday 18 July 11 17:00 BST (UK) »
Do you know where they lived once they got to Guyana?  The reason I ask is that a certain group on Facebook, Guyana Gallery, posts alot of information on the Berbice area of Guyana.  The tough part is that even though the Guyana library has the documents, they are not currently doing anything (to my knowledge) of getting them on a database. 

The other option is to google Guyana genealogy. There are some small groups that can try to assist you. Also, give ancestry.com message boards a try. There is a Guyana forum that might be helpful.

Good luck.
Agard, Cook, Earwaker, Garbitt, Gascoine, Greaves, Griffith, Stephenson,

Offline Redroger

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #6 on: Monday 18 July 11 18:24 BST (UK) »
On reflection I remember contacting a West Indies Family History Group who were at Olympia in February. Perhaps they cover Guyana?
Ayres Brignell Cornwell Harvey Shipp  Stimpson Stubbings (all Cambs) Baumber Baxter Burton Ethards Proctor Stanton (all Lincs) Luffman (all counties)

Offline drobbo

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 19 July 11 16:04 BST (UK) »
Thank you both for your comments

I've contacted National Archives and they were helpful. Also I have been told that the family lived in Demerara.

Although I'm not sure of the dates they arrived I think it was late 1800s. I have since found that my wife's fathers line (Deoraj) travelled on ships from India. I hope to have the names of the ships that they travelled so I assume then if I go on something like www.ancestorsonboard I might be able to trace them more accurately.

I'll log back in later once I have the information

Dave

Offline drobbo

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Re: Tracing Indian Ancestors who moved to British Guyana
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 21 July 11 08:13 BST (UK) »
I've now found that the family (Deoraj and Backtaor or Baktawar) arrived in 1895 on the ships called Elbe and Avoca.

From a birth certificate of Mangri Baktawar I have found that her parents Backtaor and Sowiya or Soriya were on these ships and there is a passenger/immigration number of 71767 and 69815.

Mangri was down as living in Pl La Bonne Intention - can listers please find out more about where these ships left and her parents?

Many thanks

Dave