This is perhaps more of a geography/history question than a genealogical one.
I have for a long time been trying to find out what happened to Emile Gaston Burridge Chinal, born in Calcutta in 1879 to a family of French origin but long-standing residents in India.
He is not a direct blood ancestor of mine. My great-grandmother Florence Patterson née Elmer went out to India some time after 1911, recently widowed, leaving her baby son with her parents. Presumably she went to find a husband and in 1920 she married Emile. It didn't last long because a few years later she was back in Scotland using the name Patterson, and most of her family didn't know that she had ever remarried at all.
The Chinals were quite a numerous family but none of their descendants have any idea of what happened to Emile.
Recently I came across a letter written to Florence in 1932 from the Gresham Publishing Co., Bombay. It says 'We write to say that we have yesterday had a communication from Mr. E. Chinal in which his return address is given as c/o Postmaster, Bannu, N.W.F.P.'
I would think it impossible that any records would survive from that region but my question is - what would a European man in his 50's be doing in such a (with apologies) God-forsaken place? He was not in the military, nor the Church, and as far as I know had no connection with the East India Company.
As I say, he is not a relation of mine but I am very curious about this.
Thanks for any comments
Bev
