RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Other Countries => Topic started by: adamjack on Sunday 05 July 20 14:49 BST (UK)
-
Hello
My ancestor Dougal McKellar was a Scottish soldier stationed in India in the late 1700s (served with the 74th Regiment and the 8th Royal Veterans Battalion). Dougal was sometimes spelled Dugald and Dougall. I don't know when exactly he arrived in India, however he enlisted in the army in Scotland on 15 Nov 1787 and was in India by 1793 when his son Walter was born on 10 Nov 1793 and baptised on 15 Dec 1793 at Tanjore (now called Thanjavur) in Tamil Nadu state. The mother's name listed on the baptism was Mary, however I have not found a marriage of Dougal and Mary. A Walter MacKeller was buried on 23 May 1802 at St Mary's, Fort St George, Madras (Chennai), however I don't know if this burial belongs to the Walter born in 1793 as other entries on the same page of the register have 'child' written after the person's name but this Walter's burial entry does not. It appears to have another name written after his, I think maybe this was an informant or church official.
Dougal also had a daughter Ann McKellar baptised on 4 Mar 1796 at St Mary's, Fort St George. Her mother's name is not listed so not sure if she and Walter had the same mother (Mary). Dougal may have been in India until 1805 when he enlisted in the New South Wales Corps at Cumberland Fort in Scotland in June 1805 and sailed from Cork, Ireland on 31 Aug 1805 as a military guard on the convict ship Tellicherry, arriving in Sydney in Feb 1806.
I am looking for any information or advice on which records from this period in India have survived and whether a marriage could be found in India for Dougal and Mary and whether it's possible to find out if Mary was the mother of both children. And whether Dougal had other children in India between 1788 and 1805. Also to find out what happened to Mary - whether she died in India before Dougal left by 1805 - and whether both children died before adulthood or went on to marry and have children of their own. I haven't seen an image of the register for the baptism entry of Walter McKellar but do have images of his burial and Ann's baptism (tried to attach them but no joy). Thank you very much for any help.
-
His regiment - 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot embarked for India in February 1789 and took part in the Siege of Bangalore in February 1791 and the Siege of Seringapatam in February 1792; also at the Battle of Mallavelly in March 1799 and the Siege of Seringapatam in April 1799. Saw action at the Battle of Assaye in April 1803. The regiment went to fight at the Battle of Argaon in November 1803 and the Capture of Gawilghur in December 1803. So he could have had other children in India between 1789 and 1805.