A Passage to India

[MrsLizzy]

I'm looking up Brogden connections and I think some of them might have gone to East India in the 1850s/1860s.  My Ann Brogden apparently married a Nicholson some time after 1851. By 1871 she had an 8 year old daughter, Catherine, born in Umballa, East India, and the enumerator noted that her "husband had left her".  In 1871 Ann and Catherine were living with Ann's older unmarried sister Charlotte Brogden.  Charlotte never married and I can't find her in the 1861 census. Nor can I find their father, Henry Brogden (who was born about 1786 in Leeds, Yorkshire, and died I think in 1865 in Middlesex).  There were other sisters such as Julia, a possible Amelia born the same year as Julia but they may be one and the same), Emma and a brother William who was the eldest, born about 1823.  I'm wondering if the whole lot of them went to India for some reason.  I know in the very early 19th century single women went to India looking for husbands.

Does anyone know how I can find out how Ann got to India and back and whether any of her birth family went with her? I think she might have married Nicholson out there as I can't find the marriage either.

Ta!

[jorose]

IGI shows:
India Office Ecclesiastical Returns-Bengal Presidency
Catherine Charlotte Nicholson, daughter of Francis Nicholson and Ann, born 23 Jun 1862.

http://www.findmypast.com/home.jsp - I think you should look at the overseas/army bmd indexes, it seems quite likely that Francis was in the army.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/misc.htm - there are various indexes here, no marriage I can see but a couple of possible Francis Nicholsons on the medal indexes.

[miriamkinga]

Hello,  have you tried the Family History in India site - there are quite a few references to Brogden and Nicholson - www.fibis.org.

Best of luck

Maria

[MrsLizzy]

Thank you Maria, I'll have a look.

[SueD]

Hi Mrs Lizzy,
It's probably a bit late but I can help you a bit with information on Francis and Ann.

Francis was the son of William Nicholson and Catherine Watson (nee Nugent), he was named after Catherine's father Francis Nugent.

Francis and Ann married on 12 Dec 1853 at St Philip's Bethnal Green, he was already a soldier by then.

When their daughter Catherine married Francis Cannell in 1883 she states that her father was in the 7th Hussars.

Sue