Birth Certificates in India

[Dimps]

How might I obtain birth certificates for a children born in India to ex-pat Brits (mid- to late C19th)?

Thanks.

Dimps

[liverpool annie]

Hi Dimps !

Do you already know the details ? if not - you might try here to see what you can find first !!

http://www.fibis.org/

http://www.aigs.org.au/britind.htm

Annie 

[rubyrose]

Hi Dimps

If you don't find what you are looking for on FIBIS you can try:

IGI - they have some birth records from India - my great grandad and his 4 siblings were born in Bengal between 1871 and 1879 and they are on there. If you do find them there it will give you a date and place of birth. You can then go to:

British Library by Kings Cross, Asia, Pacific and Africa Collection, and get actual copies of the certificates.

You can also ask your local Family History Centre, Latter Day Saints, as they have more or less complete records for India. You'll probably have to wait a few weeks for them to order them in.

It will really help with your search if you have a place and date.

Hope this is helpful.

Ruby

[Dimps]

Thanks Annie and Ruby.

I am looking on behalf of someone else, who might be related to my family.

What we have so far is the marriage of Albert Linberry and Harriet Andrews in Bengal in 1882, and her subsequent marriage to Henry Teviot-Kerr in 1896.  These have been confirmed on the FIBIS website.  I have followed the British Library links to:

http://www.bl.uk/collections/orientaloffice.html

but cannot see how to order a certificate.  Am I being dumb?  Probably...

I would also like to be able to order a birth certificate for Harriet Andrews - I am told that she was born in Fort William, Calcutta in 1863.

Dimps

Next day:  It all makes a bit more sense now.  I have found my way through to the family history in India pages.  Is it only possible to obtain copies of certificates by personally visiting the department?

[rubyrose]

Hi Dimps

Should have made myself clearer- you have to go to the British Library to get the certificates, they're not online.

Their security is very good and you have to take proof of identity, fill in forms, wait around for a while, be interviewed, get your photo taken and then you get a card which opens all the doors!

It's worth it though if you find what you are looking for.

Good luck

Ruby

PS By the way, I found a Harriet Thornton Andrews, born 1872 in India, on the IGI. Wrong date to be the Harriet you are looking for but I wonder if she is one of yours anyway.

[Dimps]

Thanks, Ruby.

My fellow researcher is hoping to visit the British Library next month.  How much should she expect to pay per certificate?

Dimps

[rubyrose]

Can't remember exactly, not a lot. All the records are on microfiche and you buy a card which costs about £2 to insert into the photocopying machine, I think an A3 is about 50p and an A4 20p.

Before I went to the Library I got the reference numbers from the British India Family History website, it helps cut down some of the search time. This link will take you to the page with all the reference numbers for each Presidency and the year (with their IGI equivalent). The last three digits in the OIOC reference are the volume number you need to search in. http://valmayukuk.tripod.com/id33.html

The Library also has an almost complete collection of Thacker's Directories so you can track your head of family to get an idea of where they were, what they did and when they first arrived in India.

Hope you find what you are looking for.

Regards

Ruby

[Dimps]

Thanks, Ruby.  I have passed the information on.

Dimps