Searching my GILL ancestors in India
My 2 x GGrandmother was Delia Edwarda Jarvis (nee Gill) daughter of George Gill.
Her 1st marriage in about 1859, was to Edward Jarvis in India and her 2nd marriage (10th January 1881 also in India) was to Patrick Connor. Delia died 29th December 1890 in Calcutta, Bengal, India. Unfortunately I have been unable to find when & where she was born.
I have also been unable to find the birth & death place & date of her father George Gill.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Sandra
Answers
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You could look at the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Beginners' Guide https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Beginners%27_Guide
and systematically work your way through the guide.
The images of a large group of records are on Findmypast.
The occupation of the first husband is quite important. Depending on the occupation, you can sometimes get a hint as to whether she is likely to have been born in India, or in the UK.
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Thanks Maureen,
Your advice is very much appreciated. I will look at the FIBIS Beginners' Guide.
I believe her first husband, Edward Jarvis, was a Sea Captain in the British Merchant Service - Foreign Trades. He was born in Paddington, Middlesex and died in Calcutta, India.
Her 2nd husband, Patrick Connor's occupation at the time they married was noted as "Engineer".
My Gill ancestors have been very hard to find.
Again, thank you.
Sandra
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As Edward Jarvis was a Sea Captain it seems unlikely he met his wife in Britain, otherwise they would have married there.
For a marriage in India frequently the bride had a father who was in the same industry as the groom, so perhaps George Gill was also in the maritime industry in India. In Calcutta, this also includes the Bengal Pilot Service, see the FIBIS Fibiwiki page of that name https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Bengal_Pilot_Service
It is not clear to me whether "a Sea Captain in the British Merchant Service - Foreign Trades" was actually based in Britain, in which case you need to investigate British records, or whether he would have been based in India. You could look at the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Maritime Service although a lot of the information is about the situation/records to 1834. However there is reference to some records, including FamilySearch digitised microfilm available at FamilySearch Centres and Affiliate Libraries relevant to the period after 1834. https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Maritime_Service
It may not be possible to locate specific records, but you could look at online directories, journals and newspapers. Some of these have been transcribed on the FIBIS database. Some directories, journals and newspapers are available online see FIBIS Fibiwiki pages
Sea captains travelled long distances to various countries, and it is possible he could have met his bride in many different places. There was regular shipping from America to India, and sometimes Sea Captains travelled with their family, so it is even possible the bride could have an American background. I have heard of at least one case of a young woman born in Australia approximately this period going to visit relatives in India, as there were better prospects for marriage in India. It is possible therefore Delia Gill could have been born anywhere.
Girls were often quite young in this period when married, perhaps from age 14 if born in India (British background).
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Hello Maureen,
Thanks again for the above information which I will certainly look up.
I believe (from Google) the Gill surname was most prevalent in America and when I found the index for Delia Jarvis's (nee Gill) 2nd marriage to Patrick Connor, she was listed as "White American"!
I also found a burial index for a George Gill who died in Calcutta in 1853 and his occupation was listed as "Pvt" (I'm presuming a Private in the Army or whether that info was "private" I'm not sure?) but his ethnicity too was noted as "White American". It is very likely George Gill was connected to the naval service in some way which is how Delia probably met her 1st husband Edward Jarvis who, as mentioned before, was a Sea Captain. My Great Aunt mentioned that she had visited grandfather's grave in Calcutta and the inscription on the gravestone named him as "Captain Edward Jarvis", which would confirm his occupation at the very least.
On FIBIS I found a birth index for a female child born in July 1842 to a Mrs George Gill, (but wasn't published till 1843 "Birth announcements taken from the East India Register" for the Bengal Presidency) . The year is close to the year Delia would have been born (I worked back from her date of death in 1890 which indicated she was aged 47 years). I hope I'm on the right track.
Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Sandra
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