Genealogy Chat

Margaret

You would have to go to Kew, or get someone to go for you. They won't carry out a search. I can recommend a researcher if you'd like to pm me.

So do I have to go to Kew to get this info? Do they do a postal service, if not an email service?

regards

Margaret

Hi Margaret

Do you know anything about John Rodger's father and why he was in India? This might help you to know where to look next.

British Army records are kept at the PRO in Kew - Ann is right. There should be a lot of info if he was a captain.

Liz

As he was a Captain, then he would be listed in the Army List, so from that you could get his regiment. I know they have Army Lists at Kew, but don't know where else. His service records, if available, would be at Kew, too.

He is John Rodgers, 26th Regiment/Foot born Oct 1820 (from another website), his father is James Rodgers, I believe the same Regiment and a Captain.

Could be the Cameronians, as another website hints on that (Scottish Rifles). Two of John's sons also joined the army in the UK.

Any help appreciated

Margaret

What was his name?

Hi Liz, I thought I had the right reference numbers, but it failed.

I now know he was born in 1920, have some info on his military history, he was a Captain in the 26th Regiment/Foot. I now have his father's name as well, same regiment, but still no date of birth.

Ah well, yet another blank

Regards

Margaret

Hi Margaret

You will need either full DOB or a full reference number with volume number, page number and where he was born. You also need as full a name as possible. I have got these from the GRO in the past for overseas records - make sure you apply for these. The findmypast website supplies this in the military search section under army births and baptisms. Presumably your relative's father worked for the military in India. If he worked for the East India Company the records are kept at the British Library in London -a possibility if his child was born in 1825.

This is what the GRO website says:

'What information do I need to supply?
The minimum information required for a search to be carried out is:

full names
place and approximate date of event

If you don’t know where the event took place, then put in ‘unknown’ and a search will then be made throughout the overseas indexes. Unfortunately, if you do not know the exact location of the event, we may not be able to narrow down the search to just one entry. If you are uncertain about the year in which the event took place, then just put in your best estimate.'

This request for oversea certificates costs slightly more but is worth it. I have found relatives born all over India!

Hope this helps.

Liz

Hi all, just paid £90 for a Findmypast Explorer subscription and tried to find my gggg uncle 17-times removed (joking but it seems like that), born in Bombay, India around 1825. He was a retired Army Soldier on the 1871 census in the UK.

Findmypast gave me a reference for a likely birth in 1825, Page 139, so I sent for the certificate via GRO, and they have returned my request as I did not give the full date of birth.

Can I find this from somewhere? I thought Findmypast would be the solution!

Regards

Meg