Deaths in India

[Tegfantrio]

I am searching for my ancestors David Smith born nr Dundee in 1851 and his wife Sarah Jane born in Flintshire in 1852 who went out to Bombay, India sometime after 1891. They had 2 children there, who both came back to the UK and are listed as boarders at a school on the 1901 census and as born in Bombay. I can't find any trace of David or Sarah Jane after this, so how do I find out if they died in India?

[michaelpipe]

You could try the India Office Family History search page
http:
//indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/Home.aspx

Or the FIBIS website
www.
fibis.org/

Do you know what he did? Military, or Railways for example. This can have a bearing on where you look.

[Geoffers]

SMITH! - It had to be Smith - my deepest sympathies to you in your research.

You might try:

BMDregisters for oveseas deaths (free seach pay to view entries)

The indices to overseas deaths on pay-per-view sites

What did he/they do for a living - anything that may have left a paper trail?

FIBIS (Friends in British India Society - it turns up using a search engine)

India Office Family History Search engine

(Tip for the next life - chose ancestors with surnames which occur less frequently).

[Tegfantrio]

Thanks for suggestions - I'll follow them up. In the 1881 uk census, his occupation was foreman iron moulder, and family knowledge seems to suggest that he set up a business of his own - possibly engineering. His son Walter Smith went back to Bombay as a lawyer and was president of the Bombay City Police club from 1932 to 1942 so there may be some chance of tracing him. I'll persevere! I'mm also researching my Bagshaw family so may have more luck with that!

[Jan1954]

....... his occupation was foreman iron moulder, and family knowledge seems to suggest that he set up a business of his own - possibly engineering.

I wonder if he would be listed in the 1895 Thacker's Indian Directory?

[Tegfantrio]

Well I've tried the India office and the FIBIS and there's no trace of any of them! I'll keep trying!

[Tegfantrio]

Progress! With a lot of help from Gele through this site, I have found that David Smith worked for Richardson and Cruddas Iron works in Byculla, Bombay, and I have now found a reference in Thackers. I would still love to find out where he lived in Bombay and where he and his wife Sarah Jane died.