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Research in Other Countries => Other Countries => Topic started by: Charlesworth on Monday 17 September 12 21:06 BST (UK)
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Hello all, with help on another board, I've found that it's likely that one of my ancestors was called Charlotte Garlah. Her father was Thomas Garlah, and they lived in India (1800s). I've been trying to find where the name comes from but am not having any luck at all. Has anyone heard of this name before?
Any pointers gratefully received!
Thanks!
Louise
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Not sure if this is any help really, but there is a thread on Rootsweb about another Garlah family from Mussoorie:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2004-03/1079688931
Might give you a lead to follow up.
What sources do you have for the information about Charlotte and her father?
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Thanks for that. It was from a marriage record on Familysearch.org. In relation to Charlotte and her father, that's all I was able to find. There are about four records on the India Office records, but nothing relating to her or her father.
Louise
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You might find some information on this site:
http://www.new.fibis.org/
I know there are others on Rootschat with interests in British India, so I will change the title of your topic to include the word India and then move this topic to the "Other Countries" board, in the hopes of attracting more help for you :)
Prue
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Hi Louise,
The only other reference I found to the name, other than those on FamilySearch and a few on the internet, is the following detail regarding a map for sale - "A Plan of the Town and Fortress of Garlah belonging to Angria the Admiral to the Sahou Rajah on the Coast of Mallabar."
All those I found on the internet seem to be India based.
Tony
Added I followed up my search and also found the following site -
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2003-09/1064393771
If you look down the list of Staff, there is a Miss Garlah listed as a Kindergarten teacher. It gives her year of birth as 1902.
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Another link for you
http://ogshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2009_06_01_archive.html
It's the blog page for Oak Grove school in Jharipani, Mussoorie. One of the writers refers to the teachers at the school -
In my early years the school was mostly run by Anglo-Indians, which included the principal -Mr. Love, heads of the Junior, Girls and Boys schools – Miss D'Colis, Miss Garlah, Mr. Belew and most teachers.
So, were the Garlahs Anglo-Indian? Possibly another line of inquiry to follow?
Tony
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Google books has Garlah references to the writings of Ruskin Bond, an Indian author. The excerpts seem to be brought together here (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UzVuAAAAMAAJ&q=Garlah&dq=Garlah&source=bl&ots=A1Lg5GGWcQ&sig=Sf__jpBnClV8m_rPcU0-evo2jfo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=D-FYUIHgNKbF0QWk64DACw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAzgK).
This may be the lady referred to:
http://people.virginia.edu/~pm9k/wosa/bng/2000/october/1garlah.htm
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Hi me again Ciderdrinker
There is a possible baptism for a brother to Charlotte on familysearch ,Thomas s of Thomas and Mary 27.4.1830 at Trichinopoly Madras,he goes on to marry a Adelaide Mary Louisa Dughard age 19 20.10.1865 at Bangalore, and has various children.
I do think you're right that it is anglo-indian but intrigingly there is a marriage in familysearch at North Reeps Norfolk 10.10.1776 a Thomas Garlah to a Hannah Fox,obviously not the same man, unless he was very very old when he had Charlotte.
There is also a W Garlah in Spitlefields in 1792 on the London land tax records.
Have you also spotted that William Charlesworth born in 1820 had 2 other wives one before and one after Charlotte.
Ciderdrinker
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Hi all, thank you so much for all your replies and apologies for replying so late. They've all proven useful - I did contact one of the ladies in the link Ciderdrinker posted and unfortunately she didn't know the history of the Garlah name, but knew the ladies who ran a school in Mussoorie.
I was wondering if Garlah was an anglicized Indian name, but from what you've said, Ciderdrinker, it looks like it could be English. So a Garlah went to India at some point and settled there. Thank you for those English references to Garlah - they give me more of a possible idea. (I did manage to sit down and unpick the Charlesworth references on Familysearch, and managed to work out the three wives of William(!) and their children, so I now have a clear line from my g grandfather William Jonathon to William the coffee planter.)
My dad was Anglo-Indian (his father was Anglo-Indian and his mother was too). The paternal line was easy because the Anglo bit only went back to my g grandfather. With my dad's maternal line (the Charlesworths) it seems to go back much further, which makes it more complicated.
I've looked on the British library online records and on Familysearch, but does anyone know if there is another way of accessing East India company records? I will be going to India next year so will have a chance to do some research...
Thank you so much!
Louise
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Hi Louise,
Came across this site and wondered if it may be of some use -
http://www.britishonlinearchives.co.uk/index.php
They do have some archives for the EIC.
Also found this site regarding Anglo-Indian Family Trees -
http://www.sumgenius.com.au/ an Australian site but there may be links that prove useful.
Tony
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Thank you Tony - I shall have a look!
(Do you ever wonder why it is we get so sucked into looking for family trees. It's too addictive!)
Louise
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There are two more recent deaths for Garlah -Watkins in England,
I can find no marriages or births for these.
But here is,,,,, Charlotte Garlah Birth,Indian subcontinent.
Secunderabad,1833.
Will send full record by PM
Brionne.
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Thank you so much - that made my morning!
Louise
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Pleased to help,India is always so interesting,there is a wealth of info
in the Links put on this post earlier.Spent last evening going through it all.
Brionne
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Pleased to help,India is always so interesting,there is a wealth of info
in the Links put on this post earlier.Spent last evening going through it all.
Brionne
There are some very interesting links to India under the "Other Countries - Resources" heading at the top of the "Other Countries" board.
If you have ancestors who were lucky enough, like I was, to go to any of the Hill Schools in India, I can highly recommend "Under the Old School Topee" by Hazel Innes Craig. The book is, I think, still available via Amazon. If it's the general feel of India you're after, try " The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Tahir Shah which, according to the New York Times Book Review, is " a Bedlam strewn circus of a book".
Tony
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Thanks - they sound interesting. I suppose it must be quite possible that some of them did go to school in the hill stations, as that was quite common. I know that my other grandparents were in school in the south. There's a lot for me to look in to!