Has anyone done any research in Turkey?

[dearman]

Hi,

My great great grandfather took his family to Istanbul during the 1870s. I would like to find out  more about their life there but I'm finding it very difficult. Has anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks

[fastfusion]

hi there...

a very difficult topic indeed..... there is zip on ancestry.com so one need not look there.

there is a page on familysearch.org for which I have given the link> https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Turkey,

it at least will give the providences... not much genealogical material has been done for Christian faithed folk for that country and given the amount of religious sectarian violence not much if any would survive from that period.

I would however write a letter to the Turkish Consulate in London or the country in which you are based asking for some possible avenues of research.

I would also seek out in google any universities and major libraries in Istanbul and send a series of snail mail letters to them. I would also endeavour to contact the Foreign Office in London, seeking an opinion of sorts for the commencement of research or seek out Turkish language studies professors in the United Kingdom or the USA and venture for an opinion with them. The latterday Saints did very minimal work in Turkey for the International Genealogical Index and any British subjects born there may appear on the records of findmypast but they would be references to births deaths and marriages only registered at the consular chapel.

Best of luck there and any findings or avenues of databases would be appreciated in a return post on rootschat so that any future enquiries of this nature may have some basis for their work...

marty
 

[fastfusion]

After further consideration regarding this topic..... on an individual basis...... you stated a member of kin         t o o k the family to Turkey........... I would be looking for passenger records and "Shipping News" articles regarding such oceanic journeys.... or whether he was simply on one of the "Great Tours"...... if, in the event your kin was a member of the foreign diplomatic service at that time there may be ( at remote possibility) an article in the London Gazette as to his posting if in fact he went there to work.
I don't know how you came to the conclusion of his arrival in Turkey whether it be from photo or a cable or a letter but what clues have u derived from that....?

dearman put up the names of the folk you seek and a brief synopsis of what u have .... maybe someone can find some more info based on a name search....

 

[dearman]

Thank you so much for both your replies and all your ideas. Wonderful.
The name of the man that took his family to Turkey was James Freeman. He was a Turner at the Royal Woolwich Arsenal. According to the family story he went there to teach the Turks how to make guns (along with many others - I have since found out). The only reason we know that he was even in Turkey was that one of his sons was born there. He was there definately in 1871 and 1872 and perhaps as long as 1867 - 1863. I assume they were in an area called Zeyburnu (as that is where his son was born). There was a large armaments factory in Zeytinburnu so my assumption has been that this is where he worked. I did try to find any passport information but there is no information for these dates.

Many thanks

[fastfusion]

Given the information that you have given , the births should registered with the British Consulate.
If you care to venture, the GRO holds a microfilm set, as with nowadays most major libraries and on the Find My Past site which may (almost certainly ) give the reference number for the birth certificate as he was a foreign national.

As for other information, I can suggest .... with some possible success, that the family may be found on some shipping records more so than immigration/passport control documents.......   I would enter "Freeman , passenger lists [or words to effect] in google or hope that some kind soul in RC will do so to see if there are any surviving records.....

Good luck with that,    and I would also put a solid post up on War Forum to see if a person worldwide knows more about military machinery contracts made in Turkey......  Given the period I also believe "supply" contracts were being given to India..?

marty
 

[millymcb]

HI

You could check here for overseas births and marriages etc - they have the GRO overseas indexes in their FREE resources section
http://www.familyrelatives.com/post_search.php?area_id=11

You have to register to see them but there is no charge.

Also - interestingly - there is another thread about Turkey at the moment you may like to keep an eye on..
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,649712.msg4962549.html#msg4962549

Milly

[Malcolm33]

  You should get some help from Levantine Heritage - http://www.levantineheritage.com/

  I have just checked their page on 'Recollections' but unfortunately nobody from your Freeman family has posted any family memories there yet.

    Though the name 'Levantine' suggests migrants from France it does cover all other European nationalities in Turkey as well, even going back to the 13th century as is the case with my ex in-laws.

     Despite what has been said there are large collections covering births, marriages and deaths, some being held in other archives in Britain.    I found quite a number through Levantine Heritage.

      Have you contacted John Hodges - http://mywdfamilies.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/r-is-for-riddiford/ ?     Since his William Long also went to Zeytinburnu around the same time, John may have found more.

[Malcolm33]

  This list of registers showing where some Levantine records are held in Britain - http://www.levantineheritage.com/regist1.htm - could be worth examining.

[dearman]

Brilliant. Thank you all very much for your ideas. Milly that link you kindly told me about to the other thread about Turkey, unfortunately didn't work. Do you happen to know what the thread is called and I'll see if I can find it.
I have found James' son's birth certificate (on the Friends United site, they had an index for overseas births so was then able to send for it from the GRO). I also wrote to the British Consulate in Istanbul to see if they had any records but they only have Births, Deaths and Marriages.