This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: railtond Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.asia.india.general/2827.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Kevin has ancestors in Kolar Gold Fields and has a marriage record from 1903. he asks if anyone has gone down this route before. I have, but with only partial success. There are 2 main sources of church records from India: The British Library and whatever remains in churches in India. The British Library has copies of all the church records that were copied to the India Office in London. Estimates of the proportion this represents of all church registers there ever were varies but it is certainly far from 100%. The British Library records can be viewed in 3 ways. By visiting the British Library, by viewing the microfilm copies of the BL records held by the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints (they are available to non church members) or by viewing the BL records on FindMyPast when they become available (FindMyPast are supposed to have put them on-line but there have been a number of delays). Writing to churches in India requesting information from their records rarely produces a result. Most records have probably now decayed as a result of dampness and ants and for what remains church officials seem disinclined to reply to requests. I have obtained some information on baptisms, marriages and burials from the microfilm copies held by CJCLDS but by no means all I know there should be. I am waiting for FindMyPast in the hope that I find something I have missed. My attempts to make contact with what I understand is the last remaining catholic church in Kolar Gold Fields has not been answered. I have also employed someone to view the records for me without any better success. I would summarise by saying that all we can do is hope that FindMyPast do bring these records on-line. If we don't find what we are looking for when they do the chances of finding missing records elsewhere is very slight. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.