Hello All I had a 30 day free trial wich was cancelled OK. Then my wife had a 30 day free trial and cancelled. After a few days an Email offered a 20% reduction on the UK subscription which I accepted. Ancestry is the only site I have found that provides original images of census records. Most useful as others have numerous transcription errors. Genes Reunited is great for contacts but provides no original info. Regards Ian

Hello All I had a 30 day free trial wich was cancelled OK. Then my wife had a 30 day free trial and cancelled. After a few days an Email offered a 20% reduction on the UK subscription which I accepted. Ancestry is the only site I have found that provides original images of census records. Most useful as others have numerous transcription errors. Genes Reunited is great for contacts but provides no original info. Regards Ian

Lynne Hadley <lynnehadley1@bigpond.com> wrote: Methinks that perhaps there were a few sepoys who would have wanted to carry out this sentence themselves, Dear Lynne, Do you have any proof to back up what you have written or did you just make something up to belittle the start of the sepoy revolt. Thank you. Idris Attarwala Fremont, CA

In a recent message "Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar" <bosham@gmail.com> wrote: > Image of the order sentencing Mangal Pandey to death : > http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050814/spectrum/book10.htm You should not forget that Barrackpore was the scene of an earlier sepoy rebellion. On the 2nd. November 1824, during the 1st Burmese War, the 47th Native Infantry mutinied. The base causes were to be repeated in the better known 1857 mutiny (some folk will never learn). The events were observed by my wife's gg-grandfather, Thomas Erskine DEMPSTER, who was the surgeon attached to the regiment. His record was published in The Journal for Army Historical Research, Vol. 54, 1976, and a summary posted on the India list. This is available in the archive: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2001-02/0981877351 -- Dave Keep GMT all year

Some fascinating images of British India, mostly by German lensmen. Antique Prints of India and the Islands of the Indian Ocean http://www.raremaps.de/printsindia.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

The Twin Histories of the Sam Browne Belt Here is the British version, in parts. To read the American version, and to see images, visit : http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-uniforms/sam_browne.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India It was Lieut. Samuel J. Browne of the 36th Bengal Native Infantry (later General Sir Sam Browne VC, GCB, KCSI) who received orders to raise a regiment of Punjab cavalry in Lahore to be designated the 2nd Punjab Irregular Cavalry. The 5th was raised at Mooltan by Captain Robert Fitzpatrick of the 12th Bombay Native Infantry. Both regiments were promptly engaged in frontier operations. Both 2nd and 5th went to the seat of action when the Great Mutiny began in 1857 and Captain Dighton Probyn was awarded the Victoria Cross. Browne, now a Captain (brevet Major ?), charged and captured a rebel gun, accompanied by only a single Sowar. He lost his left arm but earned a Victoria Cross. The decoration had only recently been instituted and there is no doubt that it was awarded rather more liberally than in later years but it is certain that there was no lack of opportunities for young officers with fire in their belly and the need to secure advancement. The mutiny operations completed, both regiments returned to the Frontier and, in 1861, they were regularised and became the 2nd and the 5th Punjab Cavalry. It was at about this time that the famous Sam Browne belt was to make its appearance, an item of dress to be adopted widely and surely one of the few accoutrements still to be in use 130 years later with little or no change. The colonel, having lost his left arm had difficulty in carrying his sword comfortably, whether mounted or dismounted, leaving his one hand free. It's design was also intended to carry a leather pistol holster whereby the weapon could be safely carried without the risk of accidental discharge - as the pistols of the day were inclined to do. [SNIP] ===============

Image of the order sentencing Mangal Pandey to death : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050814/spectrum/book10.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

April 8th, 2008 *** On this date in 1857, ten days before the scheduled date for his execution, Mangal Pandey was hanged at Barrackpore, India, for mutiny against his British officers - a death sentence at the intersection of technology, faith and empire that would prefigure India's first large-scale rebellion against English authority. *** [snip] http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/04/08/1857-mangal-pandey-sepoy/ It started in Barrackpore Thursday, May 10, 2007 Oddly enough, the Barrackpore barrack, the venue of the first revolt of the sepoys against the company rule where the hero of the sepoy mutiny Mangal Pandey was hanged, does not bear any reminiscences of that heroic event. There is no statue or monument and not even any inscription on the plaque in memory of those war heroes and their great sacrifices. But the groves of the banyan trees where Mangal Pandey's body had been kept hanging for some time for other warriors to watch and get horrified, are still there. Neither the Left Front government nor any other social and cultural organisation has come forward to hold any seminars or exhibitions in remembrance of the historic event on the occasion of the 150th year of the sepoy mutiny. The cultural ministry also has been keeping silent. In 1857, the Bengal army had 10 regiments of Indian cavalry and 74 of infantry and they all at some point or the other mutinied. On March 29 at Barrackpore Latbagan, Mangal Pandey of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry suddenly burst out and attacked the adjutant, Lt Baugh with a sword. But failing in the attempt he fired at him, which, unfortunately, did not hit him but his horse. Gen. John Hearsey saw a frenzied Mangal Pandey attacking Lt Baugh and he ordered forthwith Jamadar Iswari Prasad to arrest Mangal Pandey but he refused. The whole regiment, excepting a soldier called Shaikh Paltu, also drew itself back. But still they did not dare to go for direct action against the company's troops as desired by Mangal Pandey. Pandey then in an attempt to end his life, placed a musket on his chest and pulled the trigger with his toe. But his attempt failed. On April 6 he was court-martialled and on April 8 he was hanged to death. Jamadar Ishwari Prasad, who had refused to arrest Mangal Pandey, was also hanged to death subsequently on April 22 and the whole regiment was disbanded. The sepoys were unarmed and their uniforms stripped off. [snip] http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070510/1857/main5.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Indian Ship Letters 1814 - 1819 25 March 2004 The East India Company was involved in carrying Mails between England and India until 1854. It made no charge and received no Government remuneration for this service. This did not mean that the British Post Office did not meddle in, or attempt to control the Indian Mails, nor that relationships were harmonious. The Company's monopoly on trade with India meant that the mails between England and India could be carried only on the Company's vessels or occasionally on the Navy's ships. Some mails did travel to England on foreign vessels via their home country. The Company had been in the habit of making no charge for carrying mail between Britain and India. This applied equally to the mail of private individuals, the Government and the Post Office. It would receive mail from all over the country to be forwarded to India, bags would be sent from the Post Office and Government Departments and there was even a posting box at its offices in Leadenhall Street. Mails brought from India were generally passed to the Post Office and were subject to the normal ship letter charges levied by the Post Office and any inland postage - a situation that appeared to please everybody. Unlike the mails to other major countries the Post Office did not operate a Packet Mail to India. The reason had always been one of cost because of the great distance. In one respect free transit was a real benefit, but the use of Indiamen which were designed to carry freight rather than for speed did mean that the mails were slow, taking between 170 and 230 days and at times even longer. To the Post Office there was the advantage of dealing with only one private carrier to India. With the loss of the monopoly in 1813 any ship could carry the mails. The display illustrates the mails between India and Great Britain between 1780 and about 1880. This cut-off essentially represents the point at which the service entered the modern preflight era. From this point there was some improvement in speed and reduction in rates but the service was materially the same until Airmails. The text of the lecture is in the April and May issues of the London Philatelist. It deals with a much shorter period 1814 - 1819 and is primarily concerned with the negotiations of the Post Office with the East India Company, the Admiralty and private ship owners. The only route for ships to India was via the Cape of Good Hope until the Suez Canal was opened in 1869. The majority of mail continued to go via the Cape until 1830. From the early 1800's there was a growing demand for a faster mail service, which had not improved since the middle of the previous century. These demands lead to experiments with a sea route through the Mediterranean, overland across Egypt to the Red Sea, and then by sea to India. At first mail from India via Suez was landed at Falmouth. Once the rail link between London and Southampton was completed, Southampton became the port of landing for all Indian mails. Later, various overland routes to the Channel ports through Europe shortened the sea route from Egypt. [snip] Full text with images at: http://www.rpsl.org.uk/indian_ship_letters/index.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

I'm in the UK. I have been happy with Ancestry for some years so I feel the 'other side' should be reported. This year the annual 'all in' subscription was virtually $300/150 GB, so I decided I would have to cancel. I thought I had completed the online cancellation, but I could still log in and search after the cancellation date. Then I had an email to say Thank You for continuing your subscription... I decided to call the telephone number quoted on the website for UK callers, and spoke to a charming lady (in the US). We had a chat about the options, she suggested just the UK package for instance, but I declined the offer. She assured me my sub would be cancelled from the date it 'ran out'. By the next day I had received an official cancellation email. Since then, I have had a quick whirl around using the free 14 day option, and cancelled again with no problem. No calls required. Other databases are available, paid or free. Everything is down to personal choice - and following the instructions is always a good idea... Ruth in Brum (Birmingham, England - very sunny morning melting the frost!) > I was seriously contemplating taking out a subscription to Ancestry.com. I > have been with Genesreunited for some time now and have been very successful > with the site. I think I'll stick to Genes. Thanks for the advice.

I was seriously contemplating taking out a subscription to Ancestry.com. I have been with Genesreunited for some time now and have been very successful with the site. I think I'll stick to Genes. Thanks for the advice. Molly Sarstedt-Hamilton, Townsville, Australia Researching - Sarstedt/Hitchcock/Osborne/Cullen/Pringle/Vargas/Hamilton/Slark/Samworth/Fury/Short/Lawcock/Smith Beautiful autumn weather at present

Sunday, August 26, 2007 Snipped from http://sundaytimes.lk/070826/Plus/pls12.html Maria Graham: The first female author to write on Ceylon in English During the 19th century there were three female authors of distinction who provided accounts of Ceylon in the English language - Maria Graham (1812), Constance Gordon-Cumming (1892), and Marianne North (1892). In addition, all of them were accomplished artists, especially North who had her own gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. That there were so few female 19th-century accounts of the island is not altogether surprising given the general paucity of female travellers and, to a lesser extent, female authors, during that period. The works of these female authors differ from those of their male counterparts - Bennett (1843), Cordiner (1807), Davy (1821), Forbes (1840), Knighton (1854), Percival (1803), Pridham (1849), Selkirk (1844), Skinner (1891), Sullivan (1854) and Tennent (1859) for example - in certain respects. The mission of many of the male authors was to promote the island as a commercial proposition for pioneers and investors, or to amass information on the new colony. The works of the female authors, generally being of the memoir type, were more personal and impressionistic, and their descriptions often demonstrate they were more observant than the males. Maria Graham (1786-1844) was a writer of travel and children's books, and a fine illustrator. Born in Scotland as Maria Dundas, her father, George Dundas, was one of many naval officers raised by the Dundas clan. In 1808, his life at sea finished, he was made head of the naval works at the British East India Company's dockyard in Bombay, and took Maria, then 23, with him. She fell in love with a naval officer, Thomas Graham and they married in India in 1809. In 1811 they returned to England, where Maria Graham published her first book, Journal of a Residence in India, which included her Ceylon visit. [snip] ============== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

From another List. PLEASE HANDLE ANCESTRY WITH GREAT CARE! I stupid like took out a Trial Subscription with them and then contacted them to say I did not want to proceed further. But, they helped themselves to £25 out of my Bank Account for 3 successive months. £75!!! I contacted NatWest Mastercard and they sorted it our for me, and also told me that they have had more trouble with Ancestry over payments like this than with any other Supplier. Now you all know. I would not like to think any other Moonraker had the same treatment as I got. Regards and Best wishes xxx PS There are plenty of good suppliers without using Ancestry. I would strongly recommend www.FindMyPast.com ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

In a recent message "David Railton" <railton.david@btinternet.com> wrote: > Beware Ancestry in Libraries! The Ancestry Library edition is not the same > as the full version. You will get the same census information but much else > is limited. For example the Library edition has about 30 newspapers while > the full version has well over a 1,000. [snip] My Manchester (UK) public library has a subscription and I have made a lot of use of it. I found some of my wife's family in the Church Mission Society's Children's Home in Islington. Their father was a missionary in Bengal. Not bad for free. I have always had suspicions about 'free' trial offers that require you to sign up for a full subscription and then cancel. By that time they have your bank details etc. Hardly secure. At least the UK has the legal protection that John used. -- Dave Barnett Keep GMT all year

Beware Ancestry in Libraries! The Ancestry Library edition is not the same as the full version. You will get the same census information but much else is limited. For example the Library edition has about 30 newspapers while the full version has well over a 1,000. David -----Original Message----- From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Chris Woods Sent: 06 April 2008 15:47 To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] ANCESTRY BEWARE! You might like to check if your local library has taken out a subscription allowing it's members to use Ancestry for free. Certainly works in Norfolk Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> To: "Raj" <INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 12:34 PM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] ANCESTRY BEWARE!!!!!!!!! From another List. PLEASE HANDLE ANCESTRY WITH GREAT CARE! I stupid like took out a Trial Subscription with them and then contacted them to say I did not want to proceed further. But, they helped themselves to £25 out of my Bank Account for 3 successive months. £75!!! I contacted NatWest Mastercard and they sorted it our for me, and also told me that they have had more trouble with Ancestry over payments like this than with any other Supplier. Now you all know. I would not like to think any other Moonraker had the same treatment as I got. Regards and Best wishes xxx PS There are plenty of good suppliers without using Ancestry. I would strongly recommend www.FindMyPast.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

You might like to check if your local library has taken out a subscription allowing it's members to use Ancestry for free. Certainly works in Norfolk Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> To: "Raj" <INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 12:34 PM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] ANCESTRY BEWARE!!!!!!!!! From another List. PLEASE HANDLE ANCESTRY WITH GREAT CARE! I stupid like took out a Trial Subscription with them and then contacted them to say I did not want to proceed further. But, they helped themselves to £25 out of my Bank Account for 3 successive months. £75!!! I contacted NatWest Mastercard and they sorted it our for me, and also told me that they have had more trouble with Ancestry over payments like this than with any other Supplier. Now you all know. I would not like to think any other Moonraker had the same treatment as I got. Regards and Best wishes xxx PS There are plenty of good suppliers without using Ancestry. I would strongly recommend www.FindMyPast.com

Book Review from http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Little-bit-of-paradise/293035/0 Little bit of paradise Sunday , April 06, 2008 The Doon valley and places in its proximity - Mussoorie and Landour - are amongst the most picturesque places in India. This book takes a historic look at the area from the time of its founding by Ram Rai the son of guru Har Rai. The book is an interesting read for enthusiasts of urban history in that it paints a changing picture of Dehra Doon from a garrison town to retiree heaven on to the boomtown that it is today. The book is strongest in narrating history of places of local importance. Here it is rich in anecdotal details. At the well-known library in Mussoorie for instance, the upper verandah of the building used to be converted every evening into a restaurant that played live music for the patrons from the Savoy Hotel. Or take the fact that the Himalayan Club had segregated spaces for ladies and gentleman and the twain was rarely allowed to meet. It is also rich in similar anecdotal details about other local notables such as the Mussoorie skating rink and the famous Hampton Court Hotel. The cantonment town of Landour, built around a hospital for British soldiers is detailed in the book. This charming little place today houses a nuclear science establishment of DRDO and most of it is off limits to civilians. However the famous local resident Ruskin Bond, a good friend of the author, has made it a part of popular imagination with his many books that are set in Landour's deodar forests. Two other chapters are of interest in the book. 'Household Words' deals with the local mysteries such as unsolved murders and local scandals like love affairs and the like. It is interesting to walk down wooded nooks and mists of these mountains and you can almost feel the shiver of a seeming ghost. The other major attraction of the book is a chapter on the life and times of the General Fredrick Young who founded Mussoorie. This man had many qualities of a typical East India Company soldier - risk taking, ability to lead from the front and take failure in his stride. It is also a telling comment on the spirit that comprised the East India company of standing up and delivering in what they thought to be their manifest destiny the British Empire. For those interested in military history, the book has many telling tactical details of the wards between the British and the Gurkhas where both sides underestimated the other and paid dearly for the misjudgment. The book is a must have for all those who love the hills. ========== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Something literary for this Sunday: ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India Quoting from http://theorangeandwhite.blogspot.com/2008/04/light-of-asia.html Saturday, April 5, 2008 The Light of Asia - Arnold's Vision India possesses historical records dating as far back as fourteen centuries before the Christian era. Little is known of the history of its original inhabitants, though it is believed they are, to some degree, represented by various tribes. At some point in recent centuries, Hindu has poured and gradually "dislodged the possessor of the soil." Additionally, the English took control of India before Arnold wrote his poem The Light of India, but Indian mutiny reached the news of England July of 1857. Shortly after, however, the mutiny was quelled. In spite of this, Arnold had his own vision of India. Arnold wanted to convey, "to communicate to his countrymen in England, in the language native to them, the vision he had seen of India, of her glory that was bygone--bygone only to reemerge in brighter hues." Arnold's compassion for India is not only telling of his fondness of the country, but also the influence its history of Buddhism had on him (that is, if we're to analyze the meaning of his poem). Arnold writes, "Buddha will go again to help the World." "Yea! spake He, "now I go to help the World." This last of many times; for birth and death End hence for me and those who learn my Law I will go down among the Sakyas, Under the southward snows of Himalay, Where pious people live an d a just King." Perhaps the impiousness Arnold seems to be referring to is the the British stronghold in India. The Indian Mutiny sealed the fate of the East India Company. The overarching extension of the British Empire in India had suggested its desire to bring the Indian administration directly under the crown. The government of India was transferred to the crown and the East India Company later ceased to exist. Arnold seemed to have wanted a different India than that of his time. [snip] ==================

06/04/2008 Snipped from http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040655500800.htm C. Subramania Bharati (1882 - 1921) is indisputably the greatest of modern Tamil poets. He was a precocious child, and his prodigious talent at verse earned him the title of Bharati even as a boy. The Swadeshi movement, which gathered momentum following the Partition of Bengal, drew Bharati deeper into nationalist politics. He attended the Calcutta Congress in 1906, where he met Sister Nivedita to whom he dedicated two early works in Tamil. Bharati edited the nationalist Tamil weekly, India, which articulated the militant Indian nationalism of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He shared with The Hindu's second founder, S. Kasturiranga Iyengar, who took over the newspaper in 1905, a deep admiration for the politics, sacrifices, and heroism of Tilak. The revolutionary poet had a flair for languages. He was proficient in Sanskrit, Telugu, English, and French. He wrote with felicity in English. On December 27, 1904, The Hindu published a letter, "Mr. Sankaran Nair's Pronouncement," by C. Subramania Bharati in the 'Letters to the Editor' section. At the age of 22, he wrote his very first piece in English to appear in print. Research into the microfilms of The Hindu by A.R. Venkatachalapathy, Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, has brought to light Bharati's Letters to the Editor. (See the report 'Early views of nationalist-poet Subramania Bharati' in The Hindu of March 30, 2008.) These 16 letters, two 'open letters,' and two articles are unknown even to Bharati scholars. The letters and articles were written between 1904 and 1916. The writings have a remarkable range and a distinctive voice. They present the poet's views on social reform; his admiration for Tilak; his criticism of Annie Besant and the Theosophical Society; his defence of Aurobindo; being hounded by spies and informers when he was in exile in French-ruled Pondicherry; his admiration for Serbian patriotism; and the wretched condition of indentured Indian labourers in South Africa. [snip] ============== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

John, Would you please post this to the India list as well. Ian On Sun, Apr 6, 2008 at 6:34 AM, John Feltham <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> wrote: > > From another List. > > > > PLEASE HANDLE ANCESTRY WITH GREAT CARE! > > I stupid like took out a Trial Subscription with them and then contacted > them to say I did not want to proceed further. But, they helped > themselves > to £25 out of my Bank Account for 3 successive months. £75!!! > > I contacted NatWest Mastercard and they sorted it our for me, and also > told > me that they have had more trouble with Ancestry over payments like this > than with any other Supplier. > > Now you all know. > > I would not like to think any other Moonraker had the same treatment > as I > got. > > Regards and Best wishes > > xxx > > PS There are plenty of good suppliers without using Ancestry. I would > strongly recommend www.FindMyPast.com <http://www.findmypast.com/> > > > > > ooroo > > If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. > > Anon. > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >