About Family history in the East India Company and India Office archives
The East India Company and India Office archives include returns of births, baptisms, marriages and burials of Europeans and Anglo-Indians who were born, married or died in South Asia before independence in 1947–48, as well as biographical and career information about those who worked for the Raj administration in either a military or civilian capacity.
These sessions are designed to assist those interested in tracing their family history through the three centuries and more of the region’s period under British rule.
Three sessions are available and you’re welcome to join as many as you like:
- An introduction: tracing births, baptisms, marriages and burials. You may find it beneficial to join this session ahead of the others, but it’s not necessary to do so
- Sources for tracing military ancestry
- Beyond baptisms, marriages and burials: sources of civilian biographical and career information.
No previous knowledge is expected or required.
Please note, to join these sessions you must have a valid Reader Pass. Find out more about how to get your free Reader Pass.
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More information
Make sure you have a valid Reader Pass
To join this session, all participants must have a valid Reader Pass. It is possible to register for a Reader Pass on the morning of the session, but our Reader Registration office can be very busy, so we recommend allowing at least one hour to get your pass in time.
Registering as a Reader is completely free, but you must have the right kind of ID. Find out how to get or renew your Reader Pass.
Please be aware
The session will take place in a seminar room inside a Reading Room, so please be aware of some rules we ask all visitors to follow in Reading Rooms to ensure the safety of our collection:
- leave your bags and coats in our free cloakroom or lockers, located on the lower ground floor
- here you can pick up a clear plastic bag so you can take in essentials such as a notebook, laptop and pencil (no pens)
- no food or drinks are permitted in the Reading Rooms
Please review our Reading Room FAQs in advance of your visit.
Session durations
- An introduction: tracing births, baptisms, marriages and burials is a 1 hour session. From 12.00 – 13.00
- Sources for tracing military ancestry is a 2 hour session. From 14.00 – 16.00
- Beyond baptisms, marriages and burials: sources of civilian biographical and career information is a 2 hour session. From 14.00 – 16.00.
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