Scott family

[Rachelle]

Hello, I’m new to this site so hopefully I’m posting in the correct section.
I have been researching the Scott line of our family tree and have come to a dead end. I am hoping someone can give me some tips on where I can go to from here.
Joseph Scott (aka Lambert Oswald Scott) b.25 Apr 1903 in India. He was married to Mary Merlyn McGuiness who died in 1946. He worked for the M. & S. M. Railway Co., LD.

His parents were Francis Scott (aka Frank Peter Scott) Coffee Estate Writer/Clerk • b.1867 •d.1917, Tellicherry, Madras, India and Maud Margaret Martelli b.1879 India. Died sometime before 1921 as Joseph’s school record describes him as an orphan.

Based on the marriage banns found in Find My Past Francis’ father is Peter Scott and it’s possible the entry above Francis’ marriage relates to a sister Mathilda Scott. Francis is described as Eurasian, I am assuming this means he was born in India? I have found a few of Joseph’s siblings baptismal records but not much else.

Would appreciate any help.

Rachelle

[James Anderson-Dixon]

Hello Rachelle…in reading your post I am wondering if Francis was not only born in India but may in fact have been of mixed race…’Eurasion’ is a term often used to decribe someone of mixed ‘anglo-indian’ descent i.e. the paternal line was Male/British and the maternal line Female/Indian/Asian or of mixed European/Asian…(see Researching Ancestors – FBIS Guide No 1 page 33, section 9.3 A Note on Anglo-Indians)…just wondered if this may, or may not, be relevant to your research…Kind regards, James

Jim

[Rachelle]

Thanks for the reply James, I had wondered that but wasn’t 100%. It means I can concentrate my search for Francis’ birth to India. I will have to look at purchasing this guide and patiently wait for it to be shipped to Australia :). Just wondering if you know, if Francis’ mother was Indian will it make it harder to find a baptismal record?

Rachelle

[James Anderson-Dixon]

Hi Rachelle,

My understanding is that the India office records are c70% complete, which of course means that c30% are missing and I guess probably remain somewhere in India gathering dust or unfortunately are now lost…I’ve been successful in tracing some of my ancestors who were ‘Eurasian’… specifically children of soldiers who were serving in the British Army in the mid 1800s….luckily birth records exist for two of them (Anderson and Cousins) confirming that the Mother was India. For example, the wife Robert Anderson, Private, 1st and 55th Regiment of Foot, is described as a ‘heathen concubine woman’ and was later known as Mary Ann, presumably after she converted to Christianity, which was common practice then…

So, birth/baptism records for children of mixed race do indeed exist…

However, I’ve hit a bit of a brick wall with one of my ancestors, James Dixon, born c1826, who was a Fife Major in the Madras Native Infantry and most likely of mixed race (bandsmen in Native regiments were often Eurasian)…James’ father was also James Dixon, although so far I have been unable to find the birth/baptism records for him…

Looking at the Ancestry.Co records I see that there is an entry for what looks like your ancestor, Maud’s marriage to Francis;

Name: Maud M. Martelli
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Age: 16
Birth Date: 1879
Marriage Date: 18 Feb 1895
Marriage Place: Belgaum, Madras, India
Father: John H. Martelli

Spouse: Frak Peter Scott

FHL Film Number: 527456

You might want to try the FBIS database for a birth record for Francis…

In the meantime I hope the above helps and that your research is productive…

kind regards, James

Jim

[Rachelle]

Thanks James, I have also found a few ancestors who are described as ‘native christians’ which I have since found out also referred to children of British fathers and Indian mothers. I had previously found the marriage record for Francis and Maud, unfortunately thats as far as I can get.. I’ll continue searching for the elusive Francis Scott.
I did see a marriage for a James Dixon (Fifer in 5th reg NI) to Maria in 1838 in FMP is this one of your James Dixons? Maybe too early if he is born c1826.
Rachelle

[James Anderson-Dixon]

Hello Rachelle…happy new year!

Thank you for the hint re: James Dixon, the Fifer, who married Maria in 1838…although worth a look, my James Dixon married in c.1858 when he was 26 years of age…meaning that he was born in c 1826, so would have been too young to marry in 1838…James’ marriage record lists his father as James Dixon…a FBIS volunteer is currently researching a James Dixon who married Katherine, a native christian, in 1817 and who might therefore be ancestral, although so far I have not been able to locate any children associated with their marriage…which I guess is my ‘brick wall’…good luck with your research…
James

Jim

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