How to search for Indian ancestors to Fiji – Part 1

The late Mahatma was the inspiration for my ancestry research. This post is part 1 of a 4-part series, which I described in my introductory note to the search for ancestors. We start the research process with the Girmit database. In all 4 parts of this series, I have used a numerical system to identify my ancestors as I wish to keep their details private.

Girmit database

The Girmit database was the starting point in the search for my GGF#1. It is a great resource to search for names, look up emigration passes, ship name, date of arrival, etc. For GGF#1, I found him by typing his name into the search box when I opened the List within which his name was to be found, i.e., his name started with G, so I looked in List G – refer to Step 1.

Step 1: Find ancestors’ names using the alphabetical list

Note that currently (as of October 2021) they have names that start with initial M and subsequent letter of ‘a’ only. For example, Manoj can be found but not Meghna or Munna. You could alternatively skip to Step 2 if you know for sure which ship they came on. The ship names records will have the remaining names i.e., from initials M+e and onwards.

Also, please be aware that there are many Ganges or Sutlejs, i.e., Ganges I, Ganges IV, etc. So, you know need to know the exact (Ganges) ship. I did not know any of this information, so for me, the list of ships came in handy when I was working backwards from the General register or the Plantation records.

Step 2: Find ancestors using ship records

If you know the name of the ancestor and what ship they came in, you can directly to the ship’s records by searching through the ship records.

If step 2 yields no results, try step 3, which is searching by arrival date.

Step 3: Find ancestors by arrival date

If you know the name of the ancestor and what date/year they arrived in Fiji, find their emigration pass by searching the ship name and the pass number.

Step 4: Emigration pass number – the key to other searches

Once you get to the right record, you can save the image. And if there is an accompanying wife or children, their names are usually stated within the husband’s/father’s emigration pass, along with the wife’s number. Then use any of the steps from 1 to 3 to find the others.

Whichever method you use, the idea is to get to the emigration pass which will list ancestors’ names, fathers’ names, villages, and districts, etc. Each of the above search methods will lead you to a Trove site that stores all the microform records, in their original state, as you may find in Fiji Archives.

The Trove site allows you to move through records. I just take an estimate. For example, if the first pass number starts at 1 and I am looking for 101, I skip through the first 100 records using the navigator. There is a movable cursor at the top of the Trove site. You can move through records using this navigator.

Hints

The emigration passes may state additional information, such as accompanying wife or children, but this was inconsistent in my experience. On some passes, the wife and children are mentioned, but on some, you must pay close attention.

For example, I found GGF#2 by looking up the pass number GGM#2 married on her General Register record. Next, I looked at the list of ships to see which ship his pass number belonged to, as I had no idea what the arrival date was. On the ship records, I arrived at GGF#2’s records. To my surprise, the Next of Kin line read as “son of #111”. Trawling through the entire ship’s records to find #111, I discovered that GGF#2 also travelled with an elder sibling.

The sibling’s record was found because I noticed a similar father’s name. The district, thana and village information were the same as GGF#2’s. The next of kin was also stated as “son of #111”. In the end, I found #111. However, in the case of GGF#4, on his parents’ records, there was no mention of him accompanying them. It was only when I found GGF#4’s pass did I discover that he travelled with his parents.

A note here about the numbers listed on the passes themselves – e.g., #111 used in the above example. This number does not refer to the pass number. It refers to the depot number. Please see the image below.

The ship’s records are different from the emigration records. All passengers on the ship had a depot number, which is marked with the green circle above. When looking for the next of kin within the ship’s records, it is the depot number to look for.

This database also comes in handy when you are working backwards – from Plantation records or General registers, to ship name, date of arrival, and pass number. For example, GGM#3’s emigration pass number, as well as her parents’ names and pass numbers were unknown to me. No one in our family knows anything apart from her first name. I found her parents’ names using the Plantation records database, which we will cover in Part 4.

In summary, the idea is to find ancestors’ pass numbers, then double-check on the General register (covered in Part 3) for links to others, such as parents or spouses. Upon verification, look for the pass numbers on the Girmit database.

Finally, as much as I recommend the Girmit database for ancestry research, I do so with a word of caution. In my experience, I noticed that the records of GGM#2’s parents do not appear on the Girmit database. Only GGM#2’s records are on the database even though she travelled as a child with her parents. Her emigration pass states her parents’ names, they all came on the same ship. Yet, her parents’ names are not on this database.

Additionally, when I found out the pass number of GGF#2 from GGM#2’s General register records, I found his emigration pass from the Ship’s records. BUT searches for his name on the alphabetical list produced no results. So, if you don’t find names on the alphabetical list, do not give up. It just means that the database is still not as complete as it could be.

The next post will cover notes on the Family Search database.

Love,

Vikashni

In case you missed it, here’s the introduction to my ancestry research.