Category: Identity

You are almost there. I am sad that the research process ends here, but this one may be the beginning to finding the missing pieces!

If you happen to have missed the earlier posts, please see the inspiration; Part 1; Part 2; Part 3.

Plantation database

This database is a compilation of records of Indian immigrants on the plantations in Fiji at the time. Within the plantation database, there are 9 books or volumes of records. The books are organised chronologically. In book/volume 1, there is an index of the plantations, which will guide you to the books/volumes and page numbers you wish to investigate – see image below.

Once you have the right plantation record and year, search using the ancestor’s pass number. Alternatively, if you are like me and have no pass number, read through all the names.

Next, to ensure you have the right ancestor, repeat the process of looking them up in the General Register to find out who they married, which children accompanied them, etc. When you know you have the right person, look up that person on the Girmit database by name and pass number to access their emigration pass.

Sometimes, the Plantation records are the only links to the missing pieces. If one knows which plantation their ancestors worked in, this is a great resource to use.

Hints

The hardest part of my research was not knowing the pass numbers for one set of great grandparents. This was so because they were born in Fiji to Girmitya parents. The Plantation records were helpful in this circumstance. Without a pass number, the Girmit and General Register databases are of no help.

To resolve this issue, I decided to search for the parents to whom my great-grandparents were born. Unfortunately, I did not know the names of one set of great-great-grandparents. My strategy was to look in the Plantation records for my great grandmother’s name.

How did I know which plantation records to search? Good question.

I knew who that this great-grandmother had married – GGF#4. From my research, I found that most people married within the plantation. For example, on mum’s side, her maternal grandparents arrived separately at a plantation in the Central Division but later got married while at this plantation.

Consequently, I looked within the plantation records within which I knew GGF#4’s parents were working.

Finally, having done the hard yards here’s some information that you will find useful:

• Book 3 is a replica of book 2 after the first two pages. This book continues in Book 4 after image number 418 in Book 4.

• Book 6 is incomplete. I was looking for pp. 197-206 but these are not there. The book stops at image 131, page 65.

• In Book 8, image 442, there’s a note saying, “Continued from Book VI, page 206”. But as noted above, there is no page 206 in Book 6. Book 6 ends on page 65.

Origins in India

To locate which places in India ancestors came from, Google Maps is helpful when used in comparison to the map of India at the time of indenture. I found that the information on the passes was accurate to the extent that they pointed me to the villages, thanas and districts that existed at the time of indenture. Since then, the provinces have changed in India and as a result, so have some district names and borderlines.

To keep things consistent, I relied less on Google maps and used old maps of India first and foremost to locate the district as noted on the emigration pass. For the bigger districts, the names of some of the thanas appeared on the old maps. Looking at the locations gave me an idea of where to look in modern maps, like Google maps.

Generally, the information on the emigration passes resembled what was the map of India at the time of indenture, and current India. Faizabad, for example, was a district back then, it is now a division, and currently, Faizabad is a development block (previously a district) within the district of Ayodhya. So, you will have to do some research on the districts and their histories.

The old maps are a good guide, and I found the David Rumsey Collection very helpful. You can download them for free. Find these maps on old maps online.

Final words

In summary, the plantation register is somewhat incomplete. As a result, the search for my sixth ancestor remains incomplete. I could not find her parents names on any of the plantation records. It is my view that the missing books and pages may have held the key. However, there is no way of retrieving this information.

In the next post, I address other ways of finding out information when such a predicament arises. I am yet hopeful that at some point in time, the search for my sixth ancestor will bear results.

Until the next post, stay well.

Love,

Vikashni

Wow…you have come this far! I hope you have had success using the last two databases – Part 1 and Part 2 – and cannot wait to learn how to progress further!

Please read on…

General Register database

The General Register of Indians in Fiji is another useful resource. Within the register, you will find details such as where in Fiji they went, who they married, whether and when they returned to India, death date, etc.

Within the register are 9 books, organised according to ship arrivals and emigration pass numbers. Each book title lists the passes contained within that book. For example, to search for pass number 1712, search within Book 1, which contains information about pass numbers 1 to 12281.

Each person or pass number has two pages of information – see images below.

Migrants’ pass number, father’s name, age, sex (from their emigration passes), and location in Fiji are on the first page. On the second page, there’s information pertaining to their marriage records, death, etc. The red circles on the above image show the marriage records. There are no names, just pass numbers of spouses.

The second page was very useful in all my ancestry searches. For example, I knew the names of both great grandparents from my maternal grandmother’s side. The General Register records validated that they married each other.

Hints

If you know the name of one ancestor, this register can help you find the other. For example, to find GGF#2, looking up the records of GGM#2 in the General register revealed which pass number she got married to. I found GGF#2’s emigration pass number in this register.

The only drawback of this database is that all records are on Microfilm, and people’s details are handwritten. Therefore, there are obvious challenges with deciphering the handwriting. Additionally, if the microfilm is of poor quality, you cannot get much information.

At the end of each search, my eyes and head hurt. It is hard work…reading pages and pages of information. Take lots of breaks, but do not give up. The pain is worth it.

Moreover, if you do not know where to look, going through this database may feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But the results are always worth it! I have felt joyful each time two and two came together as four as a result of this database.

Finally, to know which plantation ancestors worked in, which is our next database, the records on the General register are very useful. The next post is the last in this ancestry research.

Love,

Vikashni

See more:

The inspiration for my ancestry research journey

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

In the last post, we went through the Girmit database and how to search for ancestors using their names, arrival date, or ship name – Part 1. In this post, we review the Family Search database.

Family Search database

Family Search is a worldwide database to help locate ancestors. Signing up is free and this database links to other genealogy/ancestry sites such as the New Zealand Genealogy Society (NZGS).

The records are pulled from primary databases in source countries, including Fiji. This database helped me link my ancestors with the rest of the known family, or to find the missing link. For example, I found GGM#1, a missing link, through her children’s records on this database. Finding her led me to the right GGF#1.

Through the Family Search database, you can find records of marriages, deaths, and passport applications in Fiji from 1900 to 1989. That is IF these events got registered.

To access the records, create a free account. Every time you do a search, always remember to put ‘place’ as Fiji at the bottom. You can amend the search using other filters. Some filters are alternate names, a life event, the year range of the life event, etc. Please see the image below.

Hints

This database helped tie some loose ends in my research. For example, I knew the name of GGF#1 but I did not know the name of his wife, GGM#1. To verify this information, I searched within this database for evidence of the marriage/union. Evidence can include the names of any children that came from the marriage/union. Thus, I searched using the known names of my uncles and aunts, including my parents.

I found GGM#1, through the names of her children (my uncles and aunts). These findings were instrumental in linking GGF#1 to GGM#1. I could not find their marriage record, however.

Also, I could not link GGF#1 to my aunties and uncles. Some names are misspelt on some of the records. It was a blessing that GGM#1’s name was spelt consistently right for all her children’s records. Therefore, be prepared to search for names using various spellings. Ram Swarup, for example, can be spelt Ramsarup, or Vikashni can be Vikeshna or Bikasna.

In this respect, this database can be a bit limited, so if you have an opportunity to get connected to an affiliate library, do so. Such an affiliation will help you access proper microfilm records. I signed up to the New Zealand Genealogy Society (NZGS) to access the marriage and birth records of my great grandparents. It is a worthy investment because these microfilm records are not available freely on Fiji Archives, the National Library of Australia, or the Girmit database.

Note that the records on Family Search are up to 1989 only. Sometimes if life events were not officially recorded, those details will not show up here.

The next database we will look at is the General Register of Indian immigrants in Fiji. If you missed the story of my ancestry research inspiration, please read Gandhi speaks to me from beyond his grave!

Love,

Vikashni

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.

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends celebrated a milestone birthday. She is in another country, also in lockdown so the best we could do was to have a video call. During the conversation, I mentioned my ancestry project and she asked me how I found out everything. Up till that point, I had not thought about how my research and experiences may be useful to others. My entire goal had been to reach conclusions about my own ancestry. I had not considered what to do with my experiences after that. She inspired this post.

My journey began with no knowledge about my ancestors. I did not even know their names, nor when they came to Fiji. I asked an aunt and uncle about the name of their grandfather, i.e., my great grandfather. The search started with this one ancestor and quickly blossomed into six ancestors.

The entire research process is an extensive read. I used four databases in my research. There are four posts, for each database. In each post, I provide notes on how to use the database and some reflections on lessons learnt.

In Part 1 I describe the Girmit database and how to search within this. Part 2 is about the Family Search database, while Part 3 has notes on the General Register of Indian immigrants in Fiji. The search process concludes with Part 4, with notes about the Plantation Register of Indian immigrants in Fiji, and some insights on how to search for places in India at the time of indenture.

I refer to my ancestors with a numbering system, such as great grandfather 1 = GGF#1, or great grandmother 1 = GGM#1, as I would like to keep their information and their details private.

It is my hope that the notes and experiences I shared with you in the next four posts will assist you, my dear reader, in your Girmit ancestry journey. And to my beloved friend – this is for you.

Love, Vikashni

Begin the journey – read Part 1.

To see how I got inspired to embark on the ancestry research journey, please read Gandhi speaks to me from beyond his grave!