Is my British India research correct?
QMy ancestor William James joined the East India Company ( EIC) Army and sailed to India in 1818, arriving in Madras the following year.
Although his papers state that he was “of Ramsgate”, I couldn’t find a suitable baptism record. However, knowing that he was born on 30 March 1804, I found a potential baptism record of 18 August 1804 in the nearby parish of Margate, in which the parents are recorded as John and Mary. We know from family tradition that his father’s name was John Luton (or Lewton) James, so this fits.
I recently discovered a record of John Luton’s death in St Thomas Mount, Madras, on familysearch.org, stating that he was born in 1777 in Bristol, but there is no proof of a connection to William.
How do I find confirmation that all of this actually fits? David James
AThe records of British India, known as the ‘India Office Records’, are held at the British Library, London. Among them are copies of church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials as well as occupational records including services of EIC soldiers.
William James appears in the 1st Battalion Madras Artillery muster roll on 31 December 1819. However, this muster indicates that he was recruited to the EIC in Madras from the 46th Regiment of Foot in 1819.
The confusion lies in the fact that later muster rolls give no indication that he was previously in the British Army. The columns headed “Ship arrived on or from whence received” show the words “Mount” or “St Thomas Mount”. Usually this column gives the name of the ship that brought the soldier from the UK to India, but here the words indicate that recruitment took place from St Thomas Mount, the home of the EIC Madras Garrison.
Coincidentally the death of gunner Luton John James, 38 years, was spotted in a casualty list for the same 1st Battalion and dated October 1819. He had also been a soldier of the 46th Regiment of Foot. He may not be ‘your’ John Luton James.
John’s burial record is among the Madras church registers and dated October 1819, but shows a sergeant and master of the artillery band of slightly different age.
Your next step should be to investigate the rolls of the 46th Foot, which are held by The National Archives at Kew. You should also check EIC Army musters for 1818 for the name John Luton James.