Tracing your roots

FOLLOWING the publication of extracts from the book, Verulam, City of Saints, in POST earlier this year, the Verulam Historical Society has received numerous enquiries from the public as to how one goes about tracing one’s roots.

The society offers the following advice:

INDENTURED INDIANS

The descendants of indentured Indians who wish to trace their roots need to have any document which contains the indenture numbers of their forefathers who came to Natal from November 1860 to 1911. The indenture number was actually an identity number which appeared on all personal documents issued to an indentured Indian.

Examples of the relevant documents would be the old unabridged birth certificate or a mother’s or father’s pass, a title deed, or any other document on which one may find the indenture number.

The required information about one’s roots may be obtained from a Ship’s List at the Verulam Documentation Centre in the basement of the Verulam Municipal Library (Groom Street) on a Wednesday or Saturday from 10am to 12pm.

For further information call Mohan at 032 533 1813 or Mano Murugan at 032 535 8658 or 082 5322 734.

PASSENGER INDIANS

Passenger Indians were those who came to Natal generally to trade. Most of them were Muslims or Gujaratis from Western India and some were from Mauritius. Information on Passenger Indians who came to Natal between 1878 to 1917 may be found at the National Archives at 230 Prince Alfred Street, Pietermaritzburg.

Interested descendants of Passenger Indians would have to call personally at the archives with the relevant documents.

They may be issued with a “vault copy” of a document containing the required information about their ancestors. Call the National Archives at 033 342 4712 for further information.

The Society has also advised that more copies of its publication, Verulam, City of Saints have been printed and are currently available at its offices.