Genealogy Chat

I have tried without success to find much information on Washermanpettah, Madras, India in 1900.

I have found a record of a death in Washermanpettah, Madras in February 1900 that sounds like my 3x great grandfather. The man mentioned was a miner who died aged 50 of a Hepatic Abscess. My ggg grandfather was born in 1850 and married in 1871. His wife says she was married for 29 years on the 1911 census and is a widow on the 1901 census. He was an Iron Ore miner and his family was living in Wales during this period and never left the uk to my knowledge.

An older family member now deceased mentioned someone in the family apparently dying in India. Anyone any ideas on why he would have been out there or any idea how I could go about getting more information to confirm if this is indeed my ggg granfather?

I assume this is the person in question?

First name(s) Elijah
Last name Nicholas
Birth year 1850
Death date 23 Feb 1900
Death year 1900
Age 50
Burial date 24 Feb 1900
Place Washermanpettah
Presidency Madras

That is the man I think may be my ggg grandfather. Like my ggg grandfather he was a miner. The dates of different events don't quite add up but he would have been 50 in 1900 and would have been married 29 years in 1900 though neither would have happened at the time of his death.

A Google search only brings up Washermanpettah as the name of a cemetery in or near Madras.

One example:
http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Madras_Cemeteries#Washermanpettah_Cemetery

So I think that record of your ggg grandfather's death and burial refers to where he was buried, not a place where he died.

Or maybe not.

There's also this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washermanpet

Thank you for finding me the information on Washermanpettah

there does only seem to be one Elijah Nicholas born ca 1850 in the UK

and there is this death registration which could also fit ..........

England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915

Name: Elijah Nicholas
Estimated birth year: abt 1851
Registration Year: 1904
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 53
Registration district: Monmouth
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Monmouthshire
Volume: 11a
Page: 21


could he have left his wife, and she said she was a widow to save face?

It is possible that the death in Monmouthshire could also be him.

According to the image on FMP, the record of Elijah Nicholas is from the Washermanpettah Non-Conformist Cemetery in Madras, and the burial was conducted by J Breedan, Wesleyan Chaplain

Thank you for confirming that Washermanpettah is the cemetery.

The man who died in Monmouthshire in 1904 can be ruled out.
He was a farmer of Redills and Wonastow Farms.

His executors put his estate up for auction.
( Cattle, sheep, horses, cider and farm equipment)
Ad appeared in Gloucester Citizen 16 Apr 1904

Thank you. I just need now to see if there is a way of proving if the man in India is my ggg grandfather or not.

Not really relevant to the present query, but here are Tawny's earlier threads about Elijah - re his earlier history:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/records_office/thread/1159421

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/trying_to_find/nicholas/thread/1008735

Argyllgran,
It may well be very relevant as the only place listed on this thread is Monmouthshire.

As I had no idea that Cornwall was pertinent to this man, I sort of ignored a very "uninformative" death announcement that I found yesterday in The Cornishman.

As only two places are mentioned, both in India , I wondered why it would be placed in a Cornish newspaper??
I guessed that the deceased was originally from this area and ignored it!

Cornishman dated 4 Apr 1900
Deaths:
"In the Madras General Hospital, Mr E Nicholas who left Mysore some time back to prospect in Wandhalli"

There is no more information but we are getting closer to Tawny's missing man

Here's a bit more that points towards that being the correct death in 1900.



National School Admission Registers & Log-books 1870-1914 Transcription
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First name(s) Miriam
Last name Nicholas
Birth year 1891
Birth date 29 Nov 1891
Event year 1907
School name Mountain Ash Intermediate/Grammar/Comprehensive School
Town Mountain Ash
County Glamorganshire
Country Wales
Parent name(s) Mrs E J Nicholas
Book type Admissions
Archive reference EMASEC/3/1
Folio / page no. 42


Occupation of father was Gold Miner (India.) Does not say he was deceased though.
Miriam stayed at school till July 1909 when she left to become a teacher.


1911 for ref.



1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
24 Clarence St Miskin Mountain Ash, Llanwonno, Glamorganshire, Wales

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Occupation Age Birth year Birth place
Elizabeth Jane Nicholas Head Widower Female Housewife 59 1852 Cornwall St Josh
Transcription
John Thomas Nicholas Son Single Male Colliery Lot Surface 30 1881 Cumberland Millon
Transcription
Andrew Nicholas Son Single Male Colliery Rider Underground 28 1883 Cumberland Millon
Transcription
Charles Henry Nicholas Son Single Male Coll Fireman Underground 26 1885 Cumberland Millon
Transcription
Albert Nicholas Son Single Male Carman 21 1890 Cumberland Millon
Transcription
Mirian Nicholas Daughter Single Female Pupil Teacher 19 1892 Cumberland Millon
Transcription
Alberta Grace Nicholas Daughter Single Female House Girl At Home 17 1894 Cumberland Millon


More of the family.



1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Mains Gate Road, Millom, Bootle, Cumberland, England

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Elijah Nicholas Head Married Male 41 1850 Iron Miner Sennen, Cornwall, England
Transcription
Elizth Jane Nicholas Wife Married Female 40 1851 - St Just, Cornwall, England
Transcription
Elijah Nicholas Son Single Male 19 1872 Iron Miner St Just, Cornwall, England
Transcription
Elizth Jane Nicholas Daughter - Female 16 1875 - Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales
Transcription
Edwin Nicholas Son - Male 15 1876 - Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales
Transcription
James Nicholas Son - Male 11 1880 Scholar Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
John Thomas Nicholas Son - Male 10 1881 Scholar Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
Andrew Nicholas Son - Male 8 1883 Scholar Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
Chas Hy Nicholas Son - Male 6 1885 Scholar Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
Edith Emily Nicholas Daughter - Female 4 1887 Scholar Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
Annie Nicholas Daughter - Female 3 1888 - Millom, Cumberland, England
Transcription
Albert Nicholas Son - Male 0 1891 - Millom, Cumberland, England

Sorry. Thank you. I should have mentioned that he was born in Sennen, Cornwall and that the family moved around a lot. As most of the family was living in Wales at the time of his death I incorrectly assumed that a death notice would not appear in a Cornish newspaper. To my knowledge only one of his children was not in Wales at the time of his death his eldest child also called Elijah who was living in Millom, Cumberland at the time. His eldest daughter Elizabeth Jane may also not have been in Wales at the time as she had a daughter in Millom in 1898 and a son in Wales in 1901.

Here's a record of a Mr Nicholas travelling from Madras (per the image) to London. It doesn't give his occupation, but could well be the man we're looking for.
He must have returned to India later, before 1900.

Mr Nicholas
in the UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Name: Mr Nicholas
Birth Date: abt 1850
Age: 48
Port of Departure: Calcutta, India
Arrival Date: 16 Aug 1898
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ship Name: Golconda
Shipping line: British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd
Official Number: 95098

No age for this person, who is listed as a labourer - and he didn't travel anyway - his name is scored out:

E Nicholas
in the UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Name: E Nicholas
Port of Departure: Bombay, India
Arrival Date: 26 May 1898
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ship Name: Thames
Official Number: 85898

Thank you it is possible he returned to meet his first grandchildren who were born in 1897 and 1898.