Asia, Pacific & Africa Collection
The British Library India Office Records (IOR) Reading Room – APAC (Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections), formerly known as OIOC (Oriental and India Office Collections). Both names for the collections are currently in use.
If your ancestor was employed as a civilian in any arm of government, such as the police, post office, railways or civil service, then his records are most likely to be kept at the Oriental and India Office Collections (formerly the India Office). This also applies if your ancestor served in the East India Company Army, but not the British Army. A link in India Office Records describes what sort of material is available to the family historian.
A number of indexes and transcribed records can be found online on the FIBIS database and other websites. However these are merely a snapshot of the whole collection. Many of the records have also been microfilmed by the LDS and can be made available for examination at local Family History Centres. However, generally, a visit would have to be made to the British Library to obtain the full background to your research. To visit the Library you will need to apply for a reader's ticket; details of this may be found in the British Library article.
Obtaining Remote Research Assistance
- The FIBIS research team is available to assist members unable to visit the British Library. For information and advice contact research@fibis.org
- The APAC team at the British Library also conduct research into their records. Charges may apply. For further details email apac-enquiries@ bl.uk
External Links
- Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- South Asia South Asia is taken to include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
- British Library - India Office Family Records on-line Search