Beginners' Guide
Starting out your 'British India' research
The FIBIS online Beginners' Guide will continue to be expanded in the future. In the meantime, please also visit Cathy Day's website. It is recommended that you read through all of this information before contacting FIBIS for personal research services (Members) or research advice (non-Members). Cathy, a FIBIS Committee member, does not undertake research for other people – so please do not email her with requests – but she does welcome any potential relatives to contact her.
Scope of FIBIS' Interest
The main focus of FIBIS activities is the ‘sub-continent’ of India but we are also interested in all areas and activities of the British in South Asia including the following between the founding of the East India Company in 1599 to ‘Indian Independence’ in 1947:
Afghanistan, Aden, Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Benkulen (Sumatra), Burma (Myanmar), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), China, Macao & Hong Kong, Indonesia (Borneo, Labuan etc.), Malaysia, Mauritius, Persia, Singapore, Straits Settlements.
Also included are the activities of the East India Company in London and St. Helena.
Main sources for information
- Mailing lists
- British Library – India Office Records (IOR) Reading Room – APAC (Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections)
- The National Archives (TNA)formerly The Public Records Office (PRO)
- The Family Records Centre (FRC) and
- General Register Office (GRO)
- National Army Museum (NAM)
- National Maritime Museum (NMM)
