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Since the 15th century, India has had many nationalities residing within her borders. After the demise of the Mughal empire, the single most significant group to control India have been the British, who controlled large portions of the continent from about 1599 to 1947. Several other European nations had small holdings in India, which were eventually absorbed into [[British India ]] by conquest or sale. For specific advice on researching family history of these nationalities resident in India, please see the [[Dutch]], [[French]], [[German]], [[Portuguese]] and [[Danish]] pages of this websitearticles.

Other ethnic groups came to India as traders and were part of the community in which they resided, rather than a separate state. For specific advice on researching family history of these nationalities resident in India, please see the [[Armenian]] and [[Jewish]] pages of this websitearticles.

If your ancestors were not [[Indian]], British, Anglo-Indian or one of the nationalities named above, then this webpage may provide article provides some research advice on finding your ancestors. In general, if your ancestors lived in a British settlement, much of the information that is presented in the majority of FIBIwiki will also apply to your ancestors. For example, if your ancestors were American missionaries in Bengal, then they should appear in the church records and directories of Bengal in the same manner as British and Anglo-Indians.

If your ancestors were baptised, married or buried in a European church in British India, then the church records should have been transcribed and sent to the capital of the [[Presidency]], where they would later have been forwarded on to London. These records were indexed and about 80% of church records in British India are believed to have survived. You can access these records at the [[APACBritish Library]] in the British Library in London, or at [[LDS]] [[Family History Centres]]. The FIBIS website has extensive information on locating [[Non-British Church Records]] on microfilm for British India.

Many European, Anglo-Indian and other businessmen were named in the [[Directories]] of their day. The most prominent Directory was Thacker's, which originally only covered [[Bengal]], but eventually encompassed all of British India. If your ancestors were merchants or businessmen, there is a good chance that they would have been listed in Thacker's Directories. A complete set is now housed at the [[APAC]] Asian & African Studies Reading Room in Londonthe British Library, but most major libraries will hold a few copies for given years. For a comprehensive description, and lists of where they can be located, please visit the informative [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~poyntz/India/directories.html Thacker's Directories].

Many persons of a A diverse range of European nationalities served in the military forces of the continent. There is information on locating military ancestors in India on the FIBIS website. These records apply to the British Army and the East India Company Army. In the early years of British rule in India, the East India Company sometimes hired whole regiments from European countries to supplement their own forces. For example, ''The Swiss Regiment'' was stationed in [[Madras]] in 1801. Available military records are noted in the [[British Army]], the [[East India Company Army]] and related articles. If you know that your ancestor served with a European military unit in India, then you will need to search the records of the country of origin of the regiment. If they served in a British or HEIC unit, then their records are described on this website.

If you know your ancestor's occupation in India (e.g. tea [[planter]], [[Teacher|teacher]]) then it may be possible to find out information from occupational records. Please see the [[:Category:Occupations|Occupations]] section in FIBIwikicategory.