Hello.....

It looks like my ancestor (Arabella C. Jones b 14 Dec 1828) was a governess to a family (Henry C. G. Bedford) that worked for the India Trading Company. Not sure which one, since the occupation that Henry listed in 1871 is "India Office Chief Clerk of store department" I am trying to find out if there are records of the India Trading Company employees... and if there is a way to find out if they were still in England in 1861.

Thanks for help in advance.

Jennifer Jones

Hello

is this a possible

1851
Arabella Christiana Jones 22 born: Streatham, Surrey a School Mistress
Elizabeth Jones 20 born: Streatham an assistant teacher
Fanny Jones 17 born St Leonard's Shoreditch an assistant teacher

sorry, should have added

India Office Records:

http://www.bl.uk/collections/iorgenrl.html

Honourable East India Company

(Many of the East India Company records are freely available online under an agreement that FIBIS have with the British Library)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honourable_East_India_Company

Yes, that is her and her sisters. I have all censuses except for 1861 and in 1871 she was a governess for the Bedford family. She stayed at the Bedford family address till the 1891 census, so was hoping that she was their governess on the 1861 census too. In 1871 Mr. Bedford shows his occupation India Office Chief Clerk of Store department.

Thanks for you help

Jennifer

in 1871/81/91 she is shown as a Visitor

in 1901
Arabella C Jones 72 born: Streatham a visitor living on own means in Bournemouth

sorry, no can find either so one has to assume she was abroad - especially not finding Henry & Emma either

Thats what I was thinking... she was abroad with the family if the husband worked for the Trading Co. If I could confirm his employment with them, that would help. Not sure what type of records they kept on their employees. You would think that if they were abroad that there would be a record of them returning back to England.

Just more questions then answers it seems....=)

Thanks for your help

Jennifer

Records for the East India Company are comprehensive and easily researched however I notice you refer to "India Trading Company" so I wonder if the East India Company is what you are really looking for. It was so famous and so powerful that I heve never heard of it being referred to as anything but East India Company. You also mention that census returns say that the person you are trying to trace appears as a Store Clerk in the India Office. The India Office was the government department which dealt with everything referring to India at the time of the British Raj, created in 1858 when the East India Company lost its powers. I wonder if your man was not simply a Civil Servant working in the India Office in London? It is possible that they still hold records of their employees. Might be worth a try.