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Alistair has always assumed his family has strong Scottish roots, but has often wondered where he gets his dark eyes and skin tone. Although Alistair’s father, George, was born in Calcutta, he never suspected that he had any Indian ancestry. It was not until after his father’s death that Alistair realised there may be mixed Indian and British heritage in his family's past.
Starting in Calcutta, Alistair discovers that several generations of the McGowan family were of Anglo-Indian decent. He traces his paternal line in India back to the mid-1700s. This leads him to the name of the first McGowan to settle in the country. But there is one final surprise for Alistair: he learns the truth about his Scottish heritage.
If you are researching relatives from overseas start your investigation by talking to your immediate family. They may point you towards relatives who still live in the country of origin.
Researching your ancestry may, like Alistair’s story, involve plenty of travel. This may be necessary as far more information is available locally in the country or origin.
The National Archives does not hold locally created records of India. You will not generally find birth, marriage death or census records at The National Archives.
Indian ancestry
You can get information on South Asian ancestry from your home using Moving Here. The website lists the main sources available for research, both within the UK and outside. It also provides historical context for the records and topics covered.
The Indiaman magazine publishes information about the British in India and southern Asia from 1600 to the 20th century.
For official sources of records, you might find it useful to get in touch with The National Archives of India and the British Library’s India Office, which holds amongst its collections, a card index with details of some 300,000 civil and military personnel and their families.
Scottish ancestry
The official government source of genealogical data for Scotland is ScotlandsPeople, which includes Scottish census records from 1841 to 1901. The General Register Office for Scotland and National Archives of Scotland may also provide useful resources.
Irish ancestry
The main family history sources for Ireland are not at The National Archives but are in Ireland itself.
For records of birth, marriage and death in Ireland, you should get in touch with the General Register Office of Ireland, and for Northern Ireland, the General Register Office of Northern Ireland.
Irish Census records of 1901 and 1911 are available to access at the National Archives of Ireland (bear in mind that few early returns survive). You can see a copy of the 1901 census on microfilm at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Tracing Your Ancestors in The National Archives 
