Help with a lieutenant who died in Masulipatam 1835

[Jewels]

I have this transcription of a grave in St Michaels, Gloucester from "Gloucester City Monumental Inscriptions By Taylor".
Does anybody know how I can find out more about the Son Thomas who was a lieutenant and buried in Madras?
He was baptised at St Michaels, Gloucester 21 April 1793.

In a Vault near this place are deposited
the remains of Thomas Abell
late of this city who died Sepr 17th 1815
aged 65 years
Also of Anne his wife who died June the 8th 1833
aged 72 years.
Thomas Abell then third son
a lieutenant in her Majestys ?2 Regiment (maybe 42)
Died September 12 1835 at Masulipatam aged 40 years
And was buried at Madras in the East Indies
William Abell late of this city, Gentleman
Then eldest son died April 3rd 1843
Aged 62 years
His remains are deposited in the vault
Which received those of his father and Mother
This monument is erected by his executor
in pursuance of his request.

[Christine in Herts]

Do you think there might be some transcription errors. Not a complete obstruction to the sense, but surely those "Then"s should be "Their"s?

Christine

PS - Is there anything useful about India research in the Wiki?

[Christine in Herts]

Might be worth looking at this document:

D3117/2342 14 & 15 Feb. 1820

These documents are held at Gloucestershire Archives

Contents:
Lease & Release.
(1) James ABELL of Gloucester, gent, youngest son of Thomas ABELL deceased.
(2) Ann ABELL, widow.
(3) Ann, Elizabeth, Jane, Maria and Caroline ABELL, daughters of Thomas ABELL.
(4) William ABELL of Gloucester, gent, eldest son of Thomas ABELL.
The Fox Alehouse, a piece of waste ground beyond it and another messuage, all in Mercers Alley. Anne ABELL, widow, retains a life interest.
Consideration: £208 to each of children of Thomas ABELL after the death of Ann ABELL, widow.
Witness: Thomas B. King, clerk to Mr. Abell.

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

I googled and got this Google Books extract:
The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India ...

Intriguingly the inscription appears to be one year out with the death, and astray with the location:

Sept 12 at St Thomé, Capt Thomas Abell, of H.M. 62d regt. of Foot.

In the circumstances, I was lucky to pick it up - there's another death, further down in the list: on Sept 18 at Masulipatam, of 2nd-Lieut W. M. Molyneux. Perhaps the places are close?

Christine

[Jewels]

Thanks Christine.
This is my transcription of an old transcription, I could of misread, I will have another look. The inscription would of been done after the other Son Williams death - In his will he asks for this vault to be done. So would of been a fair few years after Thomas' death so dates might not have been remembered correctly.
There are quite a few properties associated with the Abell families which I have yet to look at. It is more the military theme I was interested to find out about - but I am hopeless with military stuff.

What year was this death you found?
Would a lieutenant be classed as a Captain? I suppose he could of had a promotion that William didnt know about.
I wonder if St Thome was a parish in Madras?

Gives me another couple of bits to try to sort.

Thanks again

[Christine in Herts]

Sorry! Doh! I should have put 1834.

Anyway - if you google his name in inverted commas, and then the place-name:

"Thomas Abell" Masulipatam

you'll get this thread, and the Google book, and you can see for yourself.

Christine

[Beth]

"San Thome" as a search on the Scran website brings up a picture of Scottish soldiers' graves at Madras - "The Cathedral Church stands about 6.4 km inland from San Thome Catholic Cathedral and 3km South West of the Fort. It was modelled on the church of St.Giles-in-the-Fields, London. The burial ground to the NE of the Church is enclosed by a railing, said to have been made from musket barrels, pikes and discarded weapons, found in Tipu's arsenal at Seringapatam in 1799".

[Christine in Herts]

Some more googling:

Masulipatam thome

pulls up hits which refer to St Thome being near Madras.

No wonder one of the major tips on here is Google Google Google!

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

Can't see your man, but this site is new to me, and potentially very useful for India researchers:

HEICo - Index of People contained in the Website

Christine

[Jewels]

Thanks Christine have found it.

This is the document of the inscription


It does look like 62 Regiment now, but the year is 1835 - They must have got it wrong when they did it or Taylor read it wrong when doing his transcription.

[Christine in Herts]

Yes, the script does allow then and their to look interchangeable.

As for the rest - 1843 is long enough after the event for an error to have crept in. You'd normally take the family's word for it - but an earlier publication date for the list of deaths is a bit insurmountable.

Christine

[Jewels]

Thanks Beth, and Christine again.
Do you know if you can get military service records this far back? I would like to know if he died in "Action" or from a disease or whatever.

[Night Owl]

This explains what the 62nd Regiment of Foot were doing at the time and the losses they suffered.

62nd Regiment of Foot - FIBIwiki

Jackie

[Christine in Herts]

I'm sure someone will correct me if necessary - but aren't the Indian army (and Honorable East India Company) records at the British Library?

Christine

[Jewels]

Thanks Jackie - looks like it was rife with cholera and dysentery deaths!

[annswabey]

It appears that 62nd foot was British Army, not Indian Army, so any records should be at TNA.

[Christine in Herts]

It appears that 62nd foot was British Army, not Indian Army, so any records should be at TNA.

Then, whether or not my info is correct, it isn't relevant in this context!

Christine

[Jewels]

Thanks Annswabey.

Tonight I will have a look to see how you go about ordering them.

I have looked at the British Library and they do indeed hold the records for the Indian Army.

[Christine in Herts]

Just found this, browsing TNA:

IOR/F/4/1465/57544 Aug 1833-Jul 1834

These documents are held at British Library, Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections


Related information: Madras Mil 11 Feb 1835, draft 79/1835, E/4/945 pp 584-85

Contents:
Discharge from service of the ship Abberton which had made two cruises from Masulipatam carrying sick and convalescent soldiers of H.M. 62nd Foot - beneficial effects of the sea air for the convalescent soldiers - report on the salubrity of Masulipatam Fort, etc. (includes morbidity returns for soldiers and their families, giving nature of disease, fatalities, etc. pp 62, 69, 86, 101-03, also meteorological data for Masulipatam for the months of Apr-Aug 1831, 32 and 33, pp 110-14).

and this:

IOR/F/4/1533/60826 Aug 1834-Apr 1835

These documents are held at British Library, Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections


Related information: Madras Mil 4 May 1836, draft 189/1836, E/4/947 pp 522-23
[See also 57544]

Contents:
Following the instructions of the Government of India, the Madras Government abandon Masulipatam as a station for European troops - H.M.62nd Foot is sent from Masulipatam to Moulmein to relieve a wing of H.M. 41st Foot (includes embarkation returns etc. for the 41st and 62nd)

So it looks as if some bits of British Army records still ended up in the British Library.

Christine

[annswabey]

Had a quick look at TNA today, and there's a service record for Thomas Abell of 62nd foot in WO25/797. The records are on film and I would have copied them for you, but they were impossible to read! Best to look at the originals I think.