I run a research service in Washington DC, and a client of mine has asked me a surprisingly difficult question: he wants to identify a researcher in India who can assist him in looking into his family history (genealogy) in Tamil Nadu.
More specifically, he knows of an ancestor who was 19 in 1901, and was from what was then known as the North Arcot district. His Taluq was Gudiatham, his village Murukambattu. We would like to find out more about this person and try to identify his current descendants.
Can anyone on this list assist us by suggesting an individual or a service who we could hire to help us try to uncover some of this man's family history?
Hi David, i have uncovered a few generations of our family history..so just letting you know - the only way these things work in India is if you travel to that place/village and make a lot of inquiries. Sometimes strangers know surprising facts and will point you in the right direction, sometimes you can come face to face with the person you are looking for in unexpected ways. At all times keep a purse full of change..esp if they know you are from abroad they expect money in return for the info. And always be careful of people falsifying relationships in return for the change.
There are no professional services in India simply because we don't have ids and individual records like people do in the west. The only way most people are remembered are by word of mouth but you will be surprised sometimes how accurate that is!!