What do you know about India?

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

I'm trying to work out where "Avongabad" might be.

This is from a 1861 census, as a place of birth in the East Indies. If you google "Avongabad" the only result is to do with the same census...

I've looked at the hand writing on the census record, and it's really quite clear. "Avongabad, East Indies, British Subject".

Where on earth is Avongabad? Maybe it sounds like somewhere real? Or is an old fashioned British name for a place which we don't call Avongabad anymore?

My obsession with India led me to open your post... I also had to search for Avongabad but got the same result as you. Until I looked on Ask, using "Avongabad India" and it gave "Aurangabad" India. It's a long shot but I wonder if it could be the same place?

If it is the same place, it's here

Well, well, well. That's very interesting, hold on a sec...

I was just wondering if the writing could read "Aurangabad" instead. But it seems to be a letter short and the writing for once is very neat.

Interesting though, I thought I was looking for somewhere in Darjeeling.

Why were you looking for Avongabad? [nosey] That one record on the census is the only one I've seen...

Sorry, not communicating well at the moment, I meant that I looked because of your thread. I had hoped to be able to help you.

If it's a tiny village in Darjeeling you might not find it mentioned anywhere much. Have you tried Google Earth? Just a thought.

I love India. I hope you find what you're looking for and sorry I couldn't help you.

But in the 1861 census the original schedule will have been filled in (by or on behalf of the householder) and then copied into the enumerator's books by the enumerator (generally under time pressure, and often by candlelight). Then the original schedules were destroyed. So the householder could easily have written Aurangabad (in handwriting that could have been anything from neat to atrocious) and then the enumerator (who probably didn't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of India or access to Ask.com) would have had to attempt to copy the word to the best of his ability.

I think Aurangabad is your most likely option.

That's ok! I thought you meant you'd looked for it previously. you're jolly quick at responding otherwise. Thank you though.

That's very true, Master Of Prof Layton. I like that.

I've just googled the maiden name and aurangabad. There's a college there of that name! How interesting.

I have to add, this isn't even my ancestor. There's a potentially tall story which has existed for years in my family, relating to India, and this might explain it. My ancestor was simply the servant to the curate's wife who may have been born in Aurangabad!

I love that the curate's wife had a servant! How great is that? Well, if you were the curate's wife, that is

Mistress, sorry, not Master. I guess.

[as you were]

um quite a lot, and don't know of any place called Avongabad. Almost certain that it is a typo.

Also something to keep in mind is that as most of the Indian languages have more letters in their alphabets often you can't directly translate from say Hindi to English hence the massive variations in how names etc might be spelt.

btw Aurangabad is a city in southish India named after one of the mughal emporers. From memory it was a cantonment during the Raj and fairly integral to independence from the Brits.

I know, I rather thought that curates were quite lowly, to be able to afford a servant. But then, clearly not. It must have been considered an essential.

I've googled the founder of the college. Can't be the same one. Shame.

ooh just to say that it is unlikely that it would be anywhere near darjeeling because from memory they speak bengali and so names for places would have a completely different structure etc

as an analogy it is similar to how you can identify an ex Roman town in the UK from the "ester" part of the name, hence Leicester, Colchester etc.