[kiterunner]

I am having trouble confirming that the Indian part of my tree fits together now we have the images of the records on FMP. Maybe if I type it out it will become clearer to me!

My 2xg-grandparents were John Galway and Frances Letitia Seaman who married 2 Mar 1859 at St Thomas Mount, Madras. Frances is age 16, spinster, residence Fort St George, father William Seaman, witnesses W Seaman, W Gray, Mary Ann Gray, H Brown and M Brown.

Frances Letitia Seaman was baptised 23 Aug 1843, dob 8 Apr 1843, daughter of William and Mary Anne, father's occupation Rough Rider H Ar, abode Bangalore. Looking at the occupation on the baptisms of her sister Abigail and brothers George Gilbert and William Alfred, William was Rough Rider for B Troop, Horse Artillery. The mother's name is Marianne on William Alfred's baptism, Mary Ann on the others.

William Seaman, B Troop Horse Artillery, and Mary Anne Murray, native of Madras, spinster, married 22 Jan 1838 at Nellore. Witnesses George W Stratton, Louisa Stratton, and Thomas Ward.

Mary Ann Seaman was buried at Secunderabad 5 Mar 1847, date of death 4 Mar 1847, age 28 years 3 months, wife of William Seaman, corpl B Troop Horse Arty.

So, I thought that I had found Mary Ann's baptism on FamilySearch, 11 May 1817 at Black Town, Madras, dob 1 Dec 1816, parents John Murray and Mary. But I can't find this on FMP to check. FamilySearch also has Margaret Murray, born 30 Oct 1815 and baptised 27 Dec 1815 at Madras, parents John and Mary, and there is a burial on FMP for Margaret, daughter of Serjeant John Murray and Mary his wife, age 3 years, 15 Oct 1818 at Madras. I can't find her baptism on FMP either.

There is a James Henry, son of Mr Jno Murray and Mary his wife baptised 27 Apr 1818 at Vepery Church, dob 15 Nov 1817. There are three baptism records coming up for him on FMP and none of them gives an occupation for the father so it looks as though he was a "gent", which doesn't seem to fit with the Serjeant in Margaret's burial. So it would be helpful to find Mary Ann's baptism image and see which family she belongs to!

Also, do you think "native of Madras" just means she was born there, or does it mean one or both of her parents was ethnically Indian?

I had her parents down as Serjeant John Murray (attached to the Town Major's Office) and Mary the daughter of Serjt Major L Healy who married at St Mary's Church Fort 9th Jan 1813, witnesses T Moody and Gilbert Laird(?)

But now I have looked at the will of Mary Murray, widow of the late Conductor John Murray of the Commissariat Dept, written 9 Aug 1866, and she leaves everything to "my niece Ruth Minter Wright, daughter of Captain W M Wright, HM Indian Army". No mention of any children or grandchildren of her own. Mary Ann Seaman had died in 1847, but three of the Seaman children were still alive when Mary Murray died, and it doesn't look as though William Seaman was particularly rich, plus he had married for a second time and had loads of children by his second wife. So I would have expected Mary Murray to leave her money to her Seaman grandchildren.

Ruth Winter Wright was born 30 May 1834, baptised 13 Aug 1834, parents William Mew Wright and Rebecca. Rebecca Healy married William Wright 30 Jul 1828 at St Thomas Mount, Madras. I can't find her baptism but she must be the daughter of Luke and Lucy / Lucia Heal(e)y aka Haley, the same as Mary Healy, because Luke Healy's will leaves everything to his wife Lucy and then the inventory mentions Lieut W M Wright, Mrs Wright, and Mrs Murray.

Another daughter of Luke and Lucy Healy was Frances Letitia Healey, baptised 23 Nov 1811 at St George, Madras. Frances Letitia isn't a particularly common set of forenames so I thought my Frances Letitia Seaman was probably named after her and it all hung together nicely. (Frances Healey is just Frances on her baptism but Frances Letitia on her marriage.) But the fact that Mary Murray's will doesn't mention grandchildren is making me worry that I have got it all wrong!

Sorry, one of those that takes forever to type out, maybe we can figure it out in the morning.