Haik Apcar at the jute mill. Image courtesy of Les Stewart.
More and more information and records are becoming available online through digitisation. Recently, our Heritage Co-ordinator, Liz Chater, took a fresh look at the Indian National Archives. They have a very active digitisation program and new records are being added to it on a daily basis.
One item that caught Liz’s attention was the naturalisation application for Haikak Apcar. He already features in our Heritage Project, courtesy of his grandson Les Stewart who contributed his memories a few years ago. Do take a look at “Dhaka Memories of the Stewart Family” for Les’s story.
Naturalisation applications are a great source of information for family history researchers and enthusiasts. In Haikak’s application there are accompanying notes and memos, written by British government officials, with additional information relevant to Haikak. Below is an extract summary of the application.
Extract from the naturalisation application of Haikak Apcar of Dacca.
- That your memorialist for grant of “Certificate of Naturalization” is 42 years 8 months of age, having been born on the 1st day of January 1897.
- That your memorialist is the son of Mr. Apcar Bogose Zerdelian and Mrs. Dolla Thomas (both deceased) both Armenians – residents of Mosul in Iraq.
[the accompanying notes confirm Mr. Apcar Zerdelian was also born in Mosul].
- That your memorialist is an Iraki Armenian subject of Turkey by origin.
- That your memorialist is of good character and has an adequate knowledge of the English language.
- That your memorialist came first to British India in the first part of December 1907, and has been continuously residing in Bengal for the last 32 years excepting 3 months in Kirkee Poona for General Service. Your memorialist has resided in Calcutta for a period of about 9 years as a student of the Armenian College from December 1907 to August 1915 and School Cadet from 1913 to August 1915, your memorialist has also resided in Haldibard in North Bengal for about 3 years and in different places in the jute growing districts of East Bengal as an Assistant Manager under Messrs. Sinclair Murray & Co. Calcutta (a jute concern) for about 10 years at Chandpur, Akhaura and Choumuhini up to 1927. Your memorialist has also resided in 1928 for 1 year in Sharishabari in the District of Mymensingh while employed as Manager under the Co-operative Jute sale and supply Society and again joined in July 1929 the service of Messrs Sinclair Murray & Co., at Narainganj and served there up to the end of May 1933 and then joined the jute concern of Messrs G & M Fogt (a French concern) Godenail, Narainganj as an Asst. Manager where he is still working as such.
- That your memorialist on leaving College joined the E.B. Coy, Dacca and was a member of the I.D.F. until the end of March 1918 and is a recipient of the General Service Medal and that your memorialist has been in the service of the Crown in Kirkee Poona for General Service from 1st January to the end of March 1918.
- That your memorialist has resided at Narainganj for one year immediately preceding the application and that previously to such year and during the last ten years preceding the date of his application he has resided at Narainganj in British India and registered his name under the Registration of Foreigner’s Rules 1939 on the 15th July 1939 before the Registering Office Dacca.
- That your memorialist intends, if his application is granted, to reside in His Majesty’s Dominions.
- That your memorialist has no immovable property or any other substantial ties in Mosul in Irak, or in any other foreign country.
- That your memorialist seeks to obtain the rights and privileges of a British subject under The British Nationality and Status of Alien’s Act 1914 as defined in the Indian Naturalisation Act of 1926.
- That your memorialist has not at any time previously applied for the grant of a Certificate of Naturalisation under any of these Acts.
- That your memorialist has paid the prescribed initial fee of Rs15, and undertaken to deposit the fees which may be imposed for the issue of Certificate of Naturalisation whenever called upon to do so.
Your memorialist humbly prays that a Certificate of Naturalisation be granted and also prays in accordance with sub-section (1) of section 5 of the British Nationality and Status of Aliens’ Act 1914, for the inclusion in the Certificate of the names of minor children born before the date of issue of such certificate and of the name of the wife.
And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray,
Particulars relating to the Applicant.
| Full name | Haikak Apcar |
| Address | C/O Messrs G & M Fogt Godenail, Narainganj, Dt. Dacca |
| Trade or Occupation | Assistant in jute concern |
| Place and date of birth | Mosul Iraq |
| Nationality | Iraki Armenian |
| Married | Married |
| Name of Wife | Kathleen Mary |
| Name and Nationality of parents | Iraki Armenians |
| Date of previous naturalisation | Nil |
| Particulars of children when they are intended to be included | |
| Names | Date of Birth |
| 1. Beatrice Diana Apcar | 18th January 1926 |
| 2. Patricia Mary Apcar | 17th January 1928 |
| 3. Lionel Haik Apcar | 19th August 1930 |
| 4. Annette Kathleen Apcar | 1st November 1935 |
| Place of birth | All born in Darjeeling, Bengal |
Additionally, Liz has also found in the Armenian College & Philanthropic Register of Students the entry for Haik Apcar being admitted to the school in December 1907. Below is that entry.
Haik Apcar Armenian College montage
We shall be adding this information, along with any other useful finds Liz makes, to the Bangladesh Heritage Project.
This post is also on the “Dhaka Memories of the Stewart Family” page.
Acknowledgements:
We’d like to thank the Indian National Archives for their continued program of digitisation of their records. Explore them here. https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/
