Elizabeth Warner of Advance, North Carolina says:  I am seeking information on George Duncan Scott.  This is a more recent inquiry than most that you probably receive.  George Duncan Scott was my grandfather.  My parents were divorced when I was only three or four years of age.  My Mother remarried an American serviceman and we came to the states.  She would be considered a warbride.  Mother kept in contact with my Grandpa  Scott and also his sister, Katherine Elizabeth Keell of Weston Turville, Bucks, until their deaths.  My Grandpa Scott was a tea planter and left India about 1947/48. I have a feeling that when he took up residence in England that it may have been with my father's second wife. Aunt Kate died in January of 1966 and I think Grandpa Scott may have died about 1961.   The last known address of my grandfather was 87 Wadsworth Road, Hitchin, Herts.  Since I am this side of the "pond" research is not easy.  I know very little of my Scott side and that includes my father.  I understand that he may have emigrated to Australia about 1947 following the war and his release from the Royal Navy so if there was a second marriage it evidently did not last any longer that the marriage to my Mother.  I am approaching 60 years of age and I do so want to know more.  I have a few pictures of my grandfather and of my father as a young boy in India.  Unfortunately, that is all I have.  I do know when my father was born and that he was born in Calcutta, however, I know nothing about Grandpa Scott or his sister.  Aunt Kate lived in Ceylon and was married to a tea planter.  She must have gone to England in the late 1920's. I don't know whether to think they were second generation tea planters or if they went to India/Ceylon as young adults.  If so, I have no idea, from what part of England that might have originated.  Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The first thing to say is that the amount of information available in Hertfordshire is likely to be very small. If you move into a house and live there, the only time you would be required to provide any personal information about yourself which might be of use to tracing your origins is in a census - and these records are closed for 100 years. However there are three possible records you could look for:

• His death certificate (or simply his age at death) which is given in the index. While the Scott surname nationally is common he is likely to be the only George Duncan Scott  who died in Hitchin within a few years of 1961.
• His will, if he made one. The index entries will give his date of death and other relevant information about probate, and the will could name relatives, etc., and may provide other clues.
• Any press notice about his death - which could give his age and other information. However, if he retired to Hitchin to live with his son he probably did not merit a long obituary - if any.

My personal preference would be to start with the will, because the will index is the easiest to use - except that the indexes for such a recent period are probably not available to you. In your case I would suggest you try and purchase the death certificate from HALS and at the same time ask about the availability of Hitchin newspapers of the period. You could also try writing to the current local papers in the area asking id anyone remembers your grandfather ... [see Modern Hertfordshire Newspapers]

The same things would apply to your great aunt Kate Keell - and you could try the local paper, the Bucks Herald. However, because it is such a rare surname (particularly with this spelling) you might try contacting living people with the name in the telephone directory or on the electoral register - particularly if Kate had a family - to see if you can find a UK based relative who might help.

I am afraid I have no knowledge of tracing family history in the Indian sub-continent.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.

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