Brit woman traces ancestors to two Tamil Nadu cemeteries

Susan Parker, a fifth generation descendant of British businessman William Edward Stevenson, came to know about her family history from the records at National Museum, Denmark. 

Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam district remained under Danish rule between 1620 AD and 1845 AD and was administered by Danish Governors.

In 1773, Stevenson, a British merchant, arrived at Tarangambadi and entered into a trading contract with the Danes and started a shipping company.

Stevenson built a palatial bungalow at the seafront, which was later bought by the Danes and converted as the official residence of Danish Governors. 

After Stevenson, his descendants looked after the business. Some of them died at Tarangambadi itself and were buried there. 

Details about the Danes and other foreign citizens buried at Tarangambadi are being maintained there.

“Many of my ancestors have lived at Tarangambadi and I decided to visit the town, trace their cemeteries and pay homage,” Susan said. 

Accompanied by her husband Anthony Parker, Susan arrived at Taragambadi from the UK early this week. 

“There are two ancient cemeteries at Tarangambadi. With the help of Prof Marialazar, a historian at Tarangambadi and Sankar, administrator of Danish Maritime Museum, Tarangambadi, we started analysing the two cemeteries,” she said. 

After searching for three days, the tombstones of two of her ancestors - Willoughby Carpenter, who died on November 15, 1832, and Edward Byod Stevenson, who died on November 19,1872 - were identified. 

“I could not believe my eyes when we spotted the two cemeteries,” she said. “It is also heartening to see the bungalow constructed by my fifth great-grandfather beautifully renovated in this coastal town,” Susan added.

Marialazar said many Danes were now tracing centuries-old cemeteries of their ancestors at Tarangambadi to pay homage.