Empire's Children

My great-grandmother, Grace Constance Beatrice Newland was born to Charles Edward Broderick Newland and Priscilla Charlotte Martin, on 12 May 1869, in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. To date, I have managed to trace her family back to 18th century England and India. Grace was Anglo-Indian, though at the time she would have been known as Eurasian.

Herbert Jesse Vidler married Grace Newland in 1884 in Upper Burma. Grace was just 15 at the time.

They had 6 children:

1. Cecil Alfred [my grandfather] – 20 March 1885 in Bellary, Madras Presidency, India – when Cecil was baptized, Herbert Jesse was a Corporal, 2nd. Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

2. Charles Edward – 13 October 1886 in Vizagapatam, Madras Presidency, India

3. Ernest Cyril Leslie - 21 March 1888 in Vizagapatam, Madras Presidency, India

4. Constance Anna Norma – 11 October 1889 in Vizagapatam, Madras Presidency, India – at the time of Constance’s baptism, Herbert Jesse was a Sergeant Major with the Vizagapatam Volunteers.

5. Evelyn Florence - 30 July 1891 in Secunderabad, India

6. Cora Beatrice – 10 March 1894

Grace died soon after Cora's birth, 12 Mar 1894 in Nowshere, Bengal India. Cora died 12 Apr 1894, also in Nowshera.

[A very helpful person sent the following to me regarding Nowshere: The cemetery in Nowshera survives, located within the Army base...I have no record of an individual memorial..However, both Grace Vidler and Cora Beatrice Vidler are included in the names listed on a Bedfordshire regiment monument, the inscription on which reads:

"To the honour and glory of God and to the memory of the men, women and children of the 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment who died while the regiment was stationed at Nowshera in 1894."]