Ancestor search

Submitted by Ken Alarakia-Charles on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 22:34

Hi David,

I have been researching my mothers side of the family for quite some time now. It is amazing how many snippets I found on the web. Many of these snippets have come from your site. The only problem is they are just that, snippets. Having said that I am most grateful for any thing I can find because I started from practically zero. I have discovered though that my ancestors were quite interesting and am particularly interested in finding out more about my Great Grandfather Mahomed Sewjee Alarakia. I know he was born in India and came to live in HK in the early 1880s. He worked at the HK Observatory from 1884 to 1889 before moving on to the Army Service Corps as a clerk. He was also The Hon Secretary and Treasurer for the HK Islam Club in 1912. He had a very large family  of about fifteen or sixteen children but I cannot find any reference about his wife other than the possibility that he married a daughter (no name)of Mahomed Arab who has been mentioned in one of your articles. If this is true then I would love it if any of your contributors could point me in the right direction to find out more. It seems I need to know more about Mahomed Arab who will have been a contemporay of my Great great Grandfather Sewjee Alarakia.

I know this looks like a ramble but i can't help myself. By the way if anyone is interested i have started a blog at myalarakiafamily.blogspot.com where I hope to finally nail my heritage.

Thankyou all for taking the time to read this

Regards

Ken Alarakia-Charles

I have reinstated my blog, so if any of you wish to see what I have discovered or think I have discovered feel free to have a look and don't forget to comment or offer assistance.

https://alarakiafamilyofhongkong.blogspot.com/

Regards and Best Wishes

Ken

Tags

Hi David,

This is very interesting. I did however know about these properties. They were willed to his Persian wife Phoorja who died in 1887 and I think were to be passed to Goolamhoosein and Nasser Arab, his sons by her upon her passing. I have actually been passed a copy (Translated version) of his will by one of Goolamhooseins descendants. There was also I believe a dispute between Phoorja and her two sons on the one hand and the wills executors regarding the proposed sale of property some time before. I believe it went to court but do not know the outcome. This would account for the length of time it took for the properties to be sold.

It is certainly interesting to know your G Grandfather was one of the purchasers. 

I have hit a wall at the minute. There are so many references to the name Alarakia and its many variations it is difficult at the moment to order it with rhyme or reason. I don't know who belongs to my family and who does not. The second Sewjee( Allarakia Sewjee) in Bombay in the late 1890s to early 1900 being one curve ball. I have know doubt some of the names are connected but which I have yet to determine.

Take care and nice to hear from you

Ken

Thanks for the extra info Ken - makes sense.

FYI

An example of the announcement for the aforementioned forthcoming auction placed in the papers from 8th January 1900 can be seen here

The Solicitors for the Official Trustee were Dennys & Dowley.

Source: Hong Kong Daily Press, page 1, 11th January 1900 (on columns 2 and 6)

The extra useful bit of information from the announcement is the decision of the Supreme Court of Hongkong on 2nd December 1899. Some backstory to look up in the newspapers....! 

Huge spanner in the works - the 81 year old “Bibi Alarakia” who died 24th August 1952 was in fact the wife of Sheik Ismail. Source of this fact? It’s written on her gravestone.

See the photo of the grave of Sheik Ismail? You can see her grave in the top right of the photo behind.

So who was she? The sister of Mahomed Sewjee Alarakia (1866-22nd Oct 1920)?

Hi David,

Thankyou for this important information. To tell you the truth I had suspected for a long time that 'Bibi' was not the wife of Mahomed Alarakia because he married the youngest adopted daughter of Mahomed Arab. I believe her name was Shula or Surala. I had no idea that my great grandfather had a sister or in fact any siblings other than Abdulla. 

Regards

Ken

It is fascinating Ken.

There is always the scenario that the wife of your ggrandfather Mahomed Sewjee Alarakia, was the daughter (or adopted daughter) of Mahomed Arab (we know that is definitely true from the newspaper report of the wedding). Sure, her name may be Shula or Surala. BUT once Mahomed Sewjee Alarakia died in 1920, she became a widow, and then she later re-married Sheik Ismail and became his wife - she would be known as 'Bibi Alarakia' - going back to our earlier discussion of 'Bibi' being a married Muslim name. She kept that epithet on her gravestone yet she was clearly identified as the wife of Sheik Ismail. Of course he in turn died in 1929 and she outlived both husbands. 

That would be one neat explanation, but nice to locate some corroborating evidence. Food for thought. 

At the end of the day we have a female Alarakia in Hong Kong of the generation of your ggrandfather that needs to be explained. There was only one Alarakia family in Hong Kong at the time. The 'local boy' community is pretty small so I can't imagine a random female Alarakia in Hong Kong suddenly appearing out of a vacuum.

Very much food for thought David. Other evidence from the China & Other Chronicles indicated a 'Mrs S Alarakia' travelling back and forth on her own in the 1930s. Coupled with information from M.Arabs last will and testament leads me to believe she was in fact called Shula/Surala. 

Regards

Ken