updated November 2022
Members of the D'Silva family that I have been researching, lived in Calcutta and Bombay between at least the late 1800's and early 1900's.
The family describe their ethnicity as 'Anglo Indian'.
The D'Silva, Pierce and Simmonds families all appear in the 1897 Thackers Directory living at 42 Metcalfe Street (formerly Nigzag or Zigzag Lane), Calcutta. Thomas Pierce died in 1888 so his widow, Christina (Shedden) must have been living there with her four children.
Francis D'Silva lived from about 1873 to about 1948 the family remember that he died in 1948 aged 75,
I have not been able to find any record of either his birth/baptism or death.
His family said that he was a schools inspector in Calcutta.
In the Thackers Directories around 1897, Francis's occupation is Asst in Charge Bruce Institution.
The only formal documentation that I have been able to find mentioning Francis, is on the birth and marriage records of his son, William Osmund D'Silva.
Francis is known to have been the brother of Alfred and Walter D'Silva, this is confirmed by DNA matching.
I have a Portuguese baptism record for
Walter which gives the information that his, and therefore Francis and Alfred's, parents were Nicholas and Caroline D'Silva.
Francis married Christina Shedden, widow of Thomas Pierce, around 1896 and they had four children. I have not found a record for Francis and Christina's marriage.
The family remember Christina as being a Scottish nurse known as 'Tiny', a little lady with grey-blue eyes, she was actually born in Trivandrum in Southern India in 1859.
Christina's parents were Alexander Hall Shedden and Margaret Graham, There is documentry proof that her mother's father, William Graham
was born in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland and went to India after joining the East India Company Army in 1816.
DNA matches have been discovered which suggest that Christina's father, Alexander Hall Shedden had roots in Ayrshire, Scotland but
I have not found any documentry evidence of this.
Christina had five brothers and four sisters, all born in Trivandrum, she married Thomas Albert Pierce in Ajmere in 1882 and they had four daughters (one may have died in infancy).
Thomas Pierce died in 1888 in Allahabad and Christina married Francis D'Silva, probably in 1896 or 1897.
C.M. Pierce, Midwife appears in the 1897 Thackers Directory living at the same address as Francis D'sliva
and Samuel Simmonds.
Francis and Christina had three daughters and one son.
Christina is believed to have died in Calcutta around 1929.
Documentation that I have for Christina confirms her Baptism/birth, Marriage to Thomas Pierce, Death of Thomas Pierce and the marriage of her parents.
The Bruce Institution is significant because Frances D'Silva is known to have been employed there as Assistant in charge from about 1893.
In the years between 1889 and 1892, the Assistant in Charge was J. D'Silva, I believe that he may have been a relative of Francis..
The Bruce Institute was founded in 1886 with bequests from Miss Sarah Bruce and Miss Mary Ann Bruce.
The objective of the Institute was to provide:
"for the education and maintenance of half-caste or Eurasian female children, whether legitimate or otherwise, and in particular orphans or
those deserted by their parents, such children to be admitted only between the ages of 5 and 10 years, and to be maintained until they can
be provided for in some respectable and useful station in life."