Chater Paul Chater ~1805-1853
Merchant. Calcutta . Member of the Indian Civil Service
Armenian merchants first arrived in Madras, India around the 1660s. They were said to have been in Calcutta even before the city was founded , this 1686
Chater family root can be traced to Persia : Abbas enforced a forced migration of Armeniains from Armenia to inland Persia, Julfa to New Julfa
The number of Armenians in Calcutta was 464 in 1814, 480 in 1815, 505 in 1836, & 777 in 1901 Census. In the 1830 list that I refer to ~130 males
~1805.Chater Paul Chater born - date from his 1853 grave-
Think his parents could have been Pogoes A Chater 1758-1838 and Ann Arratoon 17xx-1812-they married in June 1805 in Malacca- Fibis (Pogos the Armenian version of Paul : Chater Paul Chater was originally known as Astwachatoor Pogos Astwachatoor
No Will on FMP for P A Chater, just an Inventory in 1838, Calcutta
Youtube Video on Catchik Paul Chater, 1846, son of Chater Paul Chater & Miriam Zorer, states his parents came from the Armenian community of Baghdad, Iraq
In 1830 P A Chater at 2 China Bazaar Gully, with no occupation: a Gregory Chater, Asst to W H Abbott, attorny, at same address .
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~chaterfamilytree/History_Armenian_inhabitants_of_Calcutta_1830.html
According to a Youtube video, - on his son Catchik Paul Chater : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79be5qH_dNs - Chater Paul Chater was in the Secretarial Office of the Registrar at 1 Council Street - Indian Civil Service. Both his grave, 1853, and that of his widow Miriam, 1855 were shown in the video. Also stated that Catchik's great grandparents were pillars of the Armenian Church in Calcutta - source for this?? . Also that Miriam Zorer came from an Aristocratic family, though her father, Marcar Zorer, was an Asst. Secretarial Office in 1830
1827. Chater Paul Chater married Mariam Zorer 25/10/1827 Bengal Presidency- Fibis Their son, Catchchick 1846, said to come from descendant of Khojah Phanoos Kalandar, who signed the agreement with the E I Company in 1688?! Also Lizzie Thaddeus nee ARRAKIEL was married to Thaddeus Mesrope THADDEUS – see graves. Lizzie was a niece to Sir Catchick Paul Chater, and her ancestry can be traced as far back as 1650 to the Minas family dynasty of New Julfa.
Originally known as Astwachatoor Pogos Astwachatoor, he worked for the Government of Bengal and was known as Chater Paul Chater
1829. Anna Chater was born 21/4/1829 in Calcutta to Chater Paul Chater & his wife, Mariam .
Other children, supposedly 12 others : Paul Chater 1831-1854; Sarah Amelia Chater - 26/5/1833-10/6/1857; maybe, Mary Chater 1841-1861 from photo of graves in Gregory Park, Calcutta; Catchick Paul Chater 1846- 1926; Joseph Chater
States in the Youtube video he was a secretary to the government
1830. C P Chater listed as Asst to Assignees of Palmer & Co, 12 Armenian Street - from http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~chaterfamilytree/History_Armenian_inhabitants_of_Calcutta_1830.html: there are ~130 males listed, mostly with jobs, all with residence
His father in law, Marcar Zorer, Asst. Secretarial Office, is living with him at 12 Armenian Street
Other Chaters were: P A Chater, no occupation{ likely Anna's grandfather, Pogose A Chater} & Gregory Chater, asst. to W H abbott, both living 2 China Bazaar Gully
1844. Mrs C P Chater had a daughter, Calcutta-Fibis
1846. Catchick Paul Chater born Calcutta 8/9/1846 - does his baptism exist, and that of a younger brother Joseph?? Mrs C P Chater had a son 9/9/1846, Calcutta-Fibis
1848.Mrs C P Chater had a daughter on 2/7/1848, Calcutta-Fibis
1851. Mrs C P Chater had a son on 31/8/1851, Calcutta-Fibis - maybe Joseph
Sir Catchick Paul Chater , (descendant of Khojah Phanoos Kalandar, who signed the agreement with the E I Company in 1688 ) was born to a family of Armenian merchants in Calcutta in 1846
His own parents came from the Armenian community of Baghdad, Iraq. Paul, although baptized in the Armenian Holy Nazareth Church of Calcutta, did not go to the local Armenian College, a long and established Armenian education centre first started in 1821, but was sent in 1855 to La Martiniere School for Boys in Calcutta.
one of thirteen offspring of Armenian parents Miriam and Chater Paul Chater. His father was a member of the Indian Civil Service, but not in 1830!.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Chater#Biography
Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the La Martiniere College, Calcutta on a scholarship. He later became a benefactor of the school when, in 1924/25 he made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating eleven lakhs Rupees to the desperately struggling school, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer. In 1864,he moved to Hong Kong from Calcutta and lived with the family of his sister Anna and sister's husband Jordan Paul Jordan: they invited him.
Paul Chater arrived in Hong Kong in 1864 with just a wooden chest containing his belongings. That wooden chest was always part of his household furniture; it was a reminder and a symbol of the life he had left behind in Calcutta. Paul got himself a job in a bank. He observed and learnt enough to branch out on his own as a broker within 2 years of his arrival. By 1869 he was a member of the Hong Kong Cricket Club.
When His Royal Highness, Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh visited, Sir Paul became a close friend and confidant of the royal family. He regularly visited Buckingham Palace and other royal residences and holidayed with the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in the South of France.
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By the 1870's, Paul was buying plots, building and renting out those properties. He had been joined by his younger brother Joseph from Calcutta and they had joint enterprises. Paul also saw the potential in pony racing and in the 1870's he set up a stable with his business partner Hormusjee Mody, a Parsee from Bombay. In Liz's words, it really is true that Paul never missed a horse race meeting in Hong Kong in 60 consecutive years between 1866 and 1926. He was Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 34 years and he still holds the record of being the longest standing Chairman the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
In 1890, Catchick Paul Chater created land from the sea in Hong Kong by constructing an extra 57 acres of ground space in a reclamation scheme. "It is the land that Hong Kong stands on today," Liz noted.
In 1902, Paul was honored with a Knighthood in London for his contribution to the prosperity of the island of Hong Kong, something which never left him until the day he died aged 79. He had brought structure, stability, employment and social prospects to the island.
"He generously left his beautiful and unique house Marble Hall along with his priceless china and art collection known as "The Chater Collection" to the government of Hong Kong, probably in the hope that they would make the house a museum. They did not. After a few very generous bequests to some nephews, Sir Paul Chater, a "closet" Armenian for the majority of his life, felt compelled to donate his remaining estate to the Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Calcutta where his life had begun," Liz writes. -
Sona Avagyan
- Sir Catchick Chater
He later went on to become a business tycoon, exchange broker & financier, of Hong Kong. He continued to plough back generous donations to the city of his birth and for his people here. Co-ordinator of ACPA Armen Makarian tells us, "La Martiniere was in a grave financial situation at one point. That is when Sir Chater stepped in as a benefactor and his generous contributions have been the reason why Armenians get full scholarships to study here, even now".Married 1910 Maria Christine Pearson, who died 1935, buried Happy Valley, HongKong . He died 27/5/1926 Marble Hill, HongKong ,buried Happy Valley, HongKong . Probate, London: leaves £136660 in England !
1853. Chater Paul Chater, 49, Drowned Hooghi River Nr Calcutta, India 31/1/1853. No Will on FMP
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Earlier Chater
Pogoes A Chater married Ann Arratoon in Malacca 1805 & P A Chater lived 1758-1838 Calcutta- death on Fibis. Mrs Chater had a son 1807 & Mrs Ann Chater died 1812
P C Chater dies 1813: P A Chater jnr died 1829: an infant daughter of Rev, J Chater died 1811: W J Chater died Madras 1812: