Abraham Peter Casie Chetty
Abraham Peter Casie Chetty, also known as A.P Casie Chitty, was born on October 19, 1885, to Caspar Casie Chetty and Maria Theresa Anandappa. According to Seaports of India & Ceylon (1928), Abraham Peter’s heritage is rooted in a Tamil family from Benares, India, but extends as far as fifteen generations in Ceylon.
Despite his prominence as a businessman, details about his parents were scarce - this has been a big focus of my research. Later on in this article, I will delve into the discoveries I made about his lineage.
Business Career
In the early 20th century, Abraham Peter Casie Chetty emerged as a significant figure in Sri Lanka’s import sector, establishing his business in 1906. He played a pivotal role in introducing a variety of goods to the island, ranging from groceries to spirits, connecting Sri Lanka with global manufacturers from Europe and Asia. His entrepreneurial ventures also included the importation of rice and sugar, which he used in his Colombo-based factory for sweet production.
This extract below from January 22, 1924 in the Horsham Times (Victoria, Australia) details some of Abraham Peter Casie Chetty’s business ventures and demonstrates his reach all the way to Australia:
P.S. - Since closing this report, the delegation has interviewed Mr. A. P. Casie Chitty, a merchant of this city. It is desired that the record of the interview be embodied in the Ceylon report.
Mr. Chitty conferred with the delegation on the subject of entering into "cold storage," and subsequently indicated his intention to erect cold stores in Colombo for the purpose of importing refrigerated produce, primarily from Australia. Mr. Chitty does not anticipate a large turnover in beef, but hopes to import frozen mutton, lamb, pork, butter, fruit, cheese, etc. His entry into the business may result in lower prices for Australian beef and mutton and stimulate business generally. Currently, Mr. Chitty supplies hotels and shipping, and expects to be able to extend his connection.
Early Life and Marriage
Abraham Peter grew up in a large family, the youngest of ten children. His six brothers were John Caitan Anthony, Francis Xavier, Phillip Joseph, Charles Borromeo, Edward Emmanuel, and Walter Patrick. Additionally, he had three sisters: Juliana, Maria Anthonia, and Jane Catherine.
John Caitan Anthony (J.C.A.), his eldest brother, was two decades older than Abraham Peter. Tragically, J.C.A. Casie Chetty passed away in October 1911, leaving Abraham Peter to step in as the guardian for his five young children.
On July 2, 1917, at St. Lucia’s Cathedral, he embarked on a significant milestone with his marriage to Mary Clara Anandappa, eldest daughter of Emmanuel Anandappa and Nathalia Canjemenaden. Here is their marriage certificate:
His father: Caspar Casie Chetty
This marriage certificate above was the first time I had seen Abraham Peter’s father’s name - Caspar Casie Chetty.
I later found this death record of Caspar Casie Chetty indicating his passing at age 60 in 1887:
This shows that Caspar sadly passed away just two years after Abraham Peter’s birth. Caspar would have been 58 when Abraham Peter was born in 1885, so Caspar was born almost 200 years ago, around 1827!
The informant, Francis Xavier Casie Chetty, is Abraham Peter’s brother.
His Mother: Maria Theresa Anandappa
For the past year, I have searched for the identity of Abraham Peter’s mother. My first clue surfaced in her 1920 testamentary article, where she was referred to as ‘Mary Teresa Casie Chitty’.
This reference created ambiguity around her maiden name. Was “Casie Chitty” just her married name, or was it her maiden name as well? The answer remained elusive for some time.
The breakthrough came recently when I stumbled upon a death record from December 1918, which bore the name Maria Theresa Anandappa:
Three distinct details from this record resonated with the information I already had:
- Address Consistency: The address listed on this death record was identical to the one on Abraham Peter’s marriage certificate.
- Name Correlation: The given names ‘Maria Theresa’ matched those mentioned in the testamentary article.
- Naming Patterns: Another piece of evidence lay in the names of Abraham Peter’s siblings, Francis Xavier and Maria Anthonia - these were the same names as Maria Theresa’s parents from the record above!
These correlations strongly indicate that the Maria Theresa Anandappa in the death record was indeed Abraham Peter’s mother. Her maiden name, Anandappa, has finally come to light!
Family Life
Together, Abraham Peter Casie Chetty and Mary Clara Anandappa had 5 children:
- Beda Lourdes Therese Marcelline
- Anthony Mervyn Remington
- Emmanuel Joseph Gasper “Joy”
- Annabelle Mary Nathalia Rasappopathy “Rajie”
- Marie Hyacinth Genevieve Antoinette
- Queenie Bertha Immaculate
Abraham Peter passed away on November 16, 1952, at age 67.
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