Ancestry
De Fonseka families of Kalutara
In this section we look at the genealogies of all the families in the Varnakula Addittiya Arasanilayitta clan of Kalutara. Varnakula was one of the great 'Surya' clans of the Karava caste.( The other two are 'Kurukulasuriya' and Arasakulasuriya'). The De Fonseka families of Kalutara were one of the six families with a distinct rank and status as chieftains of the Karava clans. This page traces the De Fonseka family roots, back to 1658 in the Dutch period and beyond, with the help of the genealogy table documented in the book 'The Karava of Ceylon', De Fonseka Genealogy Documents and the D'andrado Manuscripts, a collection of Dutch documents in the National Archives. Through these pages we also take a look at the other Varnakula Additiya Arasanilayitta clan families of D'andrado, De Rowel, Lowe, Tamel and Tissera. The genealogy table is found just below this paragraph,
Comprehensive historical details with reference to these families could be found in the in the 'Karava' page. The complete D'andrado Manuscripts are included in the reference page.
Click on the following picture to open the genealogy chart. It will open in a separate window, so that you may keep it opened for reference while browsing the rest of the papers.
In this section we look at the genealogies of the Kalutara families in HTML form. This will load much faster, and also contains additional family details and members omitted in the above chart. It also contains sources of information, references and dates and links to family trees which traces their descendents to date.
The Genealogies of the De Fonseka families of Kalutara
Glossary of Titles and Ranks found in the Genealogy Chart
The original version of the Genealogy Table was compiled by S. R. de Fonseka of 'The Glades', De Fonseka Place, Colombo and others. It has been authenticated by non other than E. Reimers, the Government Archivist at that time.
This Genealogical Table was gone into by me. The authorities quoted were verified, and the documents of the family referred to were examined. They are authentic and reliable so far as I am able to say and are corroborated by records in this office. Volume No. 2673D of the Colombo Dutch Records deals entirely with some matters relating to the d’andrados and the de Fonsekas about the beginning of the Dutch era, and bear out an Old Dutch M. S. of the Family in the possession of Mr. S. R. de Fonseka about the relationship between different members of the families and the offices they held at this time. This M. S., and other earlier family documents, most of them in Dutch, were submitted by him to the Historical M. S. Commission and were accepted as authentic and genuine.
I certify this table as correct.
E.
REIMERS,
Government Archivist and Secretary Historical: M. S. S. Commission,
Colombo, 29th
November 1935.
A
Surname called De
Fonseka
Learn all about your Surname.
The case of Manuel Dias (Andrady) : The case of an extended version of the family tree, which could possibly take the family history back to 1545.
De Fonseka Families of Panadura
While the Varnakula Additiya Arasanilayitta De Fonseka families have been discussed at great length in the preceding section, many segments of 'De Fonseka' families have surfaced in my research into the family name. One such is the de Fonseka family Group originating from Panadura. Predominantly Buddhist, there seems to be a large crowd of de Fonseka families distributed in and around Panadura.
In this section we look at some of the De Fonseka names which I have collected during my research on the family name, and which I have not been able to connect to the genealogy charts prepared so far.
However they provide valuable insight into the different de Fonseka branches that are in existence. The people mentioned in this page will be organized into relevant Family Trees or Sections as the research progress.
Related Families
The Genealogies of the D'andrado families of Kalutara
The Genealogies of the Lowe families of Marawila.
The Genealogies of the De Rowel families of Marawila.
The Genealogies of the Tamel (de Melho) families of Kammala.
The Genealogies of the Tissera families of Negambo.
The
Genealogies of the Varnakula Fernando families of Negambo.
The
Fernando families of Marawila and Thamabarawila have been very closely
associated with the Lowe families through Inter marriages. This page looks at
the family tree of Varnakulasuriya Adrian Fernando, Muhandiram of Kammala, and
contains some lovely period photographs of this family.
(The Lowe Family genealogy details,
the Varnakula Fernando family details and photographs of the Marawila families have been provided by Dr Germain
Fernando of Brisbane, Australia.)
Don Bastian de Silva Jayasuriya Goonewardane
The Lindon Jussey de Silva family ( The Seven Sisters )
Mudaliyars - Their life and times
Most
of the ancestors listed in the previous genealogy charts appear to have held
some form of title and have been leaders in their community
holding posts such as Vidhan, Mohandiram and Mudaliyars. The post of
Mudaliyar was the highest status achievable by a person of the low country. They
were also closely associated with the colonial rulers that occupied this
country. These pages
examines the life and times of the Mudaliyars, their change from a Military
background to a Civil Administrative post and then to simply a titular post in
the last days of the British Raj, before they discontinued what was then known as
the Native Department.
We also look at the social and administrative functions performed by them, their status in society and duties, details that gives us a better understanding of our ancestors.
The second page in this series gives their numbers and distribution, their salaries and allowances and duties which throws out some interesting insights into their lives.
A look at some of the places mentioned in the histories and genealogies of the De Fonsekas as well as the other members of the de Fonseka family.