[2] Pettigrew later married his high school sweetheart Alice Goreham on 13 November 1896, at Calcutta, and they lived in India till 1933 before they departed for England.

The order from the political agent for Pettigrew to work among the head-hunting Tangkhul Naga tribe living at Ukhrul came in such manner: "Confined and restricted to one section of the country, the North-East area among the Tangkhul Nagas, Headhunters of the past and still practised in the outlying and frontier villages, the writer and his wife at their own risk according to Government order from 1896 to 1918 made the largest and most important village of the tribe Ukhrul, their headquarters".

[2] Pettigrew started his work as an educationist at the Ukhrul Headquarter, Hunphun, on 19 February 1897, when 20 students enrolled to learn rudimentary western education.

[3] From Ukhrul Headquarter, Hunphun, education and schools swiftly spread to the surrounding villages including Humbum (Hungpung), Talla (Talloi), Faling (Halang), Paoyi (Peh), Chingjui (Chingjaroi), Phadang (Phalee), Somdal, Horton, Longpi (Nungbi), Khangkhui, and Nambisha.

[citation needed] For his contribution towards spreading Western education and his service in the rural areas, the Imperial British India awarded him with the honour of Kaisar-I-Hind Medal.