ancestors of paradise
Journey with us and bring to light the
untold stories of our Caribbean ancestors.
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![Historic photograph of Market Street in St. John's, Antigua dated March 1961.]()
Antigua and Barbuda
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![Historic photograph of Watertransport op Aruba dated 1947 in the Nationaal Archief collection.]()
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![Historic photograph of local boys in Bimini, Bahamas dated 1914.]()
The Bahamas
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![Historic photograph of several generations of Barbadians dated 1955.]()
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![Historic photograph of men with barge-loads of bundled blocks of chicle in Belize Harbor, Belize dated 1919.]()
Belize
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![A Nineteenth Century studio photograph of an unidentified young man in Bermuda.]()
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![Historic photograph of vrouw en kind op ezel met watertonnen op Bonaire dated 1947.]()
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![Historic photograph of Noel Ebanks on West Bay Beach, Cayman Islands dated March 1955.]()
Cayman Islands
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![Circa early 1900s historic photograph of street vendor, children, and dog in Cuba.]()
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![Historic photograph of Amello in een pick-up op Curaçao dated 1947.]()
Curaçao
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![Black and white photograph dated 1961 of Edith Bellot wearing the traditional costume of Dominica based on French eighteenth century fashion.]()
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![Historic photograph circa 1900-1940 of Mercado de Carne No.1 in the Dominican Republic.]()
Dominican Republic
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![Historic photograph of a market in Cayenne, French Guiana dated 1915.]()
French Guiana
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![Black and white wedding photograph, circa 1950-1955, of Mr. Leo Alexander and his bride of Belmont Village, Grenada.]()
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![Historic photograph of three women from Guadeloupe at Ellis Island dated 1911.]()
Guadeloupe
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![Black and white photograph of old villager of Indo-Caribbean descent on the Diamond Plantation in Guyana circa 1960.]()
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![Early 1900s historic photograph of cobbler in Haiti.]()
Haiti
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![Historic photograph circa 1899 of dessert sellers in Kingston, Jamaica.]()
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![Black and white photograph on Jost Van Dyke with the Methodist Chapel in the background.]()
Jost Van Dyke
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![Historic photograph of Fort-de-France, Martinique circa 1915-1920.]()
Martinique
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![Black and white photograph dated March 1961 of a farm worker listening to her radio during a lunch-time break in Montserrat.]()
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![Historic photograph dated 1909 of the quaint balcony-hung Avenue B in the Panama Canal Zone.]()
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![Historic photograph of children in Utuado, Puerto Rico dated January 1942.]()
Puerto Rico
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![Black and white photograph dated 1947 of kinderen op straat in het dorp Windwardside op Saba.]()
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![Historic photograph of shoemakers in St. Croix, Danish West Indies.]()
St. Croix
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![Black and white photograph dated 1941 of St. Johnians at the dock in Cruz Bay.]()
St. John
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![Black and white photograph dated 1950 of workers leaving an estate in St. Kitts after cutting operations.]()
St. Kitts and Nevis
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![Black and white photograph dated 1961 of a young banana cutter on a smallholding near Castries, St. Lucia.]()
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![Historic photograph circa 1895 of Marigot, hoofdstad van Saint Martin.]()
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![Black and white photograph by Jack Delano dated 1941 of women in Frenchtown, Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands.]()
St. Thomas
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![Historic photograph circa 1903 of Kingstown, St. Vincent, British West Indies, from the heights, showing Bequia and the Grenadines.]()
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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![Black and white photograph dated 1955 by Willem van de Poll of De Statius-steelband op Sint Eustatius.]()
Sint Eustatius
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![Black and white photograph dated 1947 by Willem van de Poll of kreeftenvissers in Simpson Bay Lagoon op Sint-Maarten.]()
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![Black and white photograph dated 1955 of Afro-Surinamese and Creole women in Paramaribo, Suriname wearing traditional koto dress in Government Square.]()
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![Black and white photograph circa 1922-1923 of a West Indian couple in front of their home in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.]()
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![Black and white photograph circa 1915-1920 of a seated Indo-Caribbean basket weaver in Trinidad.]()
Trinidad and Tobago
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![Black and white photograph circa 1929 of men loading salt from a horse and cart on the hopper of a grinding mill in Turks and Caicos Islands.]()
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
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![Black and white historic photograph circa 1900-1906 of the interior of a provision store in Caracas, Venezuela.]()
Venezuela
JOURNEY WITH US.
Search by country, region, or special interest in the drop-down menu and explore our ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for the Caribbean.
Click on the menu headings to start your search!
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The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire
British Guiana (See Guyana)
British Virgin Islands (See Anegada, Jost van Dyke, Tortola, Virgin Gorda) -
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Danish West Indies (See Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas)
Dominica
Dominican Republic -
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Netherlands Antilles (See Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten)
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United States Virgin Islands (See Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas)
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CARIBBEAN DIASPORA
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for the Caribbean Diaspora.
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CARIBBEAN GENETIC GENEALOGY
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Jews in the Caribbean.
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CARIBBEAN JEWISH GENEALOGY
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Jews in the Caribbean.
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CARIBBEAN INDENTURESHIP
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Caribbean Indentureship.
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CARIBBEAN CHATTEL SLAVERY
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Caribbean Chattel Slavery.
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CARIBBEAN FEMALE ANCESTORS
A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Caribbean Female Ancestors.
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CAN YOU HELP RESEARCH MY FAMILY HISTORY?
Unfortunately, Ancestors of Paradise does not provide professional genealogy services. But, we do have an ever-growing list of professional genealogists with expertise in your area of interest that can help. Follow the link below to connect with a professional genealogist for the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora communities.
If you are not ready to hire a genealogist and would like help getting started on your genealogy research journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are happy to provide some “next steps”.
Best of luck in your search! -
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HOW DO I TRANSLATE A GENEALOGICAL DOCUMENT?
During your research, you likely have come across documents in a language you are not fluent in. We recommend reaching out to a volunteer group such as Genealogy Translations, which can be found on Facebook, for help.
Genealogical Translations was established to provide amateur family researchers a place to have their genealogical documents translated. We are a global volunteer group whose members help other members by offering free translation of their genealogical documents such as vital records, postcards, obituaries, and more, in languages including – Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and many others! -
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HOW DO I FIND MY BIOLOGICAL FAMILY?
If you are searching for your biological family we recommend that you reach out to an organization such as DNAngels or groups such as DNA Detectives and Search Squad (both of which can be found on Facebook).
Using modern DNA analysis and traditional genealogy research methods, these communities help individuals find biological family members at no cost. Follow the link below to learn more about how genetic genealogy can reveal long forgotten or hidden details of your Caribbean ancestry!
What People Are Saying.
“This is an excellent resource for anyone researching their Caribbean roots, from novice to experienced.”
“From Anegada to Virgin Gorda, tour the Caribbean in this gorgeous site packed with resources, historical photos and videos…”
“…beautiful site for Caribbean genealogy.”
“Ancestors of Paradise is an important resource for Caribbean research which brings so many people together. Clients have found me because of AoP. I hope it grows exponentially!”