JAMAICA GENEALOGY

At the core of the project is a database containing, first, the identity of all slave-owners in the British colonies at the time slavery ended and, second, all the estates in the British Caribbean colonies. As the two earlier phases of work unfolded, we amassed, analysed and incorporated information about the activities, affiliations and legacies of all the British slave-owners on the database, building this Encyclopedia of British Slave-Owners.

Contains dissenters' marriages in Jamaica, 1841-1846. Dissenters were those not belonging to the established Church of England, namely Baptists, Presbyterians, Wesleyan-Methodists, Moravians, etc..

Microreproduction of original records at the Registrar General's Department, Spanish Town, Jamaica.

The Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) facilitates the digitisation of archives around the world that are in danger of destruction, neglect or physical deterioration. Thanks to generous funding from Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge, we have provided grants to almost 500 projects in over ninety countries worldwide, in more than a hundred languages and scripts.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free, online genealogical guide created and maintained by FamilySearch, a non-profit organization. It contains links to genealogy databases, websites, other resources, research strategies, and genealogical guidance to assist in the search for your ancestors. Articles included are locality pages for countries around the world and topic pages that include pertinent genealogy record types explaining how to use the record, what it contains, and how to find it.

In 1807 The Abolition of Slave Trade Act came into force. The act made the trade in slaves from Africa to the British colonies illegal. To combat illicit transportation following this act many of the British Colonies began keeping registers of black slaves who had been so-called “lawfully enslaved”. In 1819 the Office for the Registry of Colonial Slaves was established in London and copies of the slave registers kept by the colonies were sent to this office. Registration generally occurred once every three years. The registers continue through to 1834 when slavery was officially abolished.

Passenger lists of people arriving in the United Kingdom by sea kept by the Board of Trade's Commercial and Statistical Department and its successors. The information given in these lists includes the age, occupation, address in the United Kingdom and the date of entering the country of passengers entering the United Kingdom by sea from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean.

Jamaica Archives and Records Department (JARD) exists to ensure the efficient and effective management and use of official records/information, at all stages of the life cycle and to preserve those official and other archival records for current and future use, by the government and citizens of Jamaica, in order to strengthen national development.

Images of baptism, marriage, and burial transcripts. Includes handwritten indexes. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.

British manumissions: manumissions for slaves from Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica; correspondence with David Barclay; manumissions for David Barclay's slaves Indentures: Masters names, A - Perrot

The Manumission of Slaves registers contain certificates (deeds) of freedom for free people of “colour” (black or mixed-race). According to Jamaican law, “free people of colour” had to prove their freedom from slavery. This information was recorded in the Manumission Registers in the Island Secretary’s Office. Persons were freed in the following parishes: Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Port Royal, Portland, St. Andrew, St. Ann, St. Catherine, St. David, St. Dorothy, St. Elizabeth, St. George, St. James, St. Mary, St. Thomas in the East, St. Thomas in the Vale, Trelawny, Vere and Westmoreland.

A Outtamany Search ( formerly Genealogical Research) is an investigation to discover a person’s family background that gives historically information about the family lineage. Jamaica’s Registrar General’s Department offers Outtamany Search at an affordable cost to all persons interested in identifying their family history.

ShipIndex.org simplifies vessel research. Whether you’re a genealogist, a maritime historian, a researcher, or just curious, we can help you learn more about the ships that interest you. We tell you which maritime resources, such as books, journals, magazines, newspapers, CD-ROMs, websites, and online databases mention the ships that interest you. We enhance these references by noting which ones include illustrations or crew and passenger lists, and where you can find or purchase the resource.

This collection contains records from the Surrey History Centre detailing the Goulburn family’s longstanding ownership of the Amity Hall plantation and associated properties in Jamaica during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The plantation had 300 acres of land cultivated for the lucrative sugar cane and, at its peak, housed almost 300 enslaved people.

Most of the papers concern the properties when they were administered by Conservative MP Henry Goulburn between 1805 and 1856. They provide a comprehensive overview of the operation and eventual abolition of the slave trade in Jamaica and the West Indies. This covers everything from abolitionist criticism of Goulburn’s plantation to the resistance and organisation of enslaved workers.

The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.

Includes Jewish records from Kingston, Jamaica.

Contains Kingston, Jamaica marriage records, 1788-1920; West Indies grave registration, 1809-ca. 1850; St. Thomas & Jamaica circumcision records, 1800's; St. Thomas & Jamaica birth records, 1800's-1950; St. Thomas & Jamaica death records, 1796-1824.

Ancestry message boards contain over 25 million posts on more than 198,000 boards.

Ancestry message boards contain over 25 million posts on more than 198,000 boards.

The British Newspaper Archive is a partnership between the British Library and Findmypast to digitise the British Library's vast collection of newspapers.

The Digital Library of the Caribbean is a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean & circum-Caribbean.

The Early Caribbean Digital Archive is an open access collection of pre-twentieth-century Caribbean texts, maps, and images. Texts include travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries that have not been brought together before as a single collection focused on the Caribbean. The materials in the archive are primarily authored and published by Europeans, but the ECDA aims to use digital tools to "remix" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world.

History Hub is a research support community for everyone, including genealogists, historians, and citizen archivists.

This is a virtual genealogy library for those researching family history for Jamaica, West Indies, especially for people born before 1920. The site contains transcriptions from various documents including nineteenth century Jamaica Almanacs (which list property owners and civil and military officials), Jamaica Directories for 1878, 1891 and 1910, extractions from Jamaican Church records, Civil Registration, Wills, Jewish records, and excerpts from newspapers, books, and other documents. There is information on immigration and on slavery.

This online database contains more than 970,000 historical newspaper pages from The Gleaner. The full-page newspapers, dating back to 1834, are searchable by keyword and date, making it easy for you to quickly explore historical content. Use the archive to gain a local perspective on historical news, to research your family history or to simply read about a person or event that interests you.

Detailed estate maps on the Library of Congress website taken from sales particulars of some of the bigger Jamaican estates.

The K.Top. Collection features many maps from the Caribbean in general. There are several maps related to Jamaica directly and indirectly. The names of cartographers like James Robertson, Edward Slaney and Nicolaes Visscher popped out as all have holdings in the NLJ collections.

In the spring of 2003, Library Services at Home (LSAH) began work on this project as part of our ongoing oral history work and as part of Black History Month. We decided to interview some of the service's African Caribbean readers about their experiences of growing up in the Caribbean Islands, and coming over to England.

The Jamaica family history research page lists data collections relevant to Jamaica.

Start your search here to find ancestors originating from Jamaica and to research historical records pertaining to Jamaica.

Find the graves of ancestors, create virtual memorials or add photos, virtual flowers and a note to a loved one's memorial. Search or browse cemeteries and grave records for every-day and famous people from around the world.

We have successfully collected information about thousands of Jewish cemetery sites all over the world along with information on the location of the cemetery, and how to obtain more information. Each Jewish cemetery or burial site listed in the project by town or city, country, and geographic region is based on current locality designation. Some listings include links to other websites with additional information such as burial lists or a name to contact by email or snail-mail.

In 2017 the nonprofit JJCPF, Jamaican Jewish Cemeteries Preservation Fund, came into being. In addition to fund raising and planning for preservation and maintenance, JJCPF aims to increase awareness of the cemeteries' historical significance. The seven-member Board of JJCPF includes native born Jamaicans, Jamaican Jewish descendants, scholars, and professionals in architectural conservation and heritage tourism.

Contains abstracts of Jewish tombstone inscriptions in Jamaica, in both Hebrew and English, where applicable.

The Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection consists of photographs produced and gathered by Frank G. Carpenter (1855-1924) and his daughter Frances (1890-1972) to illustrate his writings on travel and world geography. Carpenter's works helped popularize cultural anthropology and geography in the early years of the twentieth century.

Trace your roots for FREE with our searchable database containing thousands of identified and mystery photos for genealogy enthusiasts looking for long-lost family. Anyone who finds a photo of a direct ancestor that is owned by the archive will receive the photo for free.

HaChayim HaYehudim Jewish Photo Library is an archive of images from the Jewish world. Jewish communities in the Caribbean featured include Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, St. Thomas, and Trinidad.

Harry A. Franck (1881-1962) was a University of Michigan graduate (1903), avid traveler, and veteran of both world wars. He wrote thirty-three travel books describing Europe, South and Central America, China, Japan, and many other places. His most popular books include A Vagabond Journey Around the World (1910) and Zone Policeman 88 (1913). His books routinely featured photographs he took during his journeys: landscapes, street scenes, working people with the tools of their trade, portraits, and snapshots.

We are a team of dedicated film archivists who aim to help you produce the best archive content for your project.

Our collections are vast and varied - the sum of over fifty years of service to production and to film archiving. Our footage starts around 1895 and we cover the places and people of the 20th century comprehensively and globally. Our holdings are mostly documentary with the addition of behind the scenes Hollywood, Bollywood and a special collection of pioneer film makers. It is with great pride that our source material is still on celluloid for quality and that filmic texture. Our films are housed in purpose built film vaults and our staff expert in their field.

Taken by my grandfather David C. Cook. Scanned from an unlabeled Kodachrome slide date stamped October, 1977.

Our mission is to shed light on the Indian indenture system in the Caribbean, honouring the experiences and resilience of our Indian ancestors.

We welcome you to join us on a personal journey rooted in uncovering the forgotten archives of this period.

In the process, we will be rewriting the archaic colonial narratives that have traditionally accompanied the historical artefacts of this time, from the critical perspective of Indian indenture descendants.

Mary Evans Picture Library licenses images for use in books, newspapers, exhibitions, websites and all manner of other media. Our images cover a broad range of topics, with the overarching themes of history and film. Our range, however, extends far beyond most people's perception of historical pictures, to include areas such as fashion, design, society and, uniquely, the paranormal.

The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs is a singular collection of more than 3,500 historical images from 34 countries including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. This visual record contains studio portraits, landscapes and tourist views and brings to life the changing economies, environments and communities that emerged post-emancipation. The Collection includes nearly every photographic format available during the years 1840 to 1940, including prints, postcards, daguerreotypes, lantern slides, albums, and stereographs.

M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark tells the story of Denmark as one of the world's leading maritime nations in an evocative and dramatic way.

You can visit the digital image archive here where more than 60.000 photos are digitalized (in Danish).

These images from the Colonial Office library photographic collection (CO 1069) and the Central Office of Information British Empire collection of photographs (INF 10) have been added to Flickr so that you can comment, tag and share them easily. The images are also being used to develop exciting national community outreach projects.

This digital compilation was developed in support of the NYPL website, "The African American Migration Experience," a sweeping 500-year historical narrative from the transatlantic slave trade to the Western migration, the colonization movement, the Great Migration, and the contemporary immigration of Caribbeans, Haitians, and sub-Saharan Africans.

The KITLV image collection holds photographs, prints and drawings that were acquired by The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV). Housed at Leiden University Libraries since 2014, as part of the KITLV library collection.

The biggest part of the image collection consists of photographs. Around 1890 the KITLV started collecting photographs for the purpose of documenting the image of the Dutch East and West Indies in all their facets, such as landscapes, town views, architecture, and life under indigenous and Dutch rule and so forth.

Easy-to-use software that helps you fix your pics and documents fast! Free to try - no credit card required.

The David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 35 years ago and contains more than 200,000 maps. The collection focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, globes, wall maps, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from around 1550 to the present.

Based in South Portland, ME, Historic Map Works, LLC is an Internet company formed to create a historic digital map database of North America and the world. Drawing on the largest physical collection of American property atlases of its type, it is our aim to be the single best online destination for map enthusiasts and researchers alike.

Our mission is to give old maps a new life in the online world via the Old Maps Online search catalog that allows visitors to explore and discover the beauty of historical maps depicting a past geographical place of their interest.

In 1965, the late Dr. James Lee first formed “the Archaeological Club of Jamaica” to maintain public interest in archaeological work and prevent the destruction of archaeological sites in Jamaica. By 1971 the name had been changed to the “Archaeological Society of Jamaica” and was inaugurated with the adoption of an official constitution.

To this day, our community remains a non-profit dedicated to the study, promotion, and preservation of Jamaica’s archaeological knowledge and heritage. And we energetically continue to engender a space where interested parties who share our passion for the discipline can share expertise, connect and collaborate. Thus, at present, our Society is a community of professional archaeologists, historians, heritage professionals, archaeology enthusiasts, cultural resource managers and students based locally and abroad.

Chin Tung-Kao, in 1891 founded the Chinese Benevolent Society, at 113 Barry Street in downtown Kingston.

The Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica support the conservation and restoration of Jamaica’s fine historic buildings because these charming structures, of special character and international significance, are part of the island’s rich cultural heritage, part of what makes the Jamaican landscape so beautiful, and, importantly, an invaluable asset for today’s Jamaicans.

The Georgian Society of Jamaica is a not-for-profit organization registered in Jamaica for the purposes of public education and monumental protection of buildings and other edifices in Jamaica erected during the Colonial Georgian Period of our history. The Society was started in 1967 out of concern for the destruction and neglect of period buildings in all parts of the island. These were frequently replaced by structures of poor design and little character.

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre (ICC) is a non-profit, independent, educational organization recognized by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. ICC was established in 1999 with its axiom being “Celebrating unity in cultural diversity in the Caribbean.” It is dedicated to publishing two magazines every year – a Divali souvenir magazine, and an Indian Arrival Day commemorative magazine. ICC is primarily committed to the production of information about people, issues and events affecting Hindus and Indians in multi-ethnic Trinidad and the Caribbean.

The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), through its various cultural entities, engages the public in different ways. Established in 1879, IOJ keeps its core offerings relevant and relatable.

To inspire a sense of national pride through the promotion, preservation, and development of our material cultural heritage, utilizing a highly motivated and qualified team in conjunction with all our partners.

The Jamaican Historical Society was founded in 1943 to, preserve historical evidence in Jamaica, to encourage the study of history in Jamaica and to spread knowledge about Jamaican and Caribbean history.

The JNF Parish Histories project captures Jamaica in its most authentic form, engaging the Jamaican people in interesting conversations about their parish history. Some of the most captivating conversations are those held with our senior citizens who reminisce about a much different Jamaica than the one we know today.

Western Jamaica's multipurpose Cultural Centre, located at the historic Sam Sharpe Square.

The National Library of Jamaica was established in 1979 under the Institute of Jamaica Act of 1978. It originated from the collection of the West India Reference Library (WIRL) which was founded in 1894 as a section of the Public Library of the Institute of Jamaica. The library provides access to various collection of Jamaican literature, maps, films, newspapers, photographs, and more.

The St. Thomas Renaissance Foundation, Inc., was founded in March 2017, with the singular mission of bringing economic development to the Parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica, and improving the lives of its people. Founding members comprise of St. Thomians in the Diaspora and Jamaica. The fundamental tenet of the Foundation is that the development of the parish and its rebirth, will come from, and is the responsibility of ALL its citizens.

This project has been constructed as a memorial, as a site of mourning and grieving, as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation, and as a catalyst for the ongoing recognition, exploration, and presentation of the enslaved persons of African descent at Rose Hall. This space is a dedicated space of remembrance for all those named and unnamed who heretofore have not been publicly acknowledged or memorialized. It was also conceived in recognition of, and resistance to, what continues to be silenced about them and the institution of slavery today. We hope this website will encourage others to carve out spaces, virtual and otherwise, for the necessary and continuous remembrance of enslaved Africans and their descendants throughout the African diaspora.

Black River Heritage Tour

Come walk with us!

The West Indian history is kept alive in part by the Afro-Caribbean Museum. The Museum is housed in what was formerly the Christian Mission Church, which was built in El Marañón, Calidonia, by Barbadian workers in the year 1910.

It is a wooden structure that reflects a Caribbean style of architecture, and there is only one main exhibit space that contains historic photographs and domestic items that portray the history and living conditions of the West Indian immigrants who began migrating to Panama for the construction of the railroad in 1850 and later arrived in greater numbers for the construction of the Panama Canal in the first two decades of the twentieth century.

The Caribbean Diaspora Oral History Collection documents and makes accessible the contributions of people of Caribbean ancestry who share stories of migration to the United States and the challenges inherent in such displacements. The 20 interviewees are from various countries from the Caribbean basin such as Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico.

The Jamaica Society Leeds is one of the UK’s most revered Jamaican community organisations. Founded by six first generation Jamaicans in 1977, we fly the flag for Jamaica, land we love, and Leeds, the city we love and champion the preservation and heritage of Jamaican culture. A registered charity, we operate from our very own Jamaica House, based in the heart of the African Caribbean community that we have been committed to caring for, developing and supporting for decades.

Eighteenth century Jamaica viewed through family stories and documents.

This blog is a place for me to share information relating to English and Jamaican genealogy. This may take the form of articles on interesting bits of Jamaican and English history, stories of ancestors from my family trees, ‘how to’ articles for conducting your own research and guides to using different genealogical resources.

​My name is Linford Sweeney and I have been a Black History Educator for more than seventeen years. It all begun with my mother (may she rest in eternal peace) who instilled within me a passion for family history. In turn, history became a fascination and hobby, and later, within my local community, I started teaching others.

As more and more people wanted to know about Black history, I obliged by delivering classes, workshops, talks, and later on courses. I addition, I advised, managed, or consulted on several initiatives, including the 70th anniversary of the 1945 Pan-African Congress held in Manchester.

Dorothy Kew blogs about her Jamaican family history. Her musings show the methods she has used to find out more about her family.

Family history of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish diaspora.

The mission of the Trans-Atlantic Maroon Connection Project is to promote face-to-face cultural exchange between the descendants of the original Trelawny Town Maroons, including oral histories, music, and herbal medicine. This blog chronicles the journey of two Maroons from Flagstaff, Jamaica on their quest to document the history of the descendants of the Trelawny Town Maroons in Jamaica and Sierra Leone.

This article explores the origins, contributions, and legacy of the Windrush generation, with a focus on how to research family history linked to this significant group. 

This is a podcast about Caribbean History and a good resource for individuals researching their family history.

Jewish life in the Caribbean extends as far back as the fifteenth century with Jewish-European migration following patterns of trade and colonialism to the region. Ainsley Henriques, Jewish-Jamaican genealogist and Administrator of Kahal Kadosh Sha'are Shalom synagogue in Kingston, Jamaica, joins Strictly Facts to map out this long history and describe how it figures into the Caribbean's ethnic diversity.

The Island Archives Podcast is an audio series created to honor the Caribbean heroes/sheroes of the past and present and highlight their immeasurable contributions in different areas/disciplines. We feature their achievements by retelling their stories in an interesting, engaging, and insightful way by blending humor, history and highlights.

This is a collection of pictures taken in Saint Elizabeth in 1948. The purpose of this group is share memories and to identify people and places related to these specific photos.

Where did these photos come from? These photos were taken by Joseph Obrebski (1907 - 1967) who was a Polish sociologist. He was employed as a research sociologist for the West Indian Social Survey in the late 1940's. His research papers and materials were donated to UMass Amherst and are held in their special collections.

This group is for sharing resources and assisting with research relating to Caribbean ancestry and history.

Welcome to the Caribbean Research Community! This group was created to give people researching the region a place to ask questions, collaborate, and share research with one another.

Anyone with family roots in Clarendon, Jamaica...please join and tell us about your family!

A progressive podcast and platform dedicated to the Indo-Caribbean community and other descendants of Indian indentureship from around the world.

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!

Follow our stories. Let us tell your genealogy story. Everyone has a little Caribbean in them.

This is the Hanover family research, DNA genealogy and heritage group for anyone with family roots in Hanover, Jamaica.

Please join and tell us about your family or historical Hanover information!

Henriques - Jamaican Family Heritage is an endeavour to link up Henriques of Jamaican ancestry worldwide. The Henriqueses came to Jamaica in the mid 1700 from Portugal. The family from Jamaica branches out primarily to USA. The family is now a diverse one, sharing many different names. For this group we would like to link everyone who have a parent, grandparent, great grandparent or even great great grandparent that were Henriques.

The Indian Jamaica Genealogy group serves to combine the efforts of Jamaicans researching their Indian ancestry.

Lover of all things Jamaican, especially the history.

An organisation for those who are interested in Preserving Jamaica's rapidly vanishing British Colonial Heritage in Architecture, Art, Antiques and Genealogy.

Greetings fellow genealogy researchers! This group is for people who have taken a DNA test and have genealogical ties to the island of Jamaica. We welcome anyone who is amenable to open collaboration for the best interest of everyone in the group. Our top priorities are finding the unheard voices of our ancestors, and discovering new relatives and family stories along the way.

This is to recognize where you and yours hail from, where you are and where you and yours are going. This is the place to celebrate our motto: Out of Many One People, through recognition and celebration of our heritage. We should not lose this because we shall lose recognition of where we came from, where we are, where we went and where we are going.

WELCOME to the Jamaican Genealogy and History Reference as we grow the page. This is a reliable guide to the best sources for original records and other documents on your Jamaican ancestors, as well as relevant Jamaican history. We will also provide helpful tools and methods to simplify your search and help you grow your family tree.

This group is a "library" of resources, references, and tools, for anyone researching Jamaican genealogy and history.

The purpose of this group is to have a common meeting place for Jamaicans with German ancestry--and others interested in German Jamaican Genealogy--where they can come together to discuss their family history and discover more about their German ancestors through interacting with others.

Over the years Jamaicans have migrated all over the world. This has resulted in families becoming disconnected. This page is for anyone looking for LIVING family members or friends of Jamaican descent born after 1920. This is not a genealogy research group.

Manchester was formed in 1814, by an Act of the House of Assembly, making it one of the newest parishes of Jamaica. It was formed as a result of the amalgamation of the parishes St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and Vere. The amalgamation was done in response to a petition from the inhabitants of Mile Gully, May Pen and Carpenters Mountain who complained that they were too far away from an administrative centre. Manchester was named in honour of the Duke of Manchester, the then Governor of Jamaica. He was governor for 19 years, setting the record as the longest serving Governor of the island. The capital town, Mandeville, established in 1816, was named after his eldest son, Lord Mandeville.

This is the Facebook page to trace the genealogy of the descendant's of James O'Meally Esq. Barrister St. Thomas of the Vale (St. Catherine) Jamaica, W.I.

This group was started May 27 2015. It is managed by a genealogical team specializing in St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica.

The purpose of this group is to educate, promote and share genealogy information in regards to the Parish of St. Catherine and your related family and ancestors.

A genealogy group for anyone researching their family roots in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.

Anyone with family roots in St. Thomas, Jamaica...please join and refer others to tell us about your family.

Scotish, Scottish, Scotch, Jamaican and any mix thereof. We are here to tell and share stories of our great and troublesome history, all for the sake of peace, love, knowledge and understanding. May our journeys be long, productive, uniting, and informative Welcome. All forms of participation are welcome. Share your stories, Share your ancestry.

Greetings fellow researchers & cousins! This genealogy group is dedicated to all with Simpson St Elizabeth Jamaica family roots and related surnames to the Simpson line.

Let's connect, meet up and share our DNA connections, oral history and stories. One love.

This group is for anyone with family roots in the parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica. We share genealogy and history resources, research methods and tools, ideas and family stories. We also endeavor to help each other to locate, interpret and verify records and documents, and find ancestors and build family trees.

This video was shot in Trelawny and gives us a piece of days gone by in the parish. Stories are told by it's very own residents, one of which is Ms. Violet Moss-Brown who is the oldest woman in the world at 117 years old.

A virtual discussion from Friday December 18, 2020 on plantation archaeology in Jamaica and the role of the plantation in shaping complex colonial transformations that continue to structure life on the island and in the wider Caribbean. This installment focuses on case studies of sugar estates from the Parish of Trelawny. Contributors highlight their different approaches to landscapes of sugar production, transportation networks, structures and machinery, and community life.

Learn how to trace your Afro-Caribbean ancestors from the West Indies, including Barbados, Jamaica, and other places. Presented by Sharon Wilkins, President of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society - New York.

This session introduces a 5-Step Research Methodology to guide family history study and research in the West Indies. Resources available in the U.S. and the U.K. are identified and civil registration and church records are illustrated through exploration of a family line. Emphasis is on the British West Indian experience.

Learn about the British Army's service in the Caribbean, how their presence influenced life in the region and how West Indians have contributed to the British Army over the past 300 years. Made with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In this video, I walk you through 5 Tips for searching for Caribbean ancestors that were involuntarily relocated or voluntarily moved between islands. This video focuses on British Caribbean islands.

Actor Naomie Harris’s dramatic discoveries in this episode inspire her to anger, sadness and tears of joy. On a journey from Trinidad to Grenada to Jamaica, Naomie exposes her four-times-great grandfather’s involvement in the exploitation of so-called 'liberated Africans' shortly after the abolition of slavery, is delighted to discover the identify of her African five-times-great grandmother, and, in nearer generations, uncovers a family story of tragic poverty in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston.

Learn how you can learn about your past for free through the National Archives in Kew, London.

In this video, Researching Female Ancestors of the Caribbean, Sharon Tomlin delves into ways we can research African-Caribbean female ancestry. Encouraging dialogue across the generations to understand the pioneers of the past and to discover the pioneers within their own family.

This presentation was part of RootsTech Connect 2021.

Please join RELIC as we welcome Phillip Nicholas for a presentation demonstrating the resources and techniques used to conduct family research of the West Indies, primarily the British West Indies.

Learn tips, tricks, and more for researching ancestry in the Caribbean! Special guest, Anaisa Bayala.

In this episode I speak with Dr Dexter Gabriel about Emancipation & Apprenticeship System in British Caribbean.

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating Indo-Caribbean heritage with our special guest, Jess from the Kalapani Archives. Jess discusses the significant history of the East Indian indenture labor system that spread across the Caribbean, Africa, and the South Pacific.

Learn about the inception of the Kalapani Archives, a repository that aims to shed light on this overlooked history and its relevance to present-day family research. Discover how Jess and her co-founder Tony, who met online through a shared interest in Indo-Caribbean history, have created a vibrant online community to unite descendants of Indian indentured laborers.

Join us as Jess provides insights into the origins and significance of the Kalapani Archives, the challenges faced, and the future initiatives planned to continue expanding this essential historical resource.

In todays episode I will be speaking with Carlston Walters of Caribbean Family History. This group assist family history researchers with overcoming their obstacles in researching their roots.

In todays episode I will be speaking with Carlston Walters of Caribbean Family History. This group assist family history researchers with overcoming their obstacles in researching their roots.

In this episode, we delve into the rich world of the Early Caribbean Digital Archive (ECDA) with the insights of Professors Nicole Aljo and Elizabeth Dillon, alongside their dedicated team.

We explore the origins and objectives of the ECDA, a publicly accessible archive platform that houses a vast collection of pre-20th century Caribbean materials. Learn about their mission to decolonize and democratize knowledge by surfacing hidden narratives, such as those of enslaved individuals, embedded within historical texts.

The team also shares their experiences and methodologies in curating and digitizing these invaluable resources, offering a glimpse into some fascinating exhibits like Obeah practices and Jamaican Heirs. Discover how you can navigate the archive, contribute to ongoing projects, and even use these resources for family research and educational purposes.

Join us for a compelling discussion on the importance of preserving and accessing Caribbean history, both for understanding our past and informing our present.

Roberto "Múkaro" Borrero is a Taíno community leader, an accomplished musician, and artist, as well as an internationally respected advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. He is currently the President of the United Confederation of Taíno People and, on behalf of the International Indian Treaty Council, he is a co-convener for the Indigenous Peoples Major Group on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Borrero will present a lecture on Taíno history and culture, which will span from before the arrival of Columbus to contemporary affirmations of Taíno heritage. The Taíno were the first Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere to be called "Indians".

In this recorded National Library of Scotland event, David Alston discusses his new book, 'Slaves and Highlanders', with Juanita Cox of Guyana SPEAKS.

In his book, Alston presents a major contribution to the debate on reparation by reappraising Scots involvement and complicity in the slave trade. He explores the prominent role of Highland Scots in exploitation of enslaved Africans and their descendants in the cotton, sugar and coffee plantations of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In this talk Matthew Lee, a PhD student co-supervised by staff at the Library, examines Scotland’s relationship with the Atlantic slave trade through our collections, based on a recent cataloguing project.

Associate Curator of Photography Julie Crooks about The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs, a singular collection of more than 3,500 historical images from 34 countries including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. This visual record contains studio portraits, landscapes and tourist views and brings to life the changing economies, environments and communities that emerged post-emancipation. The Collection includes nearly every photographic format available during the years 1840 to 1940, including prints, postcards, daguerreotypes, lantern slides, albums, and stereographs.

Our fourth virtual session on Friday March 26, 2021 focused on recent studies in Caribbean DNA used to shed light on human past and contemporary cultures in the region.

Join Professor Renaldo McKenzie as he delves into the rich tapestry of Jamaican African religious traditions. From the vibrant rituals of Kumina to the deep-rooted practices of Rastafarianism, each episode uncovers the spiritual essence and cultural significance of these traditions. Tune in as we explore the intersection of faith, heritage, and identity in Jamaica's diverse religious landscape.

In this enlightening episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Chief Kalaan Nibonrix Kaiman of the Jamaican Hummingbird Taino people. Chief Kaiman graciously shares insights into the rich cultural heritage and enduring resilience of the Jamaican Taino community.

Throughout the discussion, Chief Kaiman offers a glimpse into the vibrant traditions, spiritual practices, and historical significance of the Taino people in Jamaica. From their ancestral connections to the land to their ongoing efforts to preserve and revitalize Taino culture, Chief Kaiman provides a captivating narrative of the Jamaican Taino experience.

In this captivating episode of the Disafemi History Podcast, host Wendy Aris engages in a stimulating conversation with legal historian Dr. Justine K. Collins. They highlight a fascinating aspect of Jamaican colonial history: the concept of racial passing and its complex interplay with legal proceedings. Significantly, Dr. Collins delivers an into deep analysis of the Jamaican plantocracy's crafty usage of private bills to seize and secure power, contributing to the eventful assertion of white dominion.

In this episode I speak with Daniel Livesay about the book Children of a Uncertain Fortune. This is a narrative that is not spoken or written about during the time of slavery. Mixed Raced children adults are mostly referred to as an adjunct during this time. The book details the narrative of these individuals and the type of lives that they have lived and abstracting this information from wills and the laws during that time. My own genealogy traces some of the same narratives as to what is detailed in the book Children of a Uncertain fortune.

In this episode, host Wendy Aris is joined by Dr. Colleen A. VASCONCELLOS, Associate Professor of History at the University of West Georgia, to delve into her book Slavery, Childhood, and Abolition in Jamaica, 1788-1838.

Discover the often-overlooked experiences of enslaved children during this turbulent period as Dr. VASCONCELLOS sheds light on their lives, struggles, and resilience. Learn about the legislative milestones, the impact of the abolitionist movement, and the enduring legacy of slavery on education and public health in Jamaica today.

In this episode I speak with David Beck Ryden (Associate Professor of History, University of Houston - Downtown) has degrees in Economics and History from Connecticut College (BA), the University of Delaware's College of Business and Economics (MA), and the University of Minnesota's Department of History (Ph.D.). He is the author of several articles on British American slave societies for Slavery and Abolition, The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, and Social Science History. He is also editor of The Promoters of the Slave Trade, a collection of pro-slavery pamphlets produced by West Indian planters during the age of abolition. The Economic History Association selected Ryden's dissertation as a finalist for the Alexander Gerschenkron Prize. He was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the Department of American Studies and History at Brunel University in London.

In this episode I speak with Dudley McLean II in regards the article he wrote for the Jamaica Observer Jamaica's best kept secret: Blacks owned slaves Article:

We discuss the book of Col. William Marsh which was written with her late husband Wilson B Brown. Talking about the importance of knowing your family history. Col William Marsh was Jennifer S H Brown 5x Grand Father and what that path of discovery will lead. We touch upon the connection the possible connection to the Marsh family of Jamaica, West Indies.

In this episode I speak with Phillip Nichols who is a Genealogy Expert who specializes in Jamaican, Barbadian, and British Genealogy. We discuss the how to's to start your family research.

What happened to all sugar plantations in Jamaica? Are they still owned by the descendants of former planters? Are any of them still in operation or used as tourist attractions?

This episode is about Jamaican Georgian Architecture, a vanishing legacy that doesn't usually get the attention it deserves.

Kuba Shand-Baptiste traces her family history all the way to a stately home in the Scottish Highlands in this illuminating documentary about Black Britain that predates the Windrush Generation.

The Burn is a Georgian manor house with a dark history of slavery. Kuba's quest to unearth her family name reveals interesting facts about Georgian Britain and its links with the Caribbean and beyond.

Find out what her connection to the so-called 'granite city' is in her great article here:

Many African Americans have ancestors who hailed from Jamaica, but where does one begin when researching them? What collections are available in Jamaica, and which records will be specific to your search? Experienced Jamaican researcher Phillip Nicholas will show us the resources available to explore this fascinating area of genealogy. Download a handout for this program here:

To escape poverty in London, four out of five of Aaron Gomes da Costa’s children moved to Jamaica. Did they succeed, and at what price? Along the way, we confront slavery, interracial and Sephardic-Ashkenazi marriages, and the societal pressures that took some of them away from Judaism. Ali Erginsoy returned to Sephardic World to share the incredible story of the Gomes da Costa family.

Many of the records of the Jamaican-Jewish community were lost in a fire in 1882. Using the last wills and testaments composed by Jamaican Jews between 1673 and 1815, Stanley Mirvis has recovered much of this history. Jews were seen as white by enslaved people but as 'other' by the Christian elite. In his talk he will explore the social and familial experiences of Jamaican Jewry.

The Jamaican Jewish Cemeteries Preservation Fund (JJCPF) launched their database of Jewish burial grounds n Sephardic World. Extensive cataloguing of the Jewish burial sites across the island took place from 2008 to 2017. 33 Jewish burial locations were recorded, which includes synagogue purchased cemeteries, family burial grounds, those that were sold and no longer exist, and plot markers which were part of an internment ground that is now on residential property. Rachel Frankel and Joseph de Leon will discuss this important project, which helps fill a gap in our knowledge, as well as the need to preserve these historic Jewish sites.

Ainsley Cohen Henriques is synonymous with Jewish Jamaica, and is one of the best-known personalities in the world of Sephardic genealogy. This week on Sephardic World we shall be talking to him about the Jewish community of Jamaica, its history and genealogy. We shall discuss the Jamaican Jewish archives and other useful records and resources. Ainsley has known many of the important academics and interesting characters who have contributed to Sephardic genealogy in the Caribbean, and will share some anecdotes.

Jamaica has an important place in Sephardic history. In 1882 most of the Jewish records were lost in a fire that destroyed a large part of Kingston, the capital. For years this has been a huge barrier in researching not just Jamaica but also the Caribbean and early community in the United States. There are resources that can fill the gaps, but they are not well known and sometimes difficult to access. Toni Pitock and Marina Delfos Harris discuss the institutions that hold records, what is available, and how to access the material.

Steve Delgado Porter has traced his Sephardic Jewish Delgado ancestry from Jamaica back to Portugal. He shares the family history, and the sources used. The family includes famous poets such as João Pinto Delgado, rabbis such as Haham Moses Cohen D'Azervedo, and men of business. As well as Portugal and Jamaica, there are family links to Hamburg, Amsterdam, and London.

Growing up, Haakon Lazarus Chevalier knew little of his family. His great-grandfather was a ship's chandler in Panama City and his great-grandmother, an embroiderer. She was born Rebecca Pyke or Peixotto in Jamaica. The family moved from Panama to San Francisco in 1881. After years of research, Haakon has pieced together more of the story. He will discuss Rebecca’s mother Rachel Peixotto and her family story in Jamaica and Philadelphia. Haakon will touch on topics including unrequited love, the origins of American Jewish institutions, epidemics, the Civil War, and slavery.