Solihull Council

The Website of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Caribbean Family History

Woman holding Caribbean history leaflet

From September 2006 to October 2007, Solihull Libraries ran Caribbean Family History courses in partnership with Solihull College.

We believe these to have been the first such courses to run in the UK and they were externally funded through the Equal programme of the European Social Fund.

During the 10-week courses, students learned the basics of family history research. They looked at birth, marriage and death records registered in this country and in the various Caribbean islands.  They found out how to link up with others researching the same families, looked at ships' passenger lists, learned how slavery issues affected the records that were kept and discovered that it was possible to trace ancestors back to at least the1840s without having to leave the UK.

Man writing on blackboard

Beginning your research

The basic principles of family history apply wherever your ancestors are from.  You should always start with yourself and work backwards.  Talking to family members is vital and even quite distant relatives can have really important information.  Read our general family history pages for information on how to begin and how to record what you find.

Births, marriages and deaths

Records of births, marriages and deaths are the most vital records for family history.  For anyone who was born, married or died in England & Wales after 1st July 1837, then it should still be possible to obtain copies of the certificates. Read our guide to births, marriages and deaths for further information.

The common use of pet names within families of Caribbean descent may make it very difficult to identify people in official records if the formal names are not known.  Make sure you ask family members if they know relatives' full names as well as their pet names.

Registration of births, marriages and deaths by the state, called civil registration, began at different dates in the various Caribbean islands.  Many of the records have been microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), often referred to as Mormons, and are available for you to order to look at in this country.  See our page on LDS Family History Centres for further information.

Church records

Before the establishment of civil registration, church records of baptism, marriage and burial are particularly useful.  For most of the older British colonies, the Anglican church was the most popular church but for those countries captured from the French, the Roman Catholic church was more important.

Nonconformist churches such as Moravian, Baptist and Methodist churches began to be established from the 1780s and may also be a useful source of family records.

Sometimes, church records will still be at the church concerned but many will be at the main library or archive centre.  Some have been microfilmed and are available via your local LDS Family History Centre.

Ships' Passenger Lists

Most people came to England from the Caribbean by boat and may be listed on the passenger lists of the ship they sailed on.  Many people from the West Indies arrived by train in London via Calais and Dover after disembarking from ships at continental ports.  There are no records of these passengers in records held in England but they may be recorded in the countries where they disembarked.

For ships arriving in Britain, the National Archives holds inward passenger lists for 1878-1960 (catalogue reference BT26).

Inwards passenger lists between March 1948 and October 1960 detailing Indian and Caribbean migrants to the UK have been indexed by ship and by person and are available on the Moving Here website Click on 'search the catalogue' and make sure 'catalogue of digitised records' is selected.

Slave registers

Two women working on computers

The trading of slaves in the British Empire was abolished in 1807, although slavery itself was not abolished until 1834.  To combat illicit transportation, many British colonies kept lists of so-called 'lawfully enslaved' black slaves.

Registers were usually compiled every three years from approximately 1814 until slavery was finally abolished in 1834.  These registers are being made available on the Ancestry website, which you can access free of charge from all Solihull libraries.

Individual islands

Useful links

Moving here website - http://www.movinghere.org.uk/

BBC website - Caribbean family history - www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/caribbean_01.shtml

Hyde Park Family History Centre - http://www.hydeparkfhc.org/

Has the largest collection in the UK of Caribbean records (particularly for Jamaica and Barbados)

Useful addresses of libraries, archives and register offices - www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/roots/caribbean/lifeevents/usefuladdresses.htm

Paul Crooks' website - http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~prcrooks/
Paul has researched his family from London to Jamaica and back to Africa.  His novel, Ancestors, is based on his research.

Empire's children - http://channel4.empireschildren.co.uk/

Further reading

Tracing your West Indian ancestors, 2nd ed. by Guy Grannum

The appendix lists all the available records, island by island.

Ancestors by Paul Crooks

A novel based on the author's family history research from Jamaica back to Ghana.  Includes 'afterword' indicating how he researched his family tree.

Tracing ancestors in Barbados: a practical guide by Geraldine Lane

Empire's children: trace your family history across the world  by Anton Gill

Book to accompany the Channel 4 series where six celebrities trace their ancestors across the British Empire.

Jamaican records: a research manual  by Stephen Porter

Comprehensive list of records available in Jamaica and England.


Further Information

Contact

Tel: 0121 704 6000 Email: connectcc@solihull.gov.uk PO Box 18, Council House Solihull, B91 3QS
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Solihull Connect, Library Square, Solihull West Midlands B91 3RG UK
0121 704 6000
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