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. Here you will come across people from all walks of life: large landowners and paupers, slave and free, knights, gentlemen, laborers, seamen, soldiers, lawmakers and lawbreakers. They all left their imprint in the Jamaican records. The colors of people mentioned in the Registers, and the variety of people found here, reflect our island motto, "Out of Many, One People."
Jamaica was a British colony until it gained its independence in 1962. In the 17th through 19th centuries Britain required that the colony should take a census or a count of the population in various years in order to provide statistics concerning the makeup of the population. The results which have been preserved as census records do not contain any names of individuals, but merely numbers of persons in various categories, which generally included: white, black, free colored, certain countries of origin, and occupation. One exception is the Census information for Hanover for 1823 which has been found in some Colonial Office correspondence and is on this site. Because of this lack of what most genealogists would consider census information, the best substitutes are the Jamaica Almanacs, lists of landowners, Directories, Church Registers, and tombstones. This site offers information from these substitutes, as well as excerpts from old newspapers and other sources.
This site now contains over 292,000 names of people who lived in Jamaica at some time.
Access to about 85% of the pages is limited to Members who have paid a subscription. There is free access to the rest of the pages, which are identified here with an [F]. The Lead Pages, to which there is free access, contain links to the pages which are limited to Members only, and provide an indication as to their contents. For an explanation of Terms of Use, or how to obtain a Free Subscription, please see below.
This website is authored by an individual, and not by a corporation.
The 1751 Almanac is the earliest one that contained the names of people. In 1811 through 1845 the Almanacs contained a list of the proprietors and properties. Almanacs also listed official and other persons on the island in the Civil and Military Lists. These Almanacs are an excellent place in which to kick off your research, especially if you do not know the parish in which your family lived. A search for the surname will lead to a parish in which their property was located. Viewing the details will give you their first names, property name, size of property or number of slaves and livestock. The civil and military lists may provide information on people who were not listed as property owners.
Almanacs that are currently available are listed below. They are available to Members only, unless identified as [F] open to all:
Other Almanac pages with free access to all:
These pages are distributed throughout the Almanacs:
For a complete Index and Links to all Almanac pages, including those with free access, please go to the Almanacs lead page.
This book is an invaluable research tool, and the entire Directory, containing over 370 pages, has been transcribed here. The first section of this Directory lists name, full address, occupation, and place of employment, for people from all walks of life in Jamaica. There is a general Directory for all parishes. Kingston and Spanish Town also have Business Directories.
The second major portion of this book contains the "Directory of Estates Pens and Properties." It lists properties alphabetically by Parish, and gives the names of the landowners, property attorneys, and overseers.
The final section contains General Information on those in Administration, the military, constabulary, medical, ecclesiastical, and educational fields, lodges and societies.
There is free access for all to the following pages in this Directory:
To access the full list of pages and links, for both Members' and free access pages, please go to: 1878 Directory
This Directory listed business people in Kingston by Street, and those in other areas by Post Office. It also included penkeepers, ministers in various churches, foreign consuls, Members of the Parochial Boards, and other government officials. It lists approximately 3,000 names of individuals. The ads contained in the Directory have also been transcribed. [M] 1891 Directory
Although the title is "Commercial Directory," this also contains residential listings. There are several lists: a list of property owners and pens, sugar estates and plantations, arranged by parishes; a business directory listed by trades; a list of persons living in Kingston and St. Andrew; a list of persons living outside that area; and a list of Ministers arranged by denomination. The name and address of each individual or business is listed. There is a list of the towns referred to in postal addresses, with a brief description.
The book also includes the History, description and leadership of Associations, Clubs, Lodges and Schools, a List of Police officers, and a List of Civil Servants across the island, showing their positions, departments, and Post Office address.
There is free access to information on transportation, newspapers and parishes [F], and advertisements from the Directory [F]
To access the Members' pages, as well as the pages with free access, in this extensive Directory, please go to 1910 Directory
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Lists of White Families introduced into Jamaica from 1734 to 1753 under several Acts that were passed in England to encourage settlers to move to the island. The lists were included in CO 137/28. List One consisted of 145 families, for a total of 347 individuals,described as "white families and artificers." At the end of the page you will find a report taken from the Journals of the House of Commons in 1753 concerning the efficacy of the Acts. See link to List One below in "Immigration."
List Two consisted of 112 families, for a total of 353 individuals. For most of them the list shows when and where they settled, and how many acres of land they received. See link to List Two below in "Immigration."
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These Returns provide the details of each grant: date, name, number of acres, legal description of the location, boundaries, and owners of adjoining properties. There are 208 grants altogether (including one to Nanny, a famous leader of the Maroons). The information comes from the National Archives (England) CO 137/28 folios 197 to 223. See link to the lists in "Immigration."
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List of American Loyalists who were granted land in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, in 1783.
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Refugees from St. Domingue began to arrive in Jamaica in 1791. (St. Domingue was a French colony on the western part of the island of Hispaniola, an area which has since become Haiti.) When more refugees arrived in 1792, a Roman Catholic Chapel was opened in Kingston, for the first time in about 100 years. The refugees became the main core of that church, which also included Spaniards, Irish and English congregants.
In 1793 through 1798 more French refugees arrived in Jamaica in considerable numbers. Many of them fled St. Domingue with very little but their lives. Evidence of this is seen in two lists found in Colonial Office Correspondence, viz.:
A list of French Families receiving aid from the Government, showing Names, Number of Persons, and Sums Received per Month.
Names of French taken into Jamaica in 1793-1795, whether as Prisoners or Emigrants, Ships on which captured, or place from which sailed, Military or personal status, Weekly subsistence and financial aid.
See also the Letter to the Earl of Balcarres from Marquis Caduch concerning the situation of the French in Jamaica in 1795, and a proclamation from the governor's office.
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A Return of the Number of Patents for Land granted in Jamaica from January 1805 to December 1824 with the names of persons to whom granted, the quantity of land, and the parish where situated. (As reported in Colonial Correspondence CO137/162,Jan)
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Return of Immigrants who arrived in the island of Jamaica from the 30th September 1840 to the 30th September 1841 under the immigration Act 4th Victoria Chapter 23. (CO140/133. NA. Kew). There were 1,417 immigrants listed in the report, and they were grouped by families.
The official report gave the name of the Ship or Vessel, and the Port from whence it came. It listed the date and place of arrival in Jamaica. The name and age of each immigrant was listed, and sometimes the trade or calling was included. Newspaper reports provided additional information on some of the immigrants, including their nationalities.
For the passenger lists for the 13 ships on which they arrived, please use the link to "Immigration" below.
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For names and details concerning these immigrants, please go to Immigration lead page (Lead Page only is [F])
In 1670 Sir Thomas Modyford, who was then Governor of Jamaica, sent back to England a Survey listing the landowners in the island, and the number of acres that they had patented. The data for the Survey had been compiled by the Receiver General from land patents and the annual rents due to the Crown. It has been reproduced here. There is also a 1670 map of the island.
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This is a hand-drawn version of a map showing patents etc. around Orange Bay and Green Island from 1673 to 1729. P. Dickson has numbered and transcribed the names and information written on each parcel on the map, and placed the numbers on the map, so that the information can be easily read and tied together.
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This list has been prepared from the names listed on a map of Kingston for 1702. See link below.
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This list was contained in Colonial Office Correspondence filed at CO 137/28 pages 169 to 175. It provides the name of the landowners, (noting whether they were deceased), the name of the property (where available), details on the number of acres planted in sugar, coffee, cotton, food crops, etc.; the number of white servants, Negroes, or cattle; the quality of the land and whether or not it was mountainous. [M]. Please see link below.
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A list of landholders, together with the number of acres each person possessed taken from the Quit Rent Books in the year 1754. Over 1,550 property owners are listed. For each name, the number of acres held in each parish is listed. Some held land in several parishes.
This list is in the National Archives in London, in the Colonial Office papers, document number CO 142/31. It was sent by Governor Knowles with a letter dated 31st December 1754.
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These lists concerning St. James are among documents and schedules presented by C. E. Long, Esq. to the British Museum in March 1842. They contain notes on statistics by Edward Long. They are the most detailed lists available on the inhabitants of St. James at the time.
The first is a list of Sugar Estates; the Names of their Owners; number of men there able to bear arms, number of women and children, slaves, stock; sugar production.
The second is a list of smaller settlers, including "Pens, Coffee planters, Jobbers, Millwrights, Carpenters, Masons & such like". It gives the Name of the landowner, profession, and the same numbers as the first list.
The third is a list of "Housekeepers" who possessed slaves and stock, providing once again the Name and Profession and the same numbers as the first list.
The fourth is a "List of Quarteroons (Quadroons) Mulattoes and Negroes who are Free and Able to bear Arms in the Parish of Saint James," which provides the "Name, Colour, Profession, Place of Residence."
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A list prepared by a contributor, compiled from various sources, containing the names of some properties and property owners in Hanover in 1776. [M]
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A list prepared by order of the House of Assembly, containing the names of persons who had slaves and stock, and the numbers thereof, dated June 15, 1792.
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Data on the children at the Royal Military Asylum Chelsea, who were sponsored by the West India Regiment, and whose fathers had served in the Regiment.
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The details of a census taken in Hanover have surfaced among some Colonial Office files. The census was undertaken following a circular sent to all the parishes by the Governor requesting information about their populations. The counting began in 1822. It included all persons of free condition, "distinguishing their colour, ages and places of residence." See link below.
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In 1655 the fleeing Spaniards freed their slaves. The slaves fled to the interior mountains. They were later called "Maroons" (probably from the Spanish word "cimarron" meaning "wild, untamed"). The numbers of the original Maroons were increased by the addition of runaway slaves who escaped their English masters. The Maroons sometimes raided the English plantations. Skirmishes between the English and the Maroons continued, finally escalating into Maroon Wars in 1738-1739 and ending with the signing of Treaties. Commissioners were appointed for the several Maroon townships and settlements.
The 1831 Returns of the Maroons in Moore Town, Charles Town, Scots Hall, and Accompong, have been transcribed for this site, from CO 140/121 (Colonial Office Correspondence in the National Archives). The Returns contain the names of about 1600 people, and provide the ages of most of them. Some of the Maroons were also slaveholders, and their slaves were included in the Returns.
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This list includes the country of origin of the inhabitants. It is taken from Colonial Correspondence CO152/12/2. See link below.
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In 1721 many of these families were transferred from the island of Anguilla in the Leeward Islands to Jamaica to increase the number of settlers here. This list is taken from the same packet as the list of Spanish Town inhabitants, found in Colonial Correspondence CO152/12/2. See link below.
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This is the complete text of J. H. Lawrence-Archer's book. Written in 1875 it contains over 450 pages. There are tombstones and monuments from Jamaica (pages 1-342), Barbados (345-401; all the inscriptions on the island through 1750), Antigua (405-414; 26 inscriptions), St. Christopher (417-420; 10 inscriptions), and British Guiana (423-426; 7 inscriptions). In addition to inscriptions, the author provided family trees, chronological data, lists of governors, and other details which are interesting as well as useful to those doing Caribbean genealogy.
The author's Index is included and may be used by everyone for locating names that appear in the book (as well as using the general Search function.) There is one list for Jamaica, and another for the other colonies in the West Indies.
The complete text of the body of J. H. Lawrence-Archer's book.
Annotations on the Monumental Inscriptions, by Frank Cundall and Noel B. Livingston, excerpted from "Caribbeana." This updates the inscriptions for the Spanish Town Cathedral and tombstones in the churchyard.
To access the links to text, as well as the free Index, of this book, please go to Monumental
The entire text of the Book by W. A. Feurtado: "Official and Other Personages in Jamaica from 1655 to 1790", the alphabetical listing of Personages, the Introduction, his chapter on the Peerage in Jamaica, his list of governors and major office holders, and the list of subscribers to his book in 1896, with their names and town of residence. Please see:
Feurtado Introduction, for the Introduction and links to the book itself.
This book was written over the space of many years, and finally completed in 1954, by Daniel L. Ogilvie. As a child I personally accompanied my mother on visits to him on many occasions, and I witnessed his dedication to the task of writing the history of his beloved parish. The entire book is on this site, and is open for everyone to read. Please go to the History of Trelawny. [F]
Louis C. Malabre wrote a 3-Volume record of the families of the colonists who survived the revolts in St. Domingue and fled to Jamaica in the late 18th century. He systematically traced the descendants of these families, supporting their history with transcriptions from church and other documents in St. Domingue and Jamaica, including some church records which have been lost and are no longer available in the Roman Catholic Archives, and some St. Domingue Indemnity records.
A hand-painted chart of Coats of Arms for the families into which the Duquesnay family married.
For details and links please see Malabre Manuscript lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
Here you will find names, dates and places from Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, from Anglican Parish Registers, Civil Registers of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, and transcriptions from Dissenter Marriage Registers. There are also Wills, from the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. There are family genealogy reports, as well as transcriptions of data. Over 400 wills have been transcribed from the Jamaican Supreme Court and District Court records, and from British Probate Courts, including 2 NEW wills this month, and 3 new images and additional information on the family of Richard James.
The movements of some Church of England clergymen who served in Jamaica, have been set out in a compilation from various sources, including names from Anglican records.
There are some free access pages that have been extracted from the Registers. They may be accessed by going to the link which is provided below.
Extant Wills recorded in the Supreme Court 1725-1882, 1883-1889, 1891, 1894-1903, 1904-1914, 1917-1919, 1921, and 1923 to 1930 have been indexed, showing the name, and in most cases the residence and occupation of each testator. The Indexes are open to Members only [M], but the list of Will index pages that are available is on the lead page to Registers and Wills.
For links to pages, and details on the contents of these pages, please go to Registers and Wills, at the free Registers and Wills lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
People in Jamaica in the late 18th and early 19th century were natives of many other islands and countries. The early Roman Catholic records, including some that were in French or Spanish and have been translated into English, are being transcribed and placed on this site.
The Kingston Registers that have been extracted are: Baptisms for 1798-1807, 1813-1836, 1840, 1842-1845, 1861, 1868 to 1876, (which include some records for towns outside of Kingston, as well as some baptisms of people of colour and slaves 1804-1811 and 1824-1834. Marriages in 1800-1878. Burials from 1795 to 1879 and 1900-1906, and a list of early tombstones. Baptisms and Marriages from St. Patrick's Chapel in Kingston for 1833 to 1842 are also included.
Family genealogy reports have been compiled from records from the French and Spanish Chapels, Holy Trinity and St. Patrick's, a manuscript and charts prepared by Louis Malabre, as well as records from the USA. [M].
Indexes have been copied for Baptisms 1800-1817, 1837-1868, and 1877-1881. Marriages 1879-1901. [M]
From St. Anne's Church in Kingston come Volumes 7 through 11 of the Baptism Registers for 1925-1947. [M]
Records from Newcastle, St. Andrew, for 1870 to 1905 contain baptisms, marriages and burials of military personnel as well as local residents. [M]
Spanish Town baptisms, as also baptisms and marriages in Agualta Vale, Annotto Bay, Scots Hall and other parts of St. Mary, Kings Weston, and May River, St. Mary, and the Indexes to 6 Volumes of Baptisms throughout the island will be of particular use to those who had relatives outside of Kingston. [M]
These pages are open to Members only [M], but everyone may view the complete list at the lead page to Roman Catholic Registers lead page (Lead Page is [F])
The original Registers of Baptisms from some of the Methodist Churches in Jamaica are being preserved by the Jamaica Archives in Spanish Town. Some records start as early as 1818. These records are now being transcribed and added to this site over a period of time.
Baptisms in the Wesley Methodist Chapel in Kingston 1829-1853 and 1862-1902.
Baptisms in the Kingston Circuit 1838-1976.
Baptisms in the Coke Chapel Circuit (Kingston) 1824-1867, and 1874-1927.
Port Royal Circuit, including surrounding areas 1837 to 1924
Spanish Town Circuit, including surrounding areas 1829 to 1866.
Baptisms (mostly of slaves) and Negro Marriages in the Montego Bay Circuit 1819-1826.
Montego Bay circuit, including parts of Hanover, 1827 to 1909
Baptisms in the Falmouth circuit (Trelawny and parts of St. James) 1824 to 1874.
The Brown's Town, St. Ann, circuit included Stewart Town in Trelawny, and areas of St. Ann south to the border of Clarendon. Baptisms have been transcribed for 1839-1898.
Baptisms (mostly of slaves) and Negro Marriages at Belmont Estate in St. Ann 1818-1820. These are the oldest Methodist records in Jamaica.
The Moravians were the first missionaries in Jamaica from "Dissenter" churches. Extracts from the History of the Moravian mission in Jamaica written in 1854 by J. H. Buchner serve as the lead page to extracts from records of persons received into the mission in Lititz in St. Elizabeth.[F]
For the History, and the Reception of members in the mission in Lititz, St. Elizabeth 1839-1845, containing new name, old slave name, country of origin, and residence in Jamaica [M], see links to Lititz receptions.
Births and Marriages in the Ashkenazi Congregation in Kingston 1788 - 1906. [M]
Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Sephardic Congregation in Kingston, 1809 - 1902. [M]
Births in the Amalgamated Congregation and United Congregation of Israelites, 1884 - 1930. [M]
Marriages in the Amalgamated Congregation and United Congregation of Israelites, 1883 - 1945. [M]
Deaths in the Amalgamated and United Congregation of Israelites 1883 - 1993. [M]
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An Index to some Jewish Births in Montego Bay is included [M].
There is a brief Index to Jewish Marriages and Deaths in Montego Bay [M].
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There are transcriptions of the tombstones in the Jewish cemetery in Falmouth [M], and some photographs of the cemetery [F].
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Extracts from A Record of Jews in Jamaica by Jacob A. P. M. Andrade, including Tombstones, Will extracts, Patents, Naturalizations, and other items. For a link to pages, go to Jewish lead page.
Please go to: Jewish lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
Links to various documents related to slavery in Jamaica, that are to be found throughout this website, have been placed on a special web page called Slaves and Slavery. Please use this link to access the documents which have been arranged in chronological order, with a link to the page on which each one is found.
Generally the documents cited fall into the following categories:
Excerpts pertaining to persons who were natives of, or resident in, Jamaica, taken from "Caribbeana: being Miscellaneous Papers relating to the History, Genealogy, Topography, and Antiquities of the British West Indies," edited by Vere Langford Oliver and published 1909 to 1919. Included are Jamaicans matriculated at University of Glasgow, Monumental Inscriptions in England, large property owners in 1750, marriages in Jamaica before 1680, Deeds in Jamaica, pedigrees, Marriages and Deaths from the Columbian Magazine, the earliest magazine known to have been published in Jamaica, for 1796 to 1799, and Administrations granted in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1667-1681 concerning Jamaica, and Jamaican Appeals to the Privy Council in England in the early 18th century.
To certain pages from Caribbeana there is free access to everyone, namely:-
For details and links to pages, please see Caribbeana lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
Extracts from A Record of Jews in Jamaica by Jacob A. P. M. Andrade, including Tombstones, Will extracts, Patents, Naturalizations, and other items [M]. For a list of pages and links, including pages and photographs, please see this book listed above with Jewish records.
The biographical entries have been summarized from the 1916 edition, and a few from the 1919 edition. The Obituaries which cover 1906 to 1917 are also summarized, as is military information for 1916.
The Who's Who in Jamaica for 1919 contained further information on the participation of Jamaicans in World War I (which lasted from 1914 to 1918), including the process of recruiting in Jamaica for the British West Indies Regiment, officers who had proceeded overseas for service with the BWIR, and Commissioned Officers of H.M. Naval and Military Forces connected with Jamaica, a list of people from Jamaica who were killed in service in World War I, War Services Recognized, and members of the Local Defence Force.
The 1919 Who's Who also contains a list of the Magistrates for each parish, and Obituaries of some prominent Jamaicans who died in 1917 to 1920.
For links to both these volumes please go to Who's Who lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
Excerpts from the 1891-1892, 1900 and 1905 Handbooks include information on the owners of properties under cultivation, clergymen, courts, magistrates, notaries, Legislative and Privy Councils, staff of the Customs and Treasury Departments, medical practitioners, the provisions for Naturalization of Aliens, and Commissions of Land Surveyors. It also provides information on the legal status of the Church of England in Jamaica from 1660 to 1870. Excerpts from the 1919 edition list the officers of the Public Works and the Railway.
For details of the Handbook excerpts, and links to pages, go to Handbooks lead page. There is free access to most of the excerpts from the Handbooks.
Memoir, 1846-48, from the Journals and Letters of Thomas Callender who left Scotland for Jamaica in 1846. Mr. Callender gives another view of Jamaica shortly after the abolition of slavery. Have you ever wondered what it was like to make a trip in a sailing ship from Scotland to Jamaica a century and a half ago? In Jamaica he was first stationed in Lucea, working mostly with black and colored congregations. Beginning with the fourth excerpt he ministers in Kingston. The selections end with his death in the sixth excerpt. For links to his Memoir and two of his Sermons, please go to Callender Memoir. Access to these selections is free to all. [F]
A list of the Members of the Friendly Lodge 383 (1818-2000) and the Cornwall Lodge, 450 (697) (1815 to 1830), including the dates of initiation or joining [F]. See Lodges.
The book was written by John Bigelow in 1852. The extracts used here look at the economic condition of the island, and some possible causes for the decline. See 1850 Jamaica. [F]
An extract from this book, written in 1823 by J. Stewart. His remarks on the white population, and people of colour of Jamaica. His observations on the Militia and the Post Office. Go to Stewart Book [F].
The "Gleaner" commenced publication in 1834. It is still published daily, and it is the leading newspaper on the island. This site contains excerpts from October 1865 (the Morant Bay Rebellion), 1866 through 1869, the years 1872 through 1878, 1880-1883, 1886-1887, January and February 1894, January 1907 (the Kingston earthquake), an excerpt from December 1916, and a 1920 report from the Calabar Institution. To many of the pages there is free access for everyone, while some are limited to Members only. For a complete list of pages, please go to Gleaner lead page (Lead Page is [F]).
The weekly issues of this newspaper from January 5, 1793 through June 29, 1793, July 5 through December 31, 1794, August 1881, and April 23, 1891, items from April, 1795, and Probate and Administration in 1916-1917, have been excerpted, and can be found at Gazettes [F], where both Members' and free pages are listed.
This newspaper contained not only news of Trelawny, but also news from other parts of the island. Excerpts from 1874 to 1879..
This newspaper was published twice a week. It contained not only news of Falmouth, Trelawny, but also news from other parts of the island.
Excerpts from the Cornwall Chronicle for December 1776 through May 1777.
"The Jamaica Witness" was published monthly in the late nineteenth century. The editor was a Presbyterian minister. There are excerpts from 1877-1879 and 1883-1887.
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1. JAMAICA PAPERS : FACTS AND DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE ALLEGED REBELLION IN JAMAICA
Published by the Jamaica Committee, an unofficial group in England investigating the Morant Bay Rebellion. [M]
2. A MAGAZINE ARTICLE ON THE REBELLION: "Insurrection", from the Atlantic Monthly, April 1866. [M]
3. ADDRESS TO GOVERNOR EYRE concerning the Morant Bay rebellion, signed by 94 inhabitants of St. Elizabeth. [M]
4. See also excerpts from the autobiography of Thomas Faughnan, a British soldier stationed in Jamaica, including his opinion on the Morant Bay rebellion. [F]
5. See also Jamaican newspaper reports in the "Gleaner" in October 1865. [M]
For links to all these pages concerning the Rebellion, please go to Morant Bay Rebellion.
Frederick J. duQuesnay, a Jamaican author and genealogist, has contributed some original articles on: Museums of Jamaica, the History of Rose Hall Greathouse, Lucea, St. James Parish Church, Brissett, Beckford, Long, Barrett, Nedham, Pinnock, Sir Anthony Musgrave, and Success Estate, Cinnamon Hill, Iter Boreale, the Scarlett family, Hill and Keane. For links please go to duQuesnay articles.[F]
For links to all these articles and documents, please go to Lead page to Other articles and Documents.
In the Museum in Dublin there is an original manuscript dated 1748, called "The Pedigrees of the Right Honourable Smith Burke Earl of Clanrickard, Viscount of Clanmorris and Baron of Dunkellin, and John Bourke Lord Viscount Mayo." The manuscript actually gives pedigrees of families named Burke, Bourke, DeBurgo, DeBurgh, and Burgh, mostly in Ireland, for over 1000 years. A few of these persons went to Jamaica, or had descendants or connections there. These pedigrees have how been placed on the Members' pages. For more about the book, and an Index to the pages, you may go to the Introduction to Burke Pedigrees. [F]
There are pages on this site that deal particularly with the Military in Jamaica, whether British Regiments serving on the island, British West India Regiments, the local Jamaica Militia, Jamaicans in military service in the World Wars, or other military personnel.
The specific pages are:
To access the list of links to Military pages, please go to Military lead page (Lead Page is [F])
There are other pages on which military personnel may be found mingled with other records, notably:
These pages may be accessed in their respective sections, or a 'Search' may be done at the bottom of any page, possibly on words such as: soldier, sailor, seaman, lieutenant, captain, regiment.
Site Plan [F]
FAQs/Help [F]
If you are new to genealogy research, start here. You will also find suggestions on how to use this site. [F]
At the bottom of this and other pages you may use the search function to find names for which you are searching. This function is available freely to everyone. The results page will list all pages on this site that contain the names entered. From the results page you may also access the entire index to this site (if your browser can handle it). On the results page, if "[F]" appears in the page title, it indicates that it is a site page to which everyone has free access. The remaining titles are for pages that are limited to subscribers.
Please try all possible spelling variations when looking up a name. In past centuries the spelling of names was not fixed. In addition to that, in early Jamaica there were people with a great variety of accents--Irish, Scottish, Englishmen with a Cockney or other accent, French, Spanish or Portuguese people speaking broken English, and Africans who had previously spoken various African dialects but were trying to learn English from those people. A large percentage of people could not read, write, or spell their names. It was left to the person writing a record or document to try and write down what he had heard.
For names like "MacFarlane" please try "McFarlane," "Da Costa" becomes "Dacosta," "de la Roche" becomes "DelaRoche." For a name like "D'Aguilar" please try "Aguilar." etc.
Please do not limit your use of this site to using this Search function only. There are many variations in the spelling of names. For best results you should also browse the Site Index and the pages themselves.
This page lists all new pages as they are added to the site [F]. What's New
Pages include maps, 19th century drawings, photographs of people, as well as contemporary photographs of Jamaica, including 2 NEW portraits this month. Photos [F]
Many terms that appear in the Registers are unfamiliar to the modern reader. These terms are explained [F] in the Glossary
A time-line of Jamaican history [F], with special reference to events which would affect record-keeping. History
Notes and comments on some occupations and professions that appear in the Almanacs and Registers [F] Occupations
An outline of the various countries from which Jamaican immigrants and their surnames have come. Suggestions for finding these surnames on the site. See Surnames
A list of sources referred to in the extractions from Registers and Wills, and data on other sources consulted [F]. Bibliography
Here you will find helpful tips and suggestions for doing genealogical research in Jamaica and elsewhere [F]. Research Places
Links to Jamaican and other useful webpages. Contributors to this site. Announcements of interest [F]. Links
A complete list of the microfilms of the Church Registers which preceded Civil Registration (Baptisms, Marriages and Burials in the Anglican church; Dissenter Marriages). There is also a list of microfilms of wills. These microfilms are available at Family History Centers. There are some amendments to their catalog listings, and some comments. There are instructions on how to find the microfilms of Vital Records under Civil Registration from 1879 to 1900s in the Family History Library Catalog [F]. Microfilms
Research has been done to determine which microfilms contain the pages in the Parish Registers for St. Ann, St. Mary, Clarendon and St. Andrew which have no extant Index. [F]
The biography of the author of this website [F] is in:
There are many free pages with access open to all (identified by [F] above), including the Lead Pages which list the contents of the various Members' pages, but in order to consult the Members' pages themselves, which constitute the bulk of the site, users will have to obtain a PASSWORD from the Website author by paying an access fee.
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Visitors since March 23, 2000