West Indies

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Information on migration between East and West Indies.

There are many surnames common to both India and the West Indies, particularly Jamaica. "I wondered if anybody thought to look westwards when they hit a brick wall in India".[1]

A number of families who were active in India, had in previous generations also taken part in the development of the West Indies. Some of the most effective officers in India during the 1780's and 1790's had previously served in the West Indies. The reverse also applied. Planters from India moved to the West Indies to run plantations there.[2]

Online records

Other records

  • The Society of Genealogists holds some records relating to the West Indies. Search the catalogue to see what is currently available. The holding at November 2012 is set out in the archived webpage Overseas: West Indies. Some of the sources are from Caribbeana - most of these volumes are available online, refer below. Also includes the book Tracing your West Indian ancestors: sources in the Public Record Office: PRO readers’ guide, no. 11 [by Guy Grannum, 1995, subsequently republished as Tracing your Caribbean ancestors : a National Archives guide 2012]

Also see

Information about the database Caribbean Newspapers 1718 - 1876, part of Readex World Newspapers Archive.

External links

FamilySearch microfilms include Wills, 1756-1930 Jamaica. Supreme Court and records using keywords Jamaica. Registrar General. There may be additional microfilms. See the Fibiwiki page FamilySearch Centres for information about microfilms and digitised microfilms.
FamilySearch Genealogy Research Groups, also called Family Search Community FamilySearch Wiki. Includes links to 'closed' Facebook groups (where you must be accepted by an Administrator) for the Caribbean and Jamaica. Note, to sign up to these groups you must be a Facebook member, and then may need to be signed in to FamilySearch, and then may need to agree to conditions set by FamilySearch Community, including access to your data.
Really Useful Weblinks from London FamilySearch Centre website includes a category Caribbean.
All Rootsweb Mailing Lists includes Barbados, Jamaica etc. Search the Archives.
from University of Florida Digital Collections

Maps

Historical books online

  • Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies from the earliest date by J H Lawrence-Archer Index. 1875 Archive.org
  • Caribbeana : being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies edited by Vere Langford Oliver. There appear to have been six volumes published, together with one supplementary volume, total seven. Generally there is an Index at the back of the book.
Vol. I 1910, Contents; Vol. II 1912, Contents; Vol. III 1914, Contents; Supplement to Vol.IV The Registers of St Thomas, Middle Island, St. Kitts 1915; Vol. V 1919, Contents; Vol. VI Commences page 41, no Contents or Index. All Archive.org.
All seven volumes of Caribbeana are available online at The University of Florida Digital Collections including Volume IV, Contents; and Volume VI, no Contents or Index. Print may be darker in these volumes compared with the editions on Archive.org, and therefore easier to read.
More monumental inscriptions : tombstones of the British West Indies by Vere Langford Oliver. Reprint of The Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies. Collected and edited by V. L. Oliver. 1927. Catalogue entry with link to a FamilySearch Digital Book. Direct link. May take a few minutes to load. Catalogue entry says "Inscriptions copied from cemeteries on the West Indian islands of Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Trinidad; on the Bahamas; and in the former Dutch colony of Demerara, now a county of Guyana. With an Index of Names at the back of the book.

References

  1. Harding, Simon. Private Merchants & Photo's from India Rootsweb India Mailing List 19 December 2009. Scroll down. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  2. Balmer, Nick. Private Merchants & Photo's from India Rootsweb India Mailing List 19 December 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2018.