Caribbean Family History Top Tips
Local and family history A-Z > Family history
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Before you start
- Visit Moving Here, an archived website, which is a great starting point for those tracing ancestors who were not born in the UK, and the BBC's African-Caribbean Family History archived page.
- Read all you can about the subject. On the online catalogue, use search terms such as 'family history', 'genealogy' or 'tracing West Indian ancestors'
Your research begins
- The accepted method of research is to start with the known (yourself) and then to work backwards, one step at a time, from relatives living here in Britain. Decide which branch of your family to research first, your father's or mother's
- If your ancestors were born in England or Wales on or after 1st July 1837 start your search with births, marriages and death records (civil registration)
- If your ancestors settled in England or Wales after 6th June 1841 take a look at census records (1841-1911)
Civil registration and census records are freely available on the Ancestry Library Edition website in all Bedfordshire Libraries. - If you wish to read up on the history of African Caribbean settlement see the 'Migration histories' section of the archived Moving Here website
Key resources
Caribbean birth, marriage & death records (1800s to 1900s)
- Familysearch
Click 'Search' and enter ancestor's details. To limit your search to a specific country scroll down to the map of the world.
To find your nearest Familysearch centre where you can use their resources for free, scroll down to the home page and click 'Find a center'. - Registry Offices/Archives in the Caribbean
Click on 'Tracing your roots', then 'Caribbean', then 'Life Events' (of the archived website Moving Here). Contact the relevant office/archive to find out what records they hold and to see if staff there will check records on your behalf.
Church records (baptisms, marriages and burial records 1600s to 1900s)
- Family Search (as above)
- Registry Offices/Archives in the Caribbean (as above)
- Churches in the Caribbean - Churches may still have the original registers
Incoming Passenger Lists
Records of those arriving at UK ports only. There will not be any records if your ancestor arrived in Britain by aeroplane or if they disembarked from ships at continental ports and then arrived in the UK by train
1878-1960
- Ancestry Library Edition
Click 'Search' (ignore the drop-down menu) and scroll down to the 'UK and Ireland', select 'England' and scroll down to 'England Immigration and Travel'
March 1948 - Oct 1960
- Moving Here archived website
Click the 'Search' tab, tick 'Catalogue of Digitised Resources', then enter the person's name or any other keyword such as country, name of ship or departure port.
Slave records
Most records of slaves will be found among the personal papers of the plantation owners. These may still be with the family who owned or managed the plantation, they may have donated them to their local record office or they may be found in the plantation country's archive. A few are held at the National Archives in Kew, London.
Slave registers 1814 -1834
These were set up to try and combat the smuggling of slaves throughout the Caribbean. The registers were compiled every 3 years from approximately 1814 until slavery was abolished in 1834.
- Ancestry Library Edition
Click 'Search' and select 'Card Catalog' from the drop-down menu. Enter the keywords 'british colonial slave registers'. - National Archives, Kew, London
The National Archives holds duplicates of any registers that were forwarded to London. - Registry Offices/Archives in the Caribbean
Census records 1600s-1800s
Most are just headcounts but some give the name of the head of the household plus the number of women, children, servants and slaves. The taking of the census began during the period when Britain governed the Colonies.
- Some may be held at Registry Offices/Archives in the Caribbean
- Some may be available from the Familysearch website or in person at one of their centres.
- Some may be held at the National Archives
Local newspapers
- British Library
Holds newspapers from around the world, mainly on microfilm.
Move mouse pointer over 'Catalogues' and select 'Main catalogue', click 'Advanced search' and enter country name eg Jamaica then in the 'Materials type' box select 'Newspapers'.
Useful websites
- www.solihull.gov.uk/familyhistory
- The National Archives (family history research guides)
- Black Cultural Archives - Collecting, preserving and celebrating the history and culture of Black people in Britain
- WebLinks - A list of websites to help you trace your family history.
- Local and Family History A-Z - Describes other sources that are held in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire libraries that may help you learn more about your ancestors once settled in England and Wales
Useful books
Going further in your research
- Find a class on tracing your family history at a local college through the Local Information Database
- Join a local family history society. Bedfordshire Family History Society has monthly meetings and events
Good luck with your search!
Page last updated: 10th July 2020