Ancestry and History Go Hand in Hand
When we all think of the Caribbean, we always visualize beautiful white sand beaches, tropical heat, palm trees swaying in the breeze, beautiful music, amazingly delicious food, and plenty of friendly islanders that are happy to share their culture. What we have to remind ourselves is that that was not the case back during the…
Curaçao Church Records from 1714 to 1831
One of the best resources in finding ancestry information on a family member has always been church records. Within a few lines, you can easily discover more about an ancestor than many times in public records. Church records are a great source to find out when an individual was born, the name of parents, the…
Slave Records in Curacao 1831 to 1863
Just like many other regions throughout the Caribbean and South America, slavery existed on the ABC Islands that consists of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. This post concentrates on Curacao and this is far from the only records. I will be posting them separately based on accessibility. While the below the records are in Dutch, you…
Cap-Haitien Civil Birth Records 1827 to 1917
While in the 5th grade, I came home one day not happy in seeing a boy in the class being picked on due to his accent. His name was Adrienne, a triplet, but the only one of the three in my class. The reason he was being picked on was that he was Haitian. It…
Dominica Land Records 1765 – 1927 Leads to Enslaved Ancestors
Many never look to land records to find ancestors. The assumption is that their ancestors may not have owned land. However, land records go beyond actual land and can include records of servitude such as indentured servants or enslaved people such as many of our African brothers and sisters; our ancestors. These records are invaluable…
Grenada Civil Records 1866 – 1940
Another great island in the Caribbean, Grenada, consists of a main island and six smaller islands. Many have never visited there but there are many that descends from this island. Cousins that we were not aware of until DNA testing came along. I have found cousin matches from Grenada via DNA and looking at their…