Category: Caribbean slavery

Slavery in the Caribbean

It took me a long time to write this as it was hard to read some of the stuff. While I provide many references at the bottom, please take breaks from reading them, which is what I did.  Please feel free to comment below as I would love to hear feedback from all. Researching slavery…

By Anna Bayala March 4, 2018 1

Cidra Church Record in Puerto Rico

Cidra, known as “Town of the Eternal Spring”, is located in the eastern central region of Puerto Rico. Its location is just north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito; and west of Caguas. The town was founded in 1809.  Knowing this information is important since you’ll need this information as…

By Anna Bayala February 4, 2018 2

Manumission Records of Slaves in Jamaica

One of the terms that many of us that descend from enslaved ancestors know is the word manumission.  Manumission is the term used when referencing the freedom of those that were enslaved. The term is used when individuals managed to attain their freedom, whether through the slaveholder freeing them or through the enslaved person purchasing…

By Anna Bayala February 1, 2018 3

Santiago Margarida – 8 Years Old Facing Slavery

While digging through records for Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico in search of my own African ancestors, I came across a record at the end of the book that caught my attention. Another baptism, but a baptism of an African child. I had previously posted about discovering a record of a 10 years old girl from…

By Anna Bayala January 26, 2018 7

Mandingo: Another Child Taken Into Slavery

As I continue to go through the records, telling their story, even if it is tiny in nature, is better to be told than to remain silent. This is the case with Teresa Maysonet. I suspect that she did manage to survive slavery as this line has African descendants I’ve seen in years later on…

By Anna Bayala January 23, 2018 4

Joaquin Hernandez: A Slave Documents Where He Came From!

Many of us wish we could jump into a time machine and change what our ancestors faced. This is the reality of those of us that descend from slavery. Unfortunately, many of us who descend from slavery ended with the person who was enslaved when researching our roots.  Sometimes it is impossible to go beyond…

By Anna Bayala January 22, 2018 6