Before you start
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Talk to your family and try to obtain as much information as possible such
as first-hand accounts, memories and stories, especially from older
generations. They can often provide you with names, dates and key family
events - although you should never take anything at face value, as it will be
your job to investigate family myths
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It is also important to look through old
family correspondence, photos, heirlooms and other material that can find its
way into trunks, drawers, attics or cellars. You will be amazed how much
information you can extract from these objects to obtain vital clues. Also try
to establish where your family is from, as this will play an important role in
where to look for relevant records
- Visit Moving Here, which is a great starting point for those tracing
ancestors who were not born in the UK, and the
Family History section
on the
BBC web site
- Read all you can about the subject. On the
online catalogue, use
search terms such as 'family history', 'genealogy' or 'tracing West Indian
ancestors'
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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 & deaths (civil registration)
- If your ancestors settled in England or Wales after 6th June 1841 take a
look at Census records (1841-1901)
- If you wish to read up on the history of African Caribbean settlement see the 'Migration histories' section of the
Moving Here web site
Key resources
- Birth, marriage & death records (Civil registration)
- Church records (baptisms, marriages & burials)
Other useful resources:
- Incoming passenger lists
- Slave records
- Census records
- Local newspapers
Birth, marriage & death records (1800s – 1900s)
- Hyde Park Family History Centre in
London
To see what records are held at the main library of the Church of Jesus
Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, based in Utah, USA, which can then be ordered
at Hyde Park Family History Centre on microfiche/film, go to
www.familysearch.org> Search
Records> Library Catalogue> Place Search
- Registry Offices/Archives in the
Caribbean
Click on 'Tracing your roots', then 'Caribbean', then 'Life Events'. 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 (1600s to 1900s)
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
Available in all Bedford Borough and Central
Bedfordshire Libraries.
Click the 'Search' tab at the top of the page, then scroll down to 'UK &
Ireland', select 'England' and scroll down to 'UK Incoming Passenger Lists'
March 1948 - Oct 1960
- Moving Here
(www.movinghere.org.uk)
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
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.
Local newspapers
- British Library (www.bl.uk)
Scroll down to 'British Library websites', select 'Integrated Catalogue' from
drop-down menu, then click on 'Search the Newspaper Catalogue', enter the name
of the country for a list of newspapers available at the Newspaper Library in
Colindale, mainly on microfilm, with date range
Useful websites
Useful books
Going further in your research
Good luck with your search!
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