Tracing Your Caribbean Family HistoryFamily History Research is On the Increase
I have been tracing my family roots for over twenty five years. Eventually, people started to ask about their own family roots and so I begun running workshops in my local community and eventually in London, Preston, Leeds and other cities. It has been said that the average family spends between £400 and £700 per year on genealogy research. And that doesn't include people who travel far and wide to trace their ancestry. Neither does it include the cost of taking a DNA test which can cost from £89 to £500. My father in 1959.
In-depth Family History Research
At some point along your journey, you may need the services of a Family History Researcher. I specialise in Jamaican family history and can carry out research from a basic level (grandparent and great-grandparent records) to more advanced levels (accessing slave records, wills, property details, etc). For more information about this important service, please contact me by clicking here, or read on. Cousin Lillie
More information
For more information about the family history research I undertake, the following might be helpful. My prices range from £90 (three hours research) to £600 (up to twenty hours research). If you are ready to take your Jamaican family history research to the next level, please contact me by clicking here. |
Family marriage in 1960s Jamaica.
Family History Workshops
I am available to deliver talks and workshops anywhere in the UK or via Zoom, Teams, etc. I provide: Beginners Workshops (if you are just beginning your family history research journey); Advanced Workshops for people who have been researching for a while (on and off) or may have come up against a brick wall and unsure where next to go in their research. As a writer and historian, I know how important it is for families to leave legacies for the next generation. Many families are now seeking to leave something in writing that can be left for future generations to read and pass on to their descendants. I can offer to write a book, or a family history album (with photos, family tree, stories from and about family members, maps and descriptions of your parish or district, etc) about your family's history. My mother, sister and (don't laugh) me in 1959.
Tracing Your Caribbean
Family Roots
What is Genealogy? It is about families. It is about history. It is a deep desire and determination to know about both family and history and how it impacts everyone today. It is what you do, in a systematic way, to bring the above together. Why is Genealogy Important to You?
Personal self-discovery. Health. Shared characteristics. Preserving a legacy for the next generation. Curious about a branch of the family. Something you have heard the family say Your own education. Cultural reasons. What do you already know?
Your immediate family: you, brothers, sisters, your parents, and probably grandparents. Jot all of this down on a large sheet of paper. You at the bottom, your parents above you, etc. If you know them, add the dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Next fill out your family tree by adding any uncles and aunts on both sides of the family, plus their children. Three Types of Kin
Ascendants – these are your direct ancestors going up the tree – in other words, your parents and grandparents. Descendants – for example, you are, of course, a descendant both of your grandparents and of your parents. Collateral kin – any siblings (sisters and/or brothers) and any uncles and aunts that you have plotted on your draft tree. How to begin tracing your family roots
Your draft tree will probably has some gaps in it; and these are the gaps in your knowledge of the family. What you want to do now is talk: talk to anyone and everyone who is on your tree, still alive and prepared to talk with you. Before speaking with any family member…make a list of questions you wish to ask them. Record the conversation or make notes as you go along. Sensitivity to their needs is crucial. The issue of confidentiality must be broached. Some people will not talk to you because they won’t talk about family matters – period! Others will see your curiosity as prying into their personal affairs. Some family members will have something to hide – don’t push it and lose the relationship. Should I Use The Internet?
Yes! Very useful information is available on the internet. Websites may contain unverified and incorrect information. May be difficult and frustrating trying to navigate the websites to find the correct information. Births, Marriages, and Deaths
They are listed in separate indexes. Indexes can be found online. Microfilm copies of these indexes also held by some libraries, record offices, family history societies and Family History Centres of The Church of Latter-Day Saints. Birth certificates They give the date and place where the event occurred, the child’s forename(s), and the name and occupation of the father, the name and maiden surname of the mother (with her usual residence if the birth took place elsewhere), and the name and address of the informant for the registration. Marriage certificates They will provide the date of the marriage, the place of the marriage, the names of the bride and groom, their ages, their occupations, the places of residence at the time of the marriage, their signatures (or mark), their father’s names and the witnesses to the marriage.
The death certificate will give the place of death, the place of residence at the time of death, the decease’s name, their status at the time of death (married, bachelor or spinster), the name of the spouse (if applicable), their age at death, the cause of death, and the person who was present at the death or caused the body to be buried.
Tracing Your Black Ancestry Can Be Challenging Tracing Black ancestry can be challenging due mainly to inconsistent record keeping in the 18th and 19th centuries in regard to slave ownership and later low literacy levels within black communities which had a significant impact on the accuracy of information they were asked to provide. Keeping Records
Records are the indisputable proof of the existence of an individual. Genealogical research is concerned with obtaining proof of an event and of descent. The reliability and credibility of that proof is solely based upon the circumstances by which the records was created. A methodical approach and accurate logging of your efforts can save many wasted hours and help keep you on the right track Computers will make the job much easier. However paper notes and records are useful. Take on field trips some form of paper record or note-taking system. You will need a notebook or blank sheet of paper to record the facts that you will later enter into your computer or ready formatted record forms. Tracing Black ancestry can be challenging
There has been inconsistent record keeping in the 18th and 19th centuries in regard to slave ownership. Literacy levels were very low within black communities which had a significant impact on the accuracy of information they were asked to provide. Tracing your family roots can be extremely time-consuming and may take many years to complete. Hitting a brick wall is normal and can also be frustrating to all concerned. Getting professional help
You can trace your own family roots using the above process. However, engaging a professional researcher will do the following: Identify whether tracing your own family roots is realistic based on the information you can already provide. Cut the time required to undertake and complete the necessary research. Help you break through the brick wall that many people come up against. Understand and break through any historical blockages to carrying out the research - especially when dealing with the period during enslavement. To book a talk, workshop, or research please contact me by clicking here.
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