Our research base
Historical Sources Behind Our Research
Our surname reports draw from historical records, archival indexes, church registers, colonial documents, migration records, academic research, and other documentary sources relevant to Caribbean family history.
Reports vary depending on the surname. Not every source contains records for every family name, island, parish, or time period.
We separate documented evidence from historical inference and speculation. When evidence is limited, the report says so clearly.
Caribbean & Colonial Records
- Barbados Slave Registers, 1817–1834
- Jamaica Slave Registers
- Colonial Office records
- Emancipation-era records
- Plantation and estate records
- Parish-level historical registers
- Civil registration indexes
Church & Parish Records
- Baptism records
- Marriage registers
- Burial registers
- Anglican parish records
- Nonconformist church records
- Catholic parish records where relevant
Government & Archive Collections
- The National Archives (UK)
- National Archives of Jamaica
- Barbados Department of Archives
- FamilySearch historical collections
- Civil registration offices
- Digitized Caribbean archive collections
Slavery & Emancipation Research
- Legacies of British Slavery
- Slave compensation records
- Slave registers
- Emancipation records
- Estate inventories
- Plantation ownership documents
Migration & Diaspora Records
- Passenger lists
- Windrush-era migration records
- US immigration records
- UK immigration records
- Canadian migration records
- Census records
- Naturalization records
Newspapers & Published Historical Sources
- Historical newspapers
- Gazettes
- Obituaries
- Directories
- Local histories
- Academic publications
- Surname and genealogy reference works
Probate, Land & Estate Documents
- Wills
- Probate records
- Land records
- Deeds
- Estate inventories
- Property transfers
Not every surname appears in every archive
Historical records are incomplete. Some surnames have extensive documentation while others appear only sporadically. A report may therefore rely on different combinations of sources depending on the surname, island, parish, spelling variation, and historical period.
A source being part of our research base does not mean your specific surname appears in that source.
How technology is used
Technology helps us organize, compare, summarize, and present historical evidence. It does not replace the underlying records. Claims in a report are tied to documentary evidence or clearly labeled as interpretation when direct evidence is unavailable.
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