A Genealogist’s Research Guide to the Caribbean

The Caribbean sea is home to hundreds of islands, full of rich heritage for millions of people around the world. This guide explores the most populous countries in the Caribbean sea and how to embark on your genealogy search.

For any islands not included in here, like the Bahamas and Lesser Antilles, we recommend first beginning  with any records at the country’s current official government website. Once you’ve exhausted those sources, continue your search for that country in online records for countries that had a colonial presence there.

A Note on Translating

Your search for records may take you to websites in languages in which you are not fluent. Some of the websites linked may offer an English translation. When they don’t offer an easy way to translate, we highly recommend the translation capabilities of the internet browser you are using (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, etc).

Social Media Treasures

One of the most effective ways of researching your Caribbean ancestors is to go through social media groups related to research for the location of your interest. For each country in this list, you will see a related Facebook Group. These groups are not associated with Family Tree Magazine and have their own set of rules that members must agree  to before joining.

Many of these groups have a Files section where you can see uploads from other members’ research.  Anything found on social media must be double checked for accuracy, but these groups are a great starting point if you’ve hit a brick wall.

Common Ground: Understanding the Caribbean Islands

Indigenous Origins

Before Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas, the volcanic isles of the Caribbean were the home of the Taino, Carib and other indigenous people. These people lived on the islands for millennia, and their population number remains hotly debated. Estimates can range from the 100,000s to the millions for each of the larger islands in the Antilles.

Large Caribbean islands were often ruled by multiple “Caciques” (chieftains), which could be male or female,  each one leading a specific area or  “cazicagos” (chiefdoms). Looking up the names of any relevant Caciques and “cazicagos” may help you make unexpected connections in your research.

DNA testing is developing every day and improving how it identifies Indigenous ancestry. This is only a rough and changing estimate. The Taino and other indigenous nations had oral history that was lost during colonization. Church records and written accounts may make mention of any remaining indigenous people in the period you are researching.

European Colonization

Slavery records

All the countries in this list, and nearly all the islands in the Caribbean, were at some point slave colonies for European colonizers. Slavery records are scarce, but when they are available they are truly a powerful key to your research. African slaves baptized under the Catholic Church were given new names as part of the process to integrate them into the Christian faith.

The following websites and collections will be of interest to researching slavery in their family tree:

• Slave Voyages
• Enslaved.org
• The Beyond Kin Project
• Legacies of British Slavery

You should identify and research any controlling nation in your island of interest. For example, Spain retains many digitized records that can help sleuths researching ancestors in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and others. England had a stake in islands like Jamaica, as well as important battles in Trinidad. French records are also important when conducting research for countries like Haiti and Jamaica.

Spain 

• PARES portal (Portal de Archivos Espanoles) – The “Archivo General de Indias” in this website keeps any records produced by the Spanish government while managing overseas territories.
• Universidad de Cantabria – The “Buscador de Pasajeros” (Passenger Finder), can help you find travelers from Spain to the Caribbean.
• Asociacion Navegantes – Search for emigrants leaving Spain.

England  

• The National Archives (UK) – The National Archives (UK) can be used to locate Caribbean ancestors.
• Free BMD – A website for simple searches of birth, marriage and death records.
• The British Library – The Digitized Content section contains a multitude of collections- like the Endangered Archives Programme” , that can point you to records of events in the Caribbean.
• Americas and Oceania Collection – This collection is from the British Library and offers collections covering the Americas, Oceania and the Caribbean.

France 

• Archives Nationales D’Outre-Mer (National Overseas Archives) 
• Généalogie et Histoire de la Caraïbe (Genealogy and History of the Caribbean)

Immigration to America

As it grew in geography and power, the United States became the land of promise for people from everywhere in the Caribbean.

If you have Caribbean ancestors who resided in the United States at some point, you could fairly assume assume they arrived there on boat or airplane. The US Immigration Passenger Arrival Records in FamilySearch and Passenger Lists on Ancestry contain a multitude of flight and ship manifests that should help identify when a Caribbean ancestor landed on American soil. For ship manifests, look into any ports with contact with the Gulf of Mexico (New Orleans), the Caribbean (Miami) or the Atlantic Ocean  (Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, New York), but don’t discard looking into other ports of entry!

Cuba

Historical Summary

Cuba was a Spanish colony for nearly 400 years. Its name is derived from the Arawak language and means “where fertile land is abundant”. In the 18th century, the island depended heavily on sugarcane crop. Slavery was abolished in 1886, and Cuba gained its independence in 1898. After the Spanish American War, Cuba began a tumultuous relationship with its neighbor, the United States.

When researching Cuba, expect the majority of sources and online conversation to be in Spanish. Cuba is a predominantly Roman Catholic country; different parishes identify areas throughout the island.

Online Resources

• FamilySearch – Military Service Records – a searchable record of Spaniards in Cuba
• Slave Societies – A project by Vanderbilt University that collects scans of ecclesiastical records for more than 750,000 individuals.  There are over 100,000 images of Cuba records of Baptisms in the islands.
• Cuba Research Project – A volunteer-run website with multiple searchable databases that include : marriages, deaths, burials, military records, naturalization certificates, business owners.  
• Related Facebook Groups–  Genealogía Cubana, Cuba Research Project

National Archives

• Archivo Nacional de la República de Cuba – Address: Calle Compostela No 906 esq San Isidro. La Habana Vieja. , Havana, Cuba
• National Archives Facebook Page – A marketing page for the Cuban National Archive. No records are digitized here, but it is a useful source of information to understand the digitizing efforts happening in Cuban provinces.

La Hispaniola 

Before delving into Haiti & Dominican Republic separately, it is important to note the intertwined nature of these countries. La Hispaniola (La Espanola) is the name given to the island holding both of these countries.

For about two centuries after the arrival of Christopher Columbus (1492-1697), La Hispaniola was entirely a Spanish colony. France and Spain battled for control of the country. In 1697 they split the islands into two colonies: Haiti and Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic).

In 1794, France abolished slavery in its colonies, which bolstered military participation in the French battle against the Spanish. In 1795, Spain ceded the remaining portion of the island to the French, making La Hispaniola an entirely French colony.

In 1808, Spanish descendants in Santo Domingo revolted against French rule and, with the aid of the United Kingdom, returned Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) to Spanish control.

When researching either of these countries it is vital to note the historical backdrop of the time being researched, to understand whether it would be most beneficial to research French or Spanish records, or both.

Haiti

Historical Summary

The Taino’s name for Haiti (Ayti) means “Land or Flower of the High Mountains”. In December 1492, Columbus landed in the area now known as Môle-Saint-Nicolas. This began a period of two centuries where Haiti was primarily a trading post colony. France took advantage of the fact that Spain focused their colonization efforts on the eastern part of La Hispaniola and established a strong base on the west. After receiving Haiti from Spain, France made a monumental effort to bring in African slaves into Haiti, resulting in slaves outnumbering freed citizens ten to one.

By The 1750s, the slave revolts were a force to be reckoned with. In 1791, inspired by the French revolution and backed by the Spanish in the Dominican Republic, Haiti began its revolution efforts, culminating in a victory by 1804. Haiti became the first country ever to win its independence through a slave revolt.

As an independent nation, Haiti has continued to see its share of tumultuous changes in power.  Multiple emperors and dozens of short term leaders have caused political instability and difficulty in the preservation of records.  In the 20th & 21st centuries, Haiti experienced U.S. occupation for two decades, violent political dynasties and multiple natural disasters, like the earthquake of 2010.   In recent years, kidnapping of skilled citizens by gangs has become a serious issue, resulting in further instability in record keeping.

Online Resources

• FamilySearch – Consulate register of marriages, 1850-1893  –  A searchable British collection of marriages taking place in Haiti
• FamilySearch – Etat détaillé par commission chargée de répartir l’Indemnité attribuée aux anciens Colons de Saint-Domingue [1815-1832] : en exécution de la loi du 30 avril 1826 –  Records of compensation from the French Ministry of Finances to french people in Haiti who gave up their properties during the years, 1815-1831
• The University of Florida Digital Collections – The Collections & Partners section contains many Haitian records and publications, including scans of  “PSYCÉ”, a Haitian periodical.
• Association de genealogie d’Haiti –  A website that electronically collects the old civil registers of the Archives Nationales d’Haiti
• Related Facebook Groups –  Haitian Genealogy, Genealogie d’Haiti, et Saint- Domingue

National Archives

Archives Nationales d’Haïti (ANH) 

Mailing address:  Delmas 75 # 50, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Dominican Republic

Historical Summary

Known as “Quisqueya” (Mother of the Lands) to the Taino and many of its current citizens, the Dominican Republic has seen both French and Spanish colonizers. After their arrival in 1492, the Spanish put most of their colonization efforts to the area of the island now known as the Dominican Republic. In 1795 the Spanish ceded the Dominican Republic to France as part of the end of the war in the Pyrenees, taking effect in 1809.

After an “ephemeral independence” in 1821, the Dominican Republic saw two decades of Haitian occupation,a result of Haiti’s own independence. This period saw the destruction of much of the Dominican Republic’s way of life, infrastructure and connection to the Catholic Church in Rome. In 1844 the Dominican Republic became an independent country.

Online Resources

• FamilySearch – Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1975 – Massive searchable collection of events  (baptisms, marriages, deaths) taking place in Dominican Republic
• FamilySearch – Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2010
• Genealogia Nuestra (Our Genealogy) – This website has helpful information for all countries in this list, but has a heavy focus on genealogy for the Dominican Republic.

National Archives

Archivo General de la Nación | AGN

C/ General Modesto Díaz #2 Zona Universitaria,Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.

Tel.: (809) 362-1111 , oaip@agn.gob.do

Jamaica

Historical Summary

Jamaica was once populated by the Taino indigenous people. The Tainos called the island Xaymaca, or “land of wood and water”. In 1491, Columbus and the Spanish arrived and stayed for nearly two centuries. During this time the Taino population quickly declined due to disease and emigration. The Spanish introduced the first African slave population to the island. 

In 1655 the English captured Jamaica from the Spanish and effectively held control of the island until the twentieth century. During this time of chaos, some of the former slaves of Spain escaped to the mountains. These groups were called the Maroons and managed to persevere in remote locations, some even marrying the remaining Taino. For several decades, Britain encouraged buccaneer activity in Jamaica to keep Spain in check.

Over the next two centuries, Britain held on to Jamaica, bringing in hundreds of thousands of slaves and turning it into a valuable sugar producer.. Slavery was abolished in 1807 and all enslaved people were given their freedom by 1838.

After a long period of being a crown colony, Jamaica became independent in 1962.

Online Resources

• FamilySearch – Jamaica, Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880
• FamilySearch – Dissenters’ marriages, 1841-1846
• FamilySearch – St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: record of Jews from various sources  (also contains records for Jamaica)
• Roman Catholic Archives
• Institute of Jamaica
• National Library of Jamaica
• The University of the West Indies
• Facebook Group: Jamaican Genealogy Resources – A treasure trove of information on Jamaican heritage. This group contains a multitude of articles, links and photographs.

National Resources

• Registrar General’s Department of Jamaica – The key local source for any Birth, Marriage or Death records. At the website above you can apply and pay for BMD certificates or a thorough genealogical search.
• Jamaican Archives and Records Department

Trinidad & Tobago

Historical Summary

Trinidad and Tobago are the southernmost islands in the Caribbean island chain. The capital is located about 80 miles from the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad (Trinity) and Tobago (possible relation to Tobacco) were names given to the island after European nations colonized the area. It is believed the indigenous people referred to these islands as Caeri (“The Island”)  and Urupaine (“Large Snail”), respectively.

Before European colonization, Trinidad was occupied by Arawakan- and Cariban-speaking groups. Tobago was occupied by the Caribs and Galibi. Trinidad and Tobago achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. In Trinidad you will find large ethnic groups descended from African slaves and East Indian plantation workers. For those interested in East Indian heritage in Trinidad, the work of Shamshu Deen is highly recommended and if at all possible, a copy of his out of print book “Solving East Indian Roots in Trinidad” should prove insightful.

Online Resources

• FamilySearch – Hojas de Servicios Militares de América : provincia de Venezuela, 1787-1800
• FamilySearch – Manumissions and indentures, ca. 1780-1840 – Arranged by name of master or slaveholder. One set of images from this collection contains information on slaves from Trinidad.
• Tracing your Ancestral Roots in Trinidad and Tobago – A guide created by the National Archives, also shared on their official website.
• Related Facebook Group – Trinidad and Tobago Genealogy

National Archives

National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago

P.O.Box 763 Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago West Indies

Visiting Address:

105 St. Vincent Street Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago West Indies

Conclusion

The search for your Caribbean ancestors will lead to an abundance of information, but it is quite dispersed in many sources. Through dedication and effort, you are sure to get results!

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