An increasing number of websites contain resources of value for people with Caribbean roots. Most of these relate to sources for West Indian migrants to the USA, Canada and the UK, but there is limited amount of information on Caribbean resources.
Some of these sites are free to use but most require you to register and pay a subscription to make full use of the search facilities and to download images.
Online records and indexes
www.familysearch.org (free) - Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints
- index of baptisms, births and marriage records (mostly pre-1890s). Strong on Barbados returns
- index to 1881 censuses for England & Wales and Scotland
- index to 1881 Canadian census
- index to 1880 US census
- index to US social security records
- indexes to members' submissions
www.movinghere.org.uk (free) - partnership project with stories and histories also many digitised resources including indexed passenger lists from the Caribbean to the UK, 1948-1960.
www.ancestry.com (subscription site - free index and search but cannot see full descriptions) - vast resources - mostly American. Separate sites for Canada, Australia and UK etc but all available on US site. Includes
- slave returns for the British colonies in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka and Mauritius (this is free but you need to register to access the images)
- UK censuses 1841-1901
- US censuses 1790-1930 includes Panama and US Virgin Islands
- Canadian census, 1851, 1901, 1911
- passenger lists to the US (1800s-1950s)
- passenger lists to the UK (1878-1960)
- US naturalisations
- US military service papers
- WWI British army service records - includes soldiers of the West India Regiment, British West Indies Regiment and West Indians who served in British imperial regiments
- WWI Canadian army papers
www.findmypast.com (subscription site - free index)
- passenger lists from the UK 1890-1960 - includes migrants and people returning to the Caribbean
- UK births, marriage and death indexes 1837-2005
- UK censuses (partially indexed by name
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline (pay per view)
- wills for England and Wales 1300s to 1858, includes absentee landlords and plantation owners with estate in the UK and Caribbean
- Royal Navy Service records 1853-1923
- Merchant Navy WWII medals
- WWI army medal indexes
www.tombstones.bb (free) - volunteer project to transcribe tombstones and burial records in Barbados & Antigua
www.plantations.bb (free) - database of plantations and owners/managers compiled by Ronald Hughes in Barbados(subscription)
www.plantations.bb/manumission (free) - list of over 300 manumissions (grants of freedom) in Barbados 1831-1834
http://compensations.plantations.bb (free) - index to compensation awards made to slave owners or their representatives following emancipation in Barbados & Antigua
- indexes to births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales
- browsable indexes to overseas births, marriage and deaths (regimental, consular and high commissioner returns) - consular returns covered British subjects in Foreign sovereign countries such as West Indians in Curacou. Free but you need to register.
www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com (subscription but some free) - indexes and transcriptions to a variety of Jamaican records and publications
www.newspaperarchive.com (subscription) - hundreds of newspapers digitised and indexed. Mostly America but includes the Jamaica Gleaner, 1834-.
www.ellisisland.org (free but need to register to see images) - index and digital images to passengers lists of ships which arrived at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924. Ellis Island was the main entry point for migrants to the USA and includes thousands of people from the Caribbean.
www.caribbeanaircrew-ww2.com (free) - contains information on Caribbean aircrew who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. You can add further information to the site.
Discussion groups and message boards
- Caribbean Genealogical Web Project. This may be also available through your internet provider's newgroup facility at soc.gen.west-indies. This site also has links to country specific discussion groups
- Genealogy.com has many discussion groups for many Caribbean countries
- as does Ancestry.com. Ancestry also hosts a vast number of databases, digital images (for a fee), and other genealogical resources.
- Your internet provider may have genealogical regional discussion boards
- Facebook has several surname and regional groups. You need to register first to use this - for example Caribbean Genealogy and Caribbean Genealogy & History - Jamaica Family Search.
- Google groups has access to the Caribbean Genealogical Web Project discussion group and some public and private regional groups. For example, Tamarind Tree Lime for Bajans and discussions about Barbados
- Caribbeanancestry.com is a social networking site people with Caribbean ancestry - you need to register to access the site
Surname lists
- Caribbean surname index
- The Names Database has millions of registered users. You need to register to use it and there is a subscription fee to be able post emails but you may find school friends and relatives
- Genesreunited enables you to create family trees and contact possible relatives. You need to register and there is a subscription fee to email others.