English Settlers in Barbados, 1637-1800

Source Information

This database contains three volumes of Barbados church records (baptisms and marriages) as well as three volumes of probate records (wills and administrations). The volumes were compiled by Joanne McRee Sanders and published by the Genealogical Publishing Company. Approximately 200,000 individuals are referenced within these preeminent works on Barbados genealogical source records.

Historical Background:

Barbados was settled in 1627 by the British. Many of those early settlers eventually moved to the mainland and settled in Virginia, Georgia, the Carolinas and other colonies. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, in fact, there was a continuous flow of settlers from Barbados to virtually every point along the Atlantic seaboard. As a result, many families can trace their origins in the New World first to Barbados.

Barbados's surviving parish registers were copied during the mid-19th century and are now housed in the Barbados Department of Archives. The information compiled and presented in these reference volumes was taken from those registers. The information you will discover about an individual listed in this data set will vary depending on the type of record. A great deal of information about each record type can be found in the "Foreword" or "Preface" to each volume.

Books Included in this Database:

• Barbados Records: Baptisms 1637-1800

The baptism entries for each parish are presented in this volume in the same sequence in which they appear in the copied registers. They are listed in chronological sequence and give the name of the child, the date of baptism, the names of parents, sometimes the date of birth, and a variety of miscellaneous data. Since the index to this single volume indexes more than 55,000 individuals, it is not unlikely that the majority of persons residing in Barbados between 1637 and 1800 are named here.
• Barbados Records: Marriages 1643-1800 (Volumes I and II)

This two-volume collection of marriages is arranged by Barbados parish and then by date. A typical entry shows the date of the marriage and the names of the bride and groom.
• Barbados Records: Wills and Administrations 1639-1680 (Volume I)
• Barbados Records: Wills and Administrations 1681-1700 (Volume II)
• Barbados Records: Wills and Administrations 1701-1725 (Volume III)

Arranged alphabetically according to the name of the testator, each abstract gives all heirs, dates, titles, relationships, place names, references, land owners, burial locations, slaves and vessels mentioned in the wills.