Learning Centre

However, the recent launch of two significant Barbados record collection sets will enable you to gain to real insight into the lives and experiences of those living on the island, from the arrival of the first British Settlers to the islands in 1627 to the abolition of the slave trade some 200 years later.

Explore the source images and records for the Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies,
1812-1834 and English Settlers in Barbados, 1637-1800 to create an unparalleled picture of life from both sides of the colonial divide- those of the plantation owners and those of the slaves that worked upon them.

To combat illicit transportation of slaves, following the passing of the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1807, many of the British Colonies began keeping registers of black slaves who had been so-called “lawfully enslaved”.

This collection contains the slave registers from Barbados from 1812 to 1834. Information available in these records includes:

• Name of owner
• Place of residence (name of Barbados parish)
• Name of slave (usually only a given name, if the slave had been baptized this may include the slave name and the Christian name)
• Gender of slave
• Age of slave
• Birth Place of slave

Take a look at the registers here.

This database contains three volumes of Barbados church records (baptisms and marriages) as well as three volumes of probate records (wills and administrations). Approximately 200,000 individuals are referenced within these pre-eminent works on Barbados genealogical source records.

Take a look at this collection now.

You can now search the photos from the Ancestry collections as well as those submitted by other members; you never know what you might find- could there be a picture of one of your ancestors, their local church or a postcard with a period photo of their town or village?

Simply click the Photos tab to start your search now

Looking for an old article from one of the previous Ancestry member newsletters? Searching for more great hints and tips on getting the most from the Ancestry.co.uk website? Then, help is at hand with the arrival of our Ancestry newsletter archive, housed on the Ancestry Learning Centre.

Simply look for the links to previous issues located in the “Topics” section on the right of the page and select the month/issue you require.

Take a look at previous newsletters now

Welcome to the "Useful Tools" slot. Each month, we’ll be looking at useful site features which can make life easier for you when researching your family’s history. This month’s offering focuses on "Research Notes" and "Shoe Box".

"Research Notes" are a great place to store questions to ask other family or Ancestry members on the Message Boards relating to your ancestors. You’ll find them located under the "Tools" section on the right hand side of your ancestor’s Personal Profile Page. Simply click "View research note". Once there you can easily add, update and delete as required.

Visit your Family History Site

"Shoebox" is a great way of storing images and record transcriptions you encounter and wish to save whilst you determine their relevancy to searched-for ancestors. You can then easily revisit and revaluate at a later date once you’ve obtained more detail.

To save record transcriptions to your shoebox, simply click the "Save record to my shoebox" link under "Page Tools" on the record page. A message, similar to the one below will appear to confirm successful addition to your shoebox.

Look for the “Save” Option (the disk icon at the top right on the image page).

Simply click this and select the “Save to my Shoebox” option in the Save Options menu.

You can easily recall and manage the contents of your shoebox at any time by selecting the “My Ancestry” tab and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

Watch out for next month’s installment on further useful site tools too.

That’s all for now, see you next month.

The Ancestry.co.uk Membership Team