It is just over a year since I began weekly postings on this blog.
I set up the website while I was working on the research for what eventually became the book A Parcel of Ribbons, because at that stage I did not know if it ever would become a book, and I felt it would be a pity if the research existed only in an electronic archive that no-one else could see or make use of.
During the year I have been contacted by a number of readers who share my interest in the history of the 18th century, and in particular of the connections between Britain and Jamaica. It has been a rewarding relationship and often readers have provided further information on topics I have written about. Sometimes I have been able to help with research others are engaged in.
I am now reviewing where to go to next. I shall be promoting my book when I can, and I have two projects in mind that have arisen from the research into the Lee Family. One concerns the elopement of Matthew Allen Lee and what happened next. The other relates to William Perrin, his estates in Jamaica and the family of his wife in England who intersected with the Lee family in London. Whether there will be another book or two in all this remains to be seen, but I hope there will still be interesting finds to share here. I also have a fair few Wills relating to Jamaica that I have yet to transcribe, when I do they’ll be uploaded here.
Congratulations and happy anniversary!
Thank you Frances! It’s been fun.
Dear Anne, congratulations on the anniversary. Holding up a blog with a frequency of posting a different article every week is a challenge, I often don’t even come close to it…
I’m very glad to hear that you will continue your work on the Jamaican-British connection, and I am looking forward to the new posts, because I expect that, again, they will not just tell the story about one family, but about the whole island and its peoples – both plantocracy and the ones ‘subjected’ to it, as well as the passers-by. I have learnt a lot about the Jamaican fragments in my ancestry; not just the names and data, but their lives, environment, and actions. It’s a valuable undertaking; breathing the life back into the people and placing them in history; something I have tried (and keep trying) to achieve in my own research, and I’m glad that there are more, like yourself, who also invest the time and effort needed for this. Genealogy is one thing, but the combination with history brings so much more.
I said it to you before, and I will repeat it once again: Do continue!
Best wishes, Lex
Many thanks, Lex, for the kind words. I’ll do my best!
I am researching my Perrin ancestry and came across your blog. I am hoping to find information here to determine whether I am related to William Perrin. My father’s surname name is Perrin and I was born in Jamaica. The surname is uncommon in Jamaica. My father had a strained relationship with his father. For that reason the only information he shared with us kids about his Dad is that he was a police constable and his name was Wilfred Perrin.
Hi there,
Have you tried looking at Jamaican births, marriages and deaths on Family Search?
kind regards,
Anne