This weekend at the Caribbean Genealogy Library on St. Thomas, an eager audience met in person and via Zoom to learn from Timothy Hodge, president of the Anguilla Genealogical Society, about conducting family history research if your roots are connected to Anguilla, the Caribbean Genealogy Library announced Monday.
Before the workshop began, audience members chatted with each other, exchanging names of the relatives and ancestors they had in Anguilla and noting where they were in the genealogy research. Hodge began the workshop by describing Anguilla’s location in the Caribbean, giving a brief introduction of its history and how that history influenced migration away from and back to Anguilla over centuries, according to the press release.
Hodge listed the most common last names in Anguilla historically, including Richardson, Gumbs, Hodge, Connor, Carty, Webster, Fleming, Brooks, Hughes, Rogers, Lake, Harrigan, Smith, Bryan, and Romney. He added, “All these names are found in the Virgin Islands.”
Hodge then covered the value of genealogy, methods for conducting research, the difficulties in accessing records in Anguilla and other issues that people can expect to come across as they start or continue their family history research specific to the island, the press release stated.
He shared some personal stories and experiences related to his research. Hodge noted that “a desire to know my ancestors and how connected my family lines are to others” drove the desire to conduct family history research. He noted that he has 12 generations included in his family tree so far, going back to the first generation of European settlers in Anguilla. Hodge added as encouragement that family history research “involves perseverance, detective skills, and some luck; and is very rewarding.”
The Caribbean Genealogy Library, when announcing the workshop, encouraged people to bring their own Anguilla family research to share, and where they sought assistance to provide as much information as they could. Those wanting to participate shared information with Hodge, who then used Anguilla records available at the Caribbean Genealogy Library through their affiliation with FamilySearch to conduct searches. This segment was interactive and engaging as audience members, in person and online, provided names of people they were looking for. Hodge was able to locate several people in the records. This really got people excited to conduct further research themselves, the release stated.
The records that Hodge accessed at the Caribbean Genealogy Library from FamilySearch related to Anguilla included Parish Records for the Anglican Church, Civil Registrations, Parish Registers, and others. Dates ranged from 1826-1975, it said.
Hodge said of the connection between the Virgin Islands and Anguilla, “These places are very connected historically. Anguillan families have existed in the Virgin Islands for generations and have made great contributions to the territory, and those returning to Anguilla have also made great contributions there.”
It is this migration history that Hodge used to introduce the Great Anguilla Family Tree Project. The project was launched in 2021 and was the idea of fellow Anguillan and genealogist Ronald Harrigan. The project aims to gather information about Anguilla’s families, including those on the island and those who migrated elsewhere. Hodge noted that Tim Duncan, Timothy Lake, and Aliyah Boston, among other well-known Virgin Islanders, have family ties to Anguilla, according to the release.
The Anguilla Family History Workshop is being offered again on Nov. 14 at 5:45 p.m. at the Caribbean Genealogy Library. The workshop will last around two hours. Attendance is $5 per person for non-library members and free for current library members. Virtual attendance via Zoom is also an option. Contact the library at caribgenlibrary@gmail.com for information on attending virtually. The Caribbean Genealogy Library is in Al Cohens Plaza, at the top of Raphune Hill, St. Thomas, it said.
About the Presenter:
Timothy Hodge has a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), an MBA from the University of The West Indies, a Graduate Certificate in Creativity Studies from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change from UVI. He is President of the Anguilla Genealogical Society and an executive officer of the Anguilla Gideons (bible distributors) and the Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society. He is an award-winning poet, playwright and actor, historian, writer, church leader and genealogist. He is an instructor in UVI’s recently launched Executive MBA program.
About the Caribbean Genealogy Library:
The Caribbean Genealogy Library is a research library with a mission to identify, preserve and provide access to Caribbean genealogy, history and cultural heritage information resources for the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. The library’s collection includes books on the Virgin Islands and Caribbean history and culture, a large funeral booklet collection, access to census and church records, and is the only FamilySearch affiliate library on St. Thomas. For more information, email the library at caribgenlibrary@gmail.com.
