Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm doing some family history research and looking for baptism, marriage and death/burial records in British Guiana and Demerara during the late 18th and early 19th century.
Names are Mackenzie/McKenzie, Collins and Turton. And they lived and worked in the Demerara rubber plantations in and around Leguan Island, on the Essequibo River, Demerara. Some plantations named are Anna Regina, Amsterdam, Greenfield and Ruimveld.
Some names are John Mackenzie, Hectorina McDonald , her husbands Alexander Turton and James Collins (a merchant of Georgetown, Demerara) - she had at least one son John McKenzie Turton (b. c. 1835-36).
Where can I source the actual BMD records for these areas?
"When the British left the then Colony named British Guiana, vital records (births, marriages, and deaths) were left in-country. Since independence, Guyana has experienced severe economic depression and civil strife, excluding any interest or ability to preserve or make available the historical and vital records."
"Athough the vital records (from 1880 forward) are in Guyana, at present, there is no known way of someone outside the country getting access to them or of ordering copies. Even if one was in Guyana there would be difficulty in accessing records at the National Archives as they are available only on Friday. Too, many of the documents are in very bad condition. Many researchers have sent written requests to various Government departments but never receive a reply. A very lucky few have had success with writing to churches for their records, but even the churches rarely reply to letters or requests, even when money is offered or enclosed with the request."
It sounds like your only viable resource is going to be newspaper BMD announcements, since the British brought copies of many newspapers back with them when they left. Many transcriptions of those newspaper announcements are available at that website.
Great finds! Hopefully the OP does come back and isn't a one post wonder, never to log in again
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
