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Archival research is essential in the pursuit of family and local history. The list below highlights the most common archival records used by genealogists, but there are many more record sets available. Use the guides below and explore the specific resources for the country and or parishes of interest to assure that you locate all pertinent documents.
When requesting archival records, inquire about both docket books and paper files. Often both types of material exist for each record. While the two formats may merely repeat the data, one may be easier to read than the other. And, in many cases, there are further details, unique notations, over-sized pages such as maps, and so on, that are filed in only docket book or in only the paper file. Seeing both will provide a more complete review of the record.
| Administrative |
Note: These types of records consist of vestry minutes, rate assessment books, rate books, levy books, poor law guardian minute books, letters of administrations, inventories, commission records, index of plantation owners, and voter registers. |
|---|---|
| Deeds |
Note: Covers the period 1636-1949. |
| Ecclesiastical |
Note: These consist of records deposited by the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Moravian Church, the Jewish Records, and the Society of Friends (Quakers). |
| Manumissions of Slaves |
|
| Immigration/ Emigration |
Note: These consist of emigrant registers to Panama and other destinations, 1906-1912, emigrants register to Curacao and other destinations, 1941-1948 and registers of bonds to depart. |
| Slave Registers |
|
| Will and Probate |
Note: Covers the period 1647-1959, which is available at the Department of Archives. The probate records from 1960 to the present are maintained by the Registration Department. |
The subscription resources marked with a padlock 
are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.
Using Ancestry Library Edition for Barbados
Begin your search through Ancestry's vast collections, by viewing the list designated as Barbados records External .
This collection contains church records from Barbados including Catholic, Moravian, and Jewish records. To access the digitized copies, please see FamilySearch. This collection contains information from three volumes of Barbados church records and three volumes of probate records. This collection contains the registration of the enslaved people in Barbados starting in 1817. Registrations also exist for 1820, 1823, 1826, 1829, 1832, and 1834 which contains the increase and decease of the enslaved people on an estate, and sometimes includes a complete census of the enslaved people on an estate. This collection contains wills proved by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury representing the largest collection of pre-1858 wills for England and Wales. Some people from Barbados had wills probated in England and Wales. This collection contains employment records of people who worked in the Panama Canal Zone. Some of the records contain photos of the employees. People from Barbados migrated to Panama during the late 19th century to early 20th century for work and opportunity. Some of them are recorded in this collection. This collection contains an index to the Board of Trade's passenger lists of ships arriving in the United Kingdom and Ireland from foreign ports outside of Europe and the Mediterranean. People from Barbados migrated to the United Kingdom after World War II during the Windrush.Using FamilySearch for Barbados
FamilySearch provides useful country wikis that make excellent starting points for research. The Barbados Wiki External includes links to each of its counties.
FamilySearch has digitized many of its microfilms containing county courthouse records. Not all records have been indexed yet, so search engine results may NOT show you the full range of FamilySearch data. You must browse the FamilySearch catalog External listings for each county to view the full set of records available. The vast amount of accessible original records is well worth your time to explore.
The FamilySearch homepage to Barbados External contains links to historical records, genealogies, and catalog material.
Using FindMyPast for Barbados
Begin your search through FindMyPast's vast collections, by viewing this list of records pertaining to Barbados.
This collection contains passenger lists of people who left the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. You can narrow the destination country to Barbados.Below are selected print publications for countrywide archival records. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
To locate additional published materials, go to the Print Resources section of this guide for search tips on locating published archival records, abstracts, and indexes that may aide you in locating original records.
Tracing Your West Indian Ancestors by 
Tracing Your West Indian Ancestors: sources in the Public Record Office by 
