African American Genealogy Podcast Blog

Caribbean Americans in New York City 1895 - 1975

11/24/2019

Paperdoll Journal Ancestry

November 2019

Growing up I was always reminded by my paternal grandmother about my grandfather’s Caribbean heritage. My paternal patrilineal heritage is from St. Vincent although genealogy research shows my grandfathers maternal line being from Grenada, Barbados and St Lucia. Reading the records over time got quite confusing until I created a chart.

I came across. Caribbean Americans in New York City 1895 - 1975 browsing at the Newark Library in the African American Studies room during the grand opening of the remodeling. It grave good insight about the early 1900s migration. I was always told that my family were whalers and came over after a huge storm and settled in Perth Amboy. On the highway my grandmother would point to the Perth Amboy sign on the turnpike and say that's where the Hazells are from. In the early 80s we went there for a family function although I dont remember meeting anyone.

My last name is pronounced Hazell with a long L while family pronounces Hazel. I wondered who changed the pronunciation? My grandmother?

Storm in St. Vincent 1900

With the disastrous hurricane in 1898 which caused 288 deaths and the Soufriere eruption which caused the deaths of between 1,300 and 2,000 persons, many unemployed laborers were forced to emigrate immediately in order to find jobs for the support of their families.
https://archive.org/stream/landusepopulatio00spin/landusepopulatio00spin_djvu.txt

'Number of Negroes imported from 1701 - 1726; An acco't of what Negro slaves have been imported into his Majesties Province of New York as taken from the Custom House Books between the year 1701 & this present year 1726' Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division