The
George Family of the Caribbean (BVI)
The George family of North
Sound Virgin Gorda has descendants living in Tortola, Jost Van Dyke,
St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
and other Caribbean islands. My George ancestors as far back as
we have traced, were originally from Virgin Gorda, British Virgin
Islands.
Adam
George
My 3rd Great Grandfather
My oldest known ancestors
are Adam and Ann George of Virgin Gorda. They were
the parents of at least seven children - four boys and three girls.
According to the family legend, three
brothers and three sisters left Virgin Gorda because they were
frustrated with the influx of settlers and the poor economic condition
of Virgin Gorda at that time. They left in search of land
and better opportunities. The George brothers were known to take very
good care of their sisters, and soon secured land for purchase in
Tortola.
As far as we can tell from
the records, the eldest brother stayed behind in Virgin Gorda:
- Joseph Thomas
George: born March 1851.
These six George children
migrated to Tortola, BVI:
- William
James George also known as "Ole Hell" (my 2nd great
grandfather): Ole Hell was born in Oct. 1854 in
Spanish Town Virgin Gorda. He died 25 Jul 1910 in Long Look,
Tortola - the father of seven children (not married).
- John Simmons
George, known as Simmons: John Simmons George was known simply
as Simmons, and was born in Aug. 1857. He lived in Tortola and
had at least five children with Sandrine Pickering: Alice Eliza,
Mary, Rosita and two other children whose names are unknown.
- Charles Edwin
George, known as Edwin: Edwin was born in March 1863. He
went to Jost Van Dyke first where he fathered four children with a
woman there (her name is unknown): Alfredo, Mikey and Princey (who
later lived in St. Thomas), and a daughter named Ocephita.
Edwin migrated to Tortola and it was there that he met Eglantine
"Tina" Edwards. Edwin and Tina had: Charles Elias
(Fletcher) George; Aleta Augusta George born 1886; Claudena Amelia
George baptized Oct. 1887 (married Joseph Benjamin "Jenal"
Thomas); Ann Elizabeth George born 1889 (married Alexander Venzen);
Henry "Healy" George born 1892.
- Ann Eliza "Liza"
George: Liza married a man whose surname was FRAZER. They
had at least two children: a daughter named Belita and a son who was
known as Broojack.
- Ellen Martha
George: also called "Semartha." Semartha had a
son named Felice.
- Mary George: Mary
George who may have married a man whose surname was RABSATT.
I am told that there were
other members of this George generation that left Virgin Gorda and
settled in Jost Van Dyke. However, their history has yet to be
researched.
William
James "Ole Hell" George
My 2nd Great Grandfather
William
James "Ole Hell" George was most commonly known as
Ole Hell. He is my great great grandfather.
Ole Hell was born in
Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda in 07 Oct 1854 to Adam and Ann George.
He migrated with his brothers and sisters from Virgin Gorda and lived
most of his adult life in the area of Long Look, Tortola, BVI.
William was described as a short, Negro man with a very fair
complexion.
Ole Hell was the father of
at least five children. His first was a son named William George
with an unknown woman. It is not known what became of his first
son.
He later had four children
with his lifelong spouse (never married) Diana
Stephens of Tortola. Diana was the daughter of Matthew Stephens
and Melvina Pickering of Tortola. Diana Stephens is described as
a very pretty, shapely but slim, tall and dark skinned Negro woman.
She was also know as "Di" or "Aunty Duey." When
she met Ole Hell, she already had three children: Jane Eliza
Gordon-Innis, Catherine Ophelia Lettsome-Ludlow and William
Alfred Lettsome, known as Alfred. Click
here to read more about Diana's other children.
William James "Ole
Hell" George died 25 July 1910 in Tortola, BVI of rheumatism.
He is most likely buried in Tortola. His "wife" Diana
Stephens also died in Tortola and is also probably buried on the
island. Their children were:
1. Clareata Caroline
George was born in 1896 in Tortola. Clareata migrated to Puerto
Rico to work and I am told that this is where she died. So
far, we have learned of one daughter born to Clareata.
2. Ezekiel Alexander
"Jump" George was born in 1899 and is deceased.
I am told he might have lived between Virgin Gorda and Tortola, and
was the father of one son.
3. Casilda
Elisa George, my great grandmother was born in Tortola in
1902 and died in 1993 on St. Thomas; she was 90 years old.
Miss Cassie never married, and was the mother of six children (two
are deceased).
4. Theodore Franklin
George, most commonly known as Frank George. He lived in Long
Look, Tortola, and was born in 1904 and died in 2004 - a few
weeks short of his 100th birthday. His first wife was Alexandria
"Santa" Williams of Tortola and they had 14 children
together (four died in infancy). He later remarried, but separated
from his wife. Frank was a well known cricket player in both
the BVI and USVI.
Casilda
E. George
My Great Grandmother
Casilda
Elisa George was born in 1902 to William James "Ole
Hell" George and Diana
Stephens of Tortola.
Miss Cassie, as she was
affectionately called, migrated to St. Thomas in the early 1920's with
her family in search of work. When she got to St. Thomas, she
lived with a woman whose name was Miss Ingram and worked as a servant
in her home until she could secure a place of her own. Cassie
later found work as a baker in Lockhart's Bakery on St. Thomas (at
that time it was located on Main Street). She worked there with
her son, Halva.
Miss Cassie never married,
and worked hard to support her children. She took in laundry in
her home and washed and ironed clothes. She also bought common
goods such as oil, sugar, and flour and sold them from her home -
serving as the neighborhood grocer in the days before convenience
stores were common.
Our family recalls one of
Miss Cassie's most proud moments of her life. She would often
talk about the days she helped to transport blocks from the Savan area
on St. Thomas to the Market Square on St. Thomas to help build the
Christchurch Methodist church located directly across from the Market
Square. Cassie was one of the church's first members and a leader of
Class #4 for many years. She was a devoted member of her church,
and devoted to her faith and love for the Lord. Cassie was also
very well respected in the community, and was an honorable member of
the Benevolent Society.
At
the time of her death, Miss Cassie was survived by five of her seven
children, 44 grandchildren, 91 great-grandchildren, and three
great-great grandchildren. She died in 1993, and was dearly
loved by her family all 90 years, seven months and 18 days that we had
the honor of having her presence in our lives. She is survived
by five of her seven children; her eldest child and eldest daughter,
Thelma, is deceased and her youngest child and youngest son, James,
died as a toddler.
If you know more about the
George family of the British Virgin Islands, please write to Monifa
Marrero at CaribbeanKingdom@yahoo.com.
Thank You to all
those who have helped me thus far: Brenda and John
George, Leila G. MacFarlane, and Sheila G. Connor, the late T. Frank
George, Sylvester George, Ira George, Efel and his wife Juana George,
Khalid Nadir, Adolph Potter, Zelma Potter-Crabb and Beatrice "LaVie"
Potter-Donadelle; Arleen Greaux-Blyden, Lynnette Moreland, Carey
Wyllis and Colleen Salem. A VERY Special Thanks
to Gloria Malone-Neal who assisted me tremendously with
researching and finding records to trace the history of this family.
