The
Vanterpool Family of the Caribbean (BVI)
The Vanterpool's are a very, very large family in the
Caribbean islands. The surname is a derivative of the Dutch surname van
der Pol, which means "area of higher ground in fenland." People
with the surnames such as van der Poele, van der Poelen, Van ter Pool,
vander Poelen, Vanderpool, Vanderpol, Vanderpole, Vanderpoelen and
Vanterpool are believed to be distantly related or "connected" as the
different spellings are merely variations of the same surname.
My Unknown Vanterpool
Grandfathers
I have two paternal 3rd great grandfathers that are
Vanterpool's. Neither of them married my 3rd great grandmothers,
and to date, I have not been able to find their first names.
(1) Ruth O'Neal is my paternal 3rd great
grandmother and the spouse of my Vanterpool 3rd great grandfather.
Ruth was born in Virgin Gorda. I am told she had only one child with a
Vanterpool man whose first name I do not know, and it does not appear
that Ruth ever married this Vanterpool man.
Their only child was my great great grandmother,
Messelita L. Vanterpool, born about 1878 in Virgin Gorda and died
25 Nov 1931 in South Valley, Virgin Gorda at the Foot of Towers Rocks.
Messelita Vanterpool was never married, but she was the mother of four
children. Her first three children were with my great great
grandfather,
John Alfred Malone of Tortola. They were the parents of my great
grandmother Ruth Ann Elizabeth Malone of Virgin Gorda, born Feb 1901.
Messelita Vanterpool later had one daughter with
Alexander
Severious O'Neal of Virgin Gorda.
(2) I also have a 3rd great grandfather whose
surname was Vanterpool. He was the father of three
children with my 3rd great grandmother,
Louise
Elizabeth Jennings of Tortola. I have not found a record of
their marriage.
Their three children include my great great
grandmother, Alice Louisa (Vanterpool) Jennings, who was born
in 1867 in Bellevue, Tortola. Alice Jennings never married her
lifelong spouse,
William Henry
"Bullah" Leonard of Salt Island, but they did have nine children
(three died in infancy) - all born on Salt Island. She was buried in
1955 on Salt Island. Alice and William were the parents of my great
grandfather Halvor Leonard, born in Salt Island on 06 July 1903.
This is all that I have been able to find out so far
about the lineage of my Vanterpool grandfathers. Since I am descendants
of their daughters, the surnames changed and it is historically
difficult to trace the lineage of females - especially those that marry.
I will continue to search for clues and records and will update this
site as I learn more. Until then, read more about the many Vanterpool
families of the world:
1.
Ernest Vanterpool Family - Saba, Dutch West Indies
2. Early
Populations of the Dutch West Indies
3.
Read this editorial in the BVI Beacon commending our cousin,
Jacqueline Vanterpool of Tortola.
4.
Author, Hugo Felix Vanterpool of the BVI
