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National Archives information on this subject states that the British colonies on the western shores of the Atlantic were founded and developed in a variety of circumstances during the 17th and 18th centuries. This diverse development is reflected in the variety of the records which ended for the North American colonies about 1783, (except for Loyalist claims). The Carleton Papers, (the British Army HQ Papers, New York, 1774 to 1783), are held in PRO 30/55 and are indexed by a CD ROM compiled by the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada which we will use to locate names of Loyalists and their families. Also, we have a partial index of WO 60/32 and 33 which, 'inter alia' holds names of those who fled North on the Spring and Fall fleets to Canada from New York in 1783 and 1784. Ask how we can help you Other records continued in the West Indies. For example, there are census returns for Antigua for the years 1677/8 to Colonial Office Registers of original Antigua correspondence up to 1951. And a similar span is available for most other West Indies islands. Ask how we can help you We will consult Comprehensive Passenger Lists and follow indicated references for example to published works by Hotten, Banks, Tepper or Coldham. If any indicated references are not held at the PRO, we will give you the details as sometimes such publications are available in Canada or the States. If you have not already done so, please tell us if you have found references by any of the above mentioned authors. We will also look at Calendars of State Papers (Colonial AWI) available up to 1735 and follow references into CO 1 (up to about 1690 for all of North America) and CO 5, (for North American Provinces thereafter until 1788). Similarly we will look at Treasury Book Papers Calendars and Privy Council Calendars getting copies of original documents if necessary. Ask how we can help you In the National Archives library, there is a collection of published volumes, (some of them fairly rare), of the history of most of the provinces of Colonial North America from the beginning of the 17th century. Sometimes the emigrant, (or one of his descendants), who may have achieved only minor prominence can be mentioned in the records of his new abode and we will look in these if we think there is a possibility of an appearance. If you suspect there might have been property in England to be disposed of on death, we will check the Probate records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury which records up to 1858 are held in the PRO. Wills held in the Prerogative Court of York and Wills for property bequeathed in Scotland, Ireland or overseas are not available in the PRO. Please note that we are referring to where the estate is and not where the subject died. (You may like to view our page - Prerogative Court of Canterbury - for further information on this subject). Whether there is likely to be residual property in England may be indicated by his status on departure. For example to look for the Will of an indentured servant or a convict would be a waste of time, (which is not to say that the subject did not eventually acquire property in the New World but that would be a case for searching in North American -including West Indies - records). What most clients require from a search for passengers going to the New World is an indication of place of origin in England and we have to say that can be very difficult to find. Obviously we cannot guarantee what the records will contain or even if we will find them and we have to ask you to indicate your agreement to paying the fee regardless of the outcome of the search. For more information read the appropriate leaflets at the National Archives web site. We will undertake searches of these and other records for a fee of 25 GB, pounds per hour and we usually need a minimum of 4 hours for a search of Colonial Office records. Bob Ask how we can help you. Return to Home Page
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