Jamaica Probate Records

Jamaica    Probate Records

While a part of the British Empire, many residents of Jamaica sent their wills to London, England or Edinburgh, Scotland to be proved. Most people's wills were proved locally on the island, and some were proved in courts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Indexes

A published index to Jamaica testators is available online and in print. It covers wills proved both locally and in London:

• Mitchell, Madeleine Enid. Alphabetical Index to Early Wills of Jamaica, West Indies, 1655-1816: PCC Wills, 1655-1816, Registrar General's Office, Spanish Town, 1662-1750. [Pullman, Wash.]: M.E. Mitchell, 2000. FHL Collection 972.92 P22m; free digital version at Index to Early Wills at Jamaica, 1655-1816.

For a smaller list of microfilmed Jamaican wills available through the Family History Library, see:

• Testators of Wills Proved in Jamaica is a free online index to microfilmed wills covering the years 1756 to 1930.

Indexes to early Jamaica wills proved locally and in London were also published in Caribbeana. 

Proved in London

Hundreds of Jamaican wills were proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London:

1628-1699

188

1700-1799

215

1800-1858

131

Some Jamaica wills and administrations proved in London have been abstracted and published multiple times. After finding a desired entry in indexes, it is now possible to view digital images of the original Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills online at two United Kingdom pay-per-view websites:

• Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (1384-1858), courtesy: The National Archives, UK. The database can be queried by testator's residence, such as "Barbados."
• PCC Wills Index and Images (1384-1858), courtesy: The Genealogist. (in progress)

Proved in Edinburgh

The wills of some Jamaica residents were proved in Edinburgh, Scotland, see:

• Dobson, David. Scottish-American Wills, 1650-1900. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1991. FHL 973 P22 Over 2,000 citations including name, occupation, residence, and date.

Most of these references were taken from the Commissariat Court of Edinburgh (now the Sheriff Court of Edinburgh) and the Index to Personal Estates of Defuncts, 1846-1866. If you find a will abstact that interests you in Dobson's book, it is now possible to view digital images of the original records online at a United Kingdom pay-per-view website:

• Wills & Testaments (1513-1901), courtesy: Scotlands People

Websites

• Jamaican Wills and Probate