JOURNEY WITH US.

A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Jews in the Caribbean.

This page may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of AoP as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

WHERE DO i BEGIN?

As a first step, we always recommend searching the collections at, FamilySearch. Explore the world's largest collection of family trees, genealogy records, and resources here. All free of charge. 

  • CAN YOU HELP RESEARCH MY FAMILY HISTORY?

    Unfortunately, Ancestors of Paradise does not provide professional genealogy services. But, we do have an ever-growing list of professional genealogists with expertise in your area of interest that can help. Follow the link below to connect with a professional genealogist for the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora communities.

    If you are not ready to hire a genealogist and would like help getting started on your genealogy research journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are happy to provide some “next steps”.

    Best of luck in your search!

  • HOW DO I TRANSLATE A GENEALOGICAL DOCUMENT?

    During your research, you likely have come across documents in a language you are not fluent in. We recommend reaching out to a volunteer group such as Genealogy Translations, which can be found on Facebook, for help.

    Genealogical Translations was established to provide amateur family researchers a place to have their genealogical documents translated. We are a global volunteer group whose members help other members by offering free translation of their genealogical documents such as vital records, postcards, obituaries, and more, in languages including – Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and many others!

  • HOW DO I FIND MY BIOLOGICAL FAMILY?

    If you are searching for your biological family we recommend that you reach out to an organization such as DNAngels or groups such as DNA Detectives and Search Squad (both of which can be found on Facebook).

    Using modern DNA analysis and traditional genealogy research methods, these communities help individuals find biological family members at no cost. Follow the link below to learn more about how genetic genealogy can reveal long forgotten or hidden details of your Caribbean ancestry!

records.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through census records, court records, deeds, naturalization records, military records, ship passenger lists as well as birth, marriage, and death records.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • Archives of the Portuguese-Israeli Community | Stadsarchief Amsterdam

    The archives of the Portuguese-Israeli Community are housed at the Amsterdam City Archives. The accession number is 334. The archive covers the period 1582 to 1968 and also includes the archives of the municipality that preceded Kahal Kados Talmud Torah, namely Bet Jacob, Neve Salom and Bet Israel until the unification in 1639.

  • Jeff Malka Sephardic Collection | JewishGen

    Welcome to the Jeff Malka Sephardic Collection. Explore previously inaccessible and/or difficult to access records that Dr. Jeff Malka collected over the course of many years. In total, there are more than 146,000 records in this collection.

  • JewishGen

    JewishGen serves as the global home for Jewish genealogy. Featuring unparalleled access to millions of records, it offers unique search tools, along with opportunities for researchers to connect with others who share similar interests.

  • Knowles Collection | South America and the Caribbean

    This database contains those Jews who were in the records of South America and the Caribbean. These lineage-linked families have been extracted from Jewish records, civil records, and family records.

  • St. Thomas, Virgin Islands : record of Jews from various sources | FamilySearch

    Includes Jewish records from Kingston, Jamaica.

    Contains Kingston, Jamaica marriage records, 1788-1920; West Indies grave registration, 1809-ca. 1850; St. Thomas & Jamaica circumcision records, 1800's; St. Thomas & Jamaica birth records, 1800's-1950; St. Thomas & Jamaica death records, 1796-1824.

Ancestry US

Ancestry US

collections.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through our collection of diverse genealogical resources.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • Akevoth

    Genealogical and historical research on Dutch Jewry .

    The archived collection contains mainly Ashkenazi and only partly Portuguese/Spanish data.

  • DIGITAL LIBRARY OF THE CARIBBEAN

    The Digital Library of the Caribbean is a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean & circum-Caribbean.

  • THE EARLY CARIBBEAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE

    The Early Caribbean Digital Archive is an open access collection of pre-twentieth-century Caribbean texts, maps, and images. Texts include travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries that have not been brought together before as a single collection focused on the Caribbean. The materials in the archive are primarily authored and published by Europeans, but the ECDA aims to use digital tools to "remix" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world.

  • HISTORY HUB

    History Hub is a research support community for everyone, including genealogists, historians, and citizen archivists.

  • Malcolm H. Stern Papers. 1882-1994 | American Jewish Archives

    The Malcolm H. Stern Papers describe the life of Malcolm H. Stern as genealogist, historian, teacher and rabbi. The collection includes writings, correspondence, genealogical research, publications, audiotape recordings, microfilms, memorials and tributes.

  • Mongui Maduro Library

    The collection consists of Antilliana and Judaica publications which date back to the 17th century. The original collection of Mongui Maduro forms the basis of the library. New publications are constantly being acquired so that it will continue to be an authorative source on the evolution of the political, social and cultural history of Curaçao in particular and the Dutch Caribbean and Caribbean region in general. Besides books, the collection contains also periodicals published in Curaçao or relating to Curaçao history and Jewish history in Curaçao.

CEMETERIES + MEMORIALS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through cemetery records, grave records, tombstone inscriptions, and funeral booklets.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • NIDHE ISRAEL CEMETERY

    The Jewish cemetery is located next to the Nidhe Israel Synagogue 1654 and dates back to the same period. It was originally divided into four separate walled cemeteries, with an additional cemetery in Whites Alley on the block bounded by James and Swan Streets. The oldest tombstone is dated 1658. It currently has about 400 graves. The older grave ledgers are flat and made of marble or granite, as is customary in Separdic graveyards. There are also Ashkenazi graves from the more modern Jewish community of the 20th and 21st centuries, who still bury their members there.

  • TRANSCRIPT OF 298 EPITAPHS FROM THE JEWISH CEMETERY IN ST. THOMAS, W. I., 1837-1916 | FAMILYSEARCH

    Compiled from records in the archives of the Jewish Community in Copenhagen.

HISTORIC IMAGES.

Uncover the rich lives of your Curaçaoan ancestors through early photographs, studio portraits, and historic landscape images.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • HaChayim HaYehudim Jewish Photo Library

    HaChayim HaYehudim Jewish Photo Library is an archive of images from the Jewish world. Jewish communities in the Caribbean featured include Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, St. Thomas, and Trinidad.

  • Sephardic Faces 19th Century Curacao | Mongui Maduro Foundation

    The Mongui Maduro Library collection gives an excellent insight into Jewish life on Curaçao over the past 350 years via extensive communal religious and social documentation from the island’s synagogues, as well as the Maduro family’s own collection of photos, invitations, menus, and other objects. Check out this sneakpeek of our collection of “Sephardic Faces”. Many of the photos were taken before 1920, and most names of the people in them are known.

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through libraries, museums, historical societies, and community cultural centers dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Caribbean culture.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • ASF Institute of Jewish Experience

    At the American Sephardi Federation we have a calling to ensure that today’s Jews know their history; appreciate the beauty, depth, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish experience; and have a sense of pride for the Jewish contributions to civilization. We celebrate the diversity within the Jewish people, as well as our relationships with our neighbors in our global diasporas.

  • BRIDGETOWN SYNAGOGUE HISTORIC DISTRICT

    The Synagogue Historic District is located within the heart of Bridgetown, the capital city of Barbados, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its Garrison in 2011. This Historic District covers an entire city block that features numerous heritage buildings that boast a rich history dating back to the mid-17th century.

  • Curaçao Jews

    CuracaoJews.org is an initiative of the Jewish Cultural Historical Museum as we approach 400 years of Jewish life recorded on the island of Curaçao.

  • Hebrew Congregation of St Thomas

    Established in 1796, our congregation boasts a rich history that spans centuries. From its humble beginnings in the 1600s with individual Jewish settlers, to the formation of our organized community and the founding of our first Jewish cemetery in the mid-18th century, our roots run deep.

  • Jewish Cultural Historical Museum

    The Jewish Cultural Historical Museum (JCHM) was founded in 1970 to preserve and display objects related to the Jewish community of Curaçao. Today, the museum maintains its original mission and promotes research and record keeping of important objects and history of Jewish Curaçao.

  • LANDHUIS BLOEMHOF

    Landhuis Bloemhof is a cultural center dedicated to the memory of May Henriquez and housed in an eighteenth-century Plantation House. May was a writer and sculptress, a benefactor and promotor of the arts, with a special love for the Papiamentu language, among others she published two books on its use in Jewish circles. See how art, history and nature combine to provide a remarkable experience.

  • Mikvé Israel-Emanuel

    Our Mikvé Israel-Emanuel community dates back to 1651 when the first Jewish families came from Amsterdam in the Netherlands and settled in Curaçao on land assigned to them by the Dutch West India Company to be used exclusively for agricultural purposes. Several generations before, they had left Spain and Portugal to escape the Inquisition and settled in the Dutch republic.

  • Mongui Maduro Foundation

    A foundation, in memory of Salomon (Mongui) Abraham Levy Maduro, and carrying his name, was established on March 5, 1974 by his widow Mrs. Rachel Louise (Lou) L. Maduro and their daughter Mrs. Ena Dankmeijer-Maduro. The Foundation encompasses the plantation house “Rooi Catootje”, its antique furniture and its priceless library, containing a unique collection of “Antilliana” and “Judaica”.

  • NIDHE ISRAEL MIKVAH

    The Mikvah, or ritual bath for purifying the body, was developed by the original Sephardic Jews that built the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in 1654. The bath is located near the Synagogue and dates back to the same period. It was unearthed during an archeological investigation in 2008 that was searching for the original Rabbi’s House.

    Thousands of artifacts were unearthed during the excavation, including pieces of Staffordshire slipware, a shoe buckle, old smoker’s pipes, and a jeweler’s stone mold. Many have been identified, categorized and some are on display in the Nidhe Israel Museum.

  • NIDHE ISRAEL MUSEUM

    The Museum showcases interactive and multimedia displays that interprets the Jewish settlement and life on the island from a historic perspective. It was developed in 2008 in an existing historic building on site dating from around 1700. It consists of two storeys: the museum display on the lower level and the upper level housing an archaeological laboratory, audio-visual room, and small apartment. Many of the artifacts discovered during the 2008 excavation of the site are on display in the museum.

  • Weibel Memorial Museum | St. Thomas Synagogue

    Located in the back foyer of the St. Thomas Synagogue is the Weibel Memorial Museum. Through the efforts of the Bicentennial Committee and members of the Hebrew Congregation it was established in 1995. In the museum you will find images, artifacts and plaques commemorating the history of St. Thomas’ Jewish population, from congregants to governors of the island.

GROUPS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Caribbean ancestors through our collection of diverse genealogical resources.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • THE BARBADOS JEWISH COMMUNITY

    The Barbados Jewish Community is a thriving inclusive Conservative congregation, worshipping in downtown Bridgetown, Barbados at the Historic Nidhe Israel Synagogue. We welcome members and visitors of all Jewish denominations and we encourage participation from all who seek a connection to Jewish life, our faith and to the Nation of Israel.

Ancestry US

Ancestry US

BOOKs.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through our collection of books for beginners, research guides, records guides, case studies, memoirs, family histories, oral histories, and photography collections.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

In an effort to support independent bookstores and the vital community spaces they create, Ancestors of Paradise will always link to independent booksellers unless a book can only be purchased elsewhere.

BLOGs + ARTICLES.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through blogs and articles on history, culture, and genealogy.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim Synagogue (St. Thomas Synagogue) | Heritage Matters

    Built in 1833, the Beracha Veshalom Vegemiluth Hasadim Synagogue—also known as the St. Thomas Synagogue—is the second oldest in North America and the oldest in continuous use. Constructed by Sephardic Jews seeking refuge from persecution, the synagogue honors centuries of religious freedom, resilience, and tradition in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  • CARIBBEAN GENEALOGY | FACEBOOK

    This group is for sharing resources and assisting with research relating to Caribbean ancestry and history.

  • CARIBBEAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH COMMUNITY | FACEBOOK

    Welcome to the Caribbean Research Community! This group was created to give people researching the region a place to ask questions, collaborate, and share research with one another.

  • The Caribbean Virtual Jewish History Tour | The Virtual Jewish World

    The Jewish Virtual Library (JVL) is the most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history, politics, and culture. With more than 26,000 entries, the JVL is a one-stop shop for students of all ages.

  • Sephardic Genealogy

    Family history of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish diaspora.

PODCASTs.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through on-topic podcast episodes and series.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • The History of Jewish-Caribbean Connections in the Caribbean with Ainsley Henriques | Strictly Facts

    Jewish life in the Caribbean extends as far back as the fifteenth century with Jewish-European migration following patterns of trade and colonialism to the region. Ainsley Henriques, Jewish-Jamaican genealogist and Administrator of Kahal Kadosh Sha'are Shalom synagogue in Kingston, Jamaica, joins Strictly Facts to map out this long history and describe how it figures into the Caribbean's ethnic diversity.

  • UNTOLD HISTORIES OF THE ATLANTIC WORLD

    Tianna Mobley is a Ph.D. student of History at Yale University and a Fellow at Humanity in Action. "Untold Histories of the Atlantic World" discusses a range of transatlantic topics such as the Black and Jewish diasporas, indigenous histories, and European colonization. This podcast invites academics, literary scholars, activists, and even interested listeners as guests.

SOCIAL MEDIA.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through social media discussion forums, networks, groups, and pages.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • The Sephardic Diaspora | Facebook

    This group is for people interested in the history and genealogy of the `Men of the Nation` - the men and women descended from Spanish and Portuguese Jews and New Christians. Our focus is on archival research, especially pre-1900.

  • Sociedad Hebraica Luis de Torres | Facebook

    Investigando el legado judío hispano portugués en Cuba y las Américas. Página laica.

    Investigating the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish legacy in Cuba and the Americas. Secular page.

GENEALOGY VIDEOS + TUTORIALS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through tutorials, lectures, roundtable discussions, and genealogy webinars.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • Jewish Autonomy in a Slave Society: Suriname in the Atlantic World, 1651-1825 - Aviva Ben-Ur | Sephardic Genealogy

    Aviva Ben-Ur sets the story of Suriname's Jews in the larger context of Atlantic slavery and colonialism and argues that, like other frontier settlements, they achieved and maintained their autonomy through continual negotiation with the colonial government. Drawing on sources in Dutch, English, French, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish, Ben-Ur shows how, from their first permanent settlement in the 1660s to the abolition of their communal autonomy in 1825, Suriname Jews enjoyed virtually the same standing as the ruling white Protestants, with whom they interacted regularly. She also examines the nature of Jewish interactions with enslaved and free people of African descent in the colony. Jews admitted both groups into their community, and Ben-Ur illuminates the ways in which these converts and their descendants experienced Jewishness and autonomy. Lastly, she compares the Jewish settlement with other frontier communities in Suriname, most notably those of Indians and Maroons, to measure the success of their negotiations with the government for communal autonomy. The Jewish experience in Suriname was marked by unparalleled autonomy that nevertheless developed in one of the largest slave colonies in the New World.

  • Beyond Binaries: Jewish Suriname Through the Photographer's Lens | Dr. Laura Leibman | Schusterman Center


    Sometime around 1930-35, Philip Samson had his photo taken at a portrait studio in Paramaribo Suriname wearing a kotomisi and angisa, the traditional dress and headgear of Afro-Surinamese women. At the time, Samson was the “Hulpchazan” (Assistant Hazzan) at the Ashkenazi Neve Shalom Synagogue on Keizerstraat. I use this photo of Samson to start a conversation about how photographs tend to be used in Jewish studies in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Perhaps more than any other form of art, photos are often taken unquestioned as documentary evidence or used to illustrate truths about Jews during specific eras. I argue we should be suspicious about that impulse. Early photographs from Suriname played an important role in navigating and creating racial and ethnic categories, and Jews were a crucial part of the early Surinamese photography industry, a role that has largely been unacknowledged. Through photographs and costumes like the kotomisi, Surinamese Jews helped create, navigate, and challenge racio-ethnic categories.

HIRE A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through collaboration with a professional genealogist.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.

  • Ancestor Seekers

    Ancestor Seekers hosts the premier genealogy research trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. The company’s roots trace back to England, where Keith and Carol Spillar founded British Ancestors, offering expert genealogical services.

    However, upon encountering the wealth of resources at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City they redirected their efforts to establish Ancestor Seekers and introduce the Dream Genealogy Vacation. This unique experience offers guests a week-long immersion in the world’s largest genealogical library, The FamilySearch Library, where they access unparalleled resources as well as receive exclusive instruction and guidance from professional genealogists.

    Since its inaugural research week in February 2005, Ancestor Seekers has proudly welcomed genealogy enthusiasts for nearly two decades.

  • AncestryProGenealogists®

    The AncestryProGenealogists® team includes expert genealogists and family history specialists with extensive research experience—but the heart of the journey is you.

    Watch your family history come to life as our experts solve family mysteries, break down brick walls, resolve adoption riddles, dig into your DNA, and discover more about who you are and where you came from.

  • Antecedentia

    With more than thirty years of experience, we can help you find your Dutch ancestors. We have a good knowledge of online available websites and databases. Because many records are online, that is where we start to find your Dutch relatives. We look for civil or vital records, censuses or population registers, and church books. Further research, for example in court records or notarial records, might require a visit of one of the local or regional archives.

  • Bermuda Lookups

    Jessie Moniz Hardy offering on the ground in Bermuda research services, will look-ups, vital record ordering, family tree tracing.

  • Cheryl Hazell

    Cheryl Hazell, an African descended native of Hairouna (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), is an accomplished and sought out genealogist who has been actively researching for more than 20 years. Cheryl's contributions extends to her engagement with local communities, social networks, and genealogical societies, and includes an ongoing personal initiative to digitize and index 1800s Vincentian church records, ensuring their preservation and accessibility to future generations.

    Through her unwavering commitment, Cheryl is helping to create an alternative perspective and understanding of St. Vincent’s unique history by shining a light on those ancestors (enslaved and free) who contributed to building Hairouna’s culture over the last 250 years.

    Cheryl can be contacted directly at, cherylhazell@gmail.com.

  • Claudy St. Germain (Lavin) Jr.

    Genealogist-family historian inspiring and assisting those of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora connect with their ancestry.

  • DESCUBRE TU HISTORIA

    Helping descendants from the Caribbean, Central, South and North American former Spanish colonies start the journey of healing and empowerment through the knowledge of their Family History.

  • Diaspora Discoveries

    With Diaspora Discoveries™, you’ll learn about Black people’s experiences from the past to the present, all while enjoying the beaches and leisurely excursions that the Caribbean has to offer.

    Diaspora Discoveries is available to arrange packages for private groups with customizable itineraries.

  • Dutch Genealogy Services

    Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer from the Netherlands who helps people find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certified Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials.

  • Legacy Quest Genealogy

    Legacy Quest Genealogy specializes in Cuban ancestry research. I have a dedicated onsite researcher in Cuba who has collaborators throughout the island. They travel to civil registry offices, churches, cemeteries, and regional archives to locate records to build back family histories for my Cuban clients. 

  • Legacy Tree Genealogists

    Are you looking for details about your Caribbean ancestry? Do you need help getting started or have you hit a brick wall?

    Caribbean genealogy can be challenging, and the professional genealogists at Legacy Tree Genealogists can help with your research needs.

    Ancestors of Paradise visitors save on select genealogy research projects.

  • Lene Kottal Danish Genealogist

    Lene Dræby Kottal is a professional genealogist with Denmark as her area of expertise. Lene's passion is to make her clients feel as though they truly know their Danish ancestors. Her clients can trust that they will receive a thorough and accurate representation of their family history when working with Lene.

  • Nevis Historical and Conservation Society + Nevis Island Archives

    The NHCS does not offer genealogical services, but NHCS Member Christine Eickelamann has been researching colonial records in the Caribbean for the past 20 years, and has produced a guide to pre-Emancipation genealogical research. You can request a copy of her guide from the Society by Email.

    The Nevis Island Archives holds a number of Parish records, and some of our holdings have been digitised by our partners at Hamilton College.  Records not already digitised can be searched upon request, subject to a non-refundable research fee of US$40 for non-members. Some parish registers are held by the churches themselves. A researcher for the Anglican churches here in Nevis can be reached by Email. The National Archives in St Kitts has additional resources and can be reached by Email or phone +1 (869) 467-1208.

  • Sabine Maronnier Généalogiste Professionnelle

    Recherches Généalogiques Familiales, Historiques et Sous-traitance successorale, en France et à l'étranger sur demande.

    Professional Genealogist for Family Genealogical Research, History and Inheritance Subcontracting, in France and abroad on request.

    Genealogista profesional para la investigación genealógica familiar, la historia y la subcontratación de herencias, en Francia y en el extranjero a pedido.

  • Sandra Taitt-Eaddy

    Independent researcher with expertise in Caribbean and African American Genealogy. Founder of Non-Profit, Baobab Genealogy Society: workshops, conferences, lectures. Offering research services to the Bajan community to facilitate connections with colonial ancestors and English-speaking Bajans in Connecticut.

caribbean FAMILY ties.

Uncover the rich lives of your Jewish Caribbean ancestors through Caribbean communities with shared histories and genealogies.

To contribute a new resource or report a broken link, please message us here.