Yearbooks

Publication Dates: 1882-1969

Yearbooks contain a wealth of information and can be valuable when researching a family’s history. In this type of record included are obituaries which reveals the person’s name who died, the year, month and day of death. There are lists of the principal estates on the island together with cacao, cocoa, and coconut estates. The owners as well as the medical visitors for these estates are also recorded. Lists of Masonic Lodges with names of the Right Worshipful Master and secretary or scribes are provided. The Business Directory included is classified according to cities of Trinidad with advertisements of business names and addresses. This is of value to family histories since on some advertisements there are not only the names of businesses but also names of individual businessmen and their and their addresses.

Information can also be used from the lists of priests of various kinds of Christian Churches. Names of persons in public offices such as those in the legislative council, town councils, the mayors, members of the town’s clerk department, engineers, markets, transport, cemetery, constabulary, asylum estates as well as public health departments. These are of utmost importance since qualifications, job positions held and the year appointed are divulged for some of these members. The staff of the courts, members of medical boards, dentists, licensed druggists, assistant druggists, licensed midwives, bank workers, members of boards and committees, clubs and societies, principals of schools, directors of commercial companies, friendly societies, trade directories and burgesses. A section is entitled “The Trinidad and Tobago Civil List” which comprises of members of each department. The vast amount of information provided in this record is vital in the investigation of a family history.