Please note that the transcribed files are in PDF format, requiring the free Adobe Reader. Lisa and Romona have transcribed from census, choosing ONLY those listings whose birth and/or previously resided in British Guiana, French Guiana, or (Dutch Guiana) Surinam as well as "South America".
NOTE regarding Guyanese census: : A few years ago, the 2002 Guyana census was available online. In 2014, all that is available is a statiscial report on the census. There were numerous notices that CARICOM would conduct a census in Guyana in 2012.
NEW - as of August 10, 2017 - , Lisa Booth has
transcribed the United Kingdom's 1891 census for all those persons who were born or previously resided in British Guiana. NEW (as of June 2014) 1896 Essequibo Census conducted by Michael McTurk NOTE: Although the transcription by Romona Locke for 1850 UK census is so labeled, the UK census was done in 1851 (and is done on the 1 year of each decade, i.e., 1901, 1911, etc.). So we have two 1851 United Kingdom census transcriptions and it may be well to search each one.
From a letter dated June 8, 1896 from Michael McTurk, while the Stipendary Magistrate of the Essequibo River Judicial District to the Governor,
regarding his census:
"I have the honour to forward herewith a list of the names, ages, number of years residence in the locality, place of birth, end such other information as I have been able to acquire of the Inhabitants in the Essequebo River Judicial District.
A mere list of the names of the persons without stating the place of birth would not give an adequate idea of the time of residence in the District, even with the years of residence in the locality.
Most of the settlers are more or less Indians in their habits and rove from place to place, seldom spending their lifetime at the place where they were born, though not going out of or far from the District. Nearly all the old settlers still converse in a Dutch patois.
I have had considerable difficulty in getting the information desired, many refusing to give me even their names, and others avoiding me by going into the forest behind their houses and remaining there until my patience was exhausted and I had to leave. Various motives were given for this conduct, but the one that seemed to me the most credible was, the idea that the Government were making a list of the people in order to tax them.
I estimate that the number of persons whose names I did not get for the above reason, at two hundred. "
The census was photographed by Bernard Abraham from the UK National Archives: CO 111: Colonial Office and predecessors: British Guiana, formerly Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo , Original Correspondence , The entire McTurk correspondence is in Folder CO 111/486 .
John Henderson ranscribed from those photos of Mr. McTurks handwritten documents (see sample page here) which was difficult due to legibility, the handwriting and also East Indian names. He feels that about 80% of the transcription is accurate but was not sure of the remainder. If someone knows Bangladesh or East Indian surnames and would like to try reading them, post a note on the Forum and we can send you the digitized pages. The transcriptions have been divided for easy searching.
If you are searching for an ancestor whose surname begins within the letters A to J -
click here for A to J PDF file
If you are searching for an ancestgor whose surname begins within the letters J to Z -
click here for J to Z PDF file .
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