Origins of Barbadian Families: Barrow

About the Book

This book is the consolidation of family research carried out over some fifty years. It concentrates on the family name Barrow brought to the island of Barbados in the 17th century. Six separate Barrow families are identified. Early members of five of these families established roots and contributed to the growth and economic viability of the island. However as time advanced, most of the members of these five families departed Barbados for more promising opportunities in life. Today, there are no known representatives of the original five families, with the name Barrow, living in Barbados. The sixth family of Barrows had its origins in Barbados in the 19th century. In more recent times two members of this family were prominent in the Government of Barbados. Dame Nita Barrow was Governor General of the island and her brother the Hon. Errol Barrow was the first Prime Minister of Barbados at Independence in 1966. The book is divided into six parts, each part dealing with one of the families. Part I forms the largest portion of the book and presents the Barrows connected to the Cambridge Barrows of England. The most distinguished member of the Cambridge Barrows was Dr. Isaac Barrow who taught Sir Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge. The author has published another book entitled, ÒIsaac NewtonÕs Teacher,Ó which deals with the relationship between Barrow and Newton.

About the Author

Francis Cheesman was born in Barbados of the ninth generation of his maternal Barrow lineage. On the award of a Barbados Scholarship, he entered Cambridge University in 1952 and graduated in Electrical Engineering in 1955. He immigrated to Canada in 1957 and worked in communications, in the maintenance and design of microwave radio systems in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. He retired in 1995 and he and his wife make their home in Vancouver, BC. Family research has been an absorbing hobby of his for 26 years.