Belize Archives & Records Service

Every year, as the Battle of St. George’s Caye Celebrations approach, the following quote is often highlighted: “That the man who will not defend his country is not entitled to reap the benefits thereof.” This was just one of four propositions that Thomas Paslow attempted to put forward at the Public Meeting before he was stopped.
In a letter written on 7th June 1797 at Fort Wexford, and addressed to the Keeper of Records, Paslow requested that it be “put upon public record, that the World may know my sentiments at this dangerous crisis.”

A small in-house and online display we did about the 10th September 1798 Battle. Information taken from the Archival Records held at the BARS and translated copies of Spanish Archival Records donated to the department in the 1990's by Spanish Archaeologist Juan Luis Bonor. To view the complete exhibit, please visit the following link https://archives.gov.bz/st-georges-caye-exhibition-2024/

Happy Emancipation Day!
BARS Scrapbook Stories: Kitty Campbell
here are the images for more convenient reading.

From time to time we still get students and visitors who ask "did we really have slavery in Belize?" Well most of the world did, and as a dominion of the British Crown...so did we. If you have ever wondered about the term "chattel slavery", please take a look at this exhibit which we assisted with. Learn the meaning of the term, what life was life for men women and children sold and born into this atrocious institution, the hardships they face and their incredible resilience. ISCR has done a phenomenal job of using our country's historical records to give you a glimpse into the late 18th and early 19th centuries of Belize.

Experience

Definitely take a look at the exhibit being mounted by ISCR, they did a great job of using key records to give a glimpse into the intricacies of the institution of Slavery in the settlement before Emancipation in 1838. It is a lot of work locating and picking the best records for such an important exhibit, BARS and ISCR had to be very selective. Records were pulled from archival records known as Minutes of the Meetings of Magistrates, Grand and Summary Courts, Private Records, Census Records, R-Records (Dispatches) and the 1834 Slave Register. Unfortunately not all these record series have a listing at this time, which makes searching with references a bit difficult and requires a lot of time in order to locate key information. We are working with these records and hope to have a complete listing available in the near future. An excellent source for references come from, the man the myth the legend Governor John Alder Burdon, as well as, excellent books by Bolland, Dobson, Shoman, Humphries, Thomson and of course Readings in Belizean History... a personal favourite when introducing students to Belizean History.

Experience

Hey all you cool Cats and Kittens...sorry guys, some of us might have succumbed to the madness that is Tiger King. I know many of us are home at this point and are feeling rather listless without our daily work schedule. Fortunately a number of us are able to carry out some work remotely and continue to work on information for the new website, index layout changes and updates, etc. For those of you looking for a little project to pass the time, how about digging into some vital records? I know many of us say, "mein, I wish I had the time to try and locate the marriage record for my grand or great grandparents, etc. Some of you have already been accessing these older records online but many might not know that Vital Records from 1881 to 1930's-1940's, as well as, the early Census Records can be accessed at FamilySearch.org. You will be required to make an account but it is FREE! Yay! You can browse and download high quality scans. Pull out your paper and pencil and try to solve a few family oral history. Take care, Everyone!
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/628296?availability=Family%20History%20Library
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/628070?availability=Family%20History%20Library

FamilySearch Catalog: Civil registration, 1881-1951 — FamilySearch.org Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.

Please Kindly Note!