Grenada, The Spice Island
Roche, Preudhomme, Donaldson, Campbell, and More
Most of the surnames in my mother's line were found in Grenada. Her
grandfather, Samuel Edward Roche, came to Grenada in the late 1840's or early
1850's and lived first in Grenada and then in Carriacou (small island to the
south considered part of Grenada) until he died.
Booming 1800's
The island of Grenada was booming in the 1800's. It was
called the "Spice Island" and lived up to its name and more. Papayas,
guava, breadfruit, bananas, mangos, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, tobacco, and much
more could be found in abundance on most of the plantations. Ships came
and went overflowing with people and goods for markets all over the world.
Up through the 1940's "Lady Boats" went from island to island complete
with dancing and dining for the enjoyment of islanders and visitors.
Parties went on regularly at Government house; estate owners
shipped elaborate
furniture from England, India or France; the latest clothes were purchased from
Paris; and jewelry was designed and purchased to adorn the lovely ladies. Land was purchased and sold for profit
overnight. They thought it would last forever, but it didn't.
Samuel Edward Roche arrived there about 1850 and must have
thought he had found Paradise. He was working for the British Government
and was supposed to only stay for two years and then return to England.
According to my mother, when he didn't go back home, his family disowned
him. The beauty of the island, the freedom from the constraints of English
society, and his wife and family there must have made his decision to stay an easy one.
Slaves Freed
It was a time of excess in almost everything that was done. The
wealth trickled down to many of the servants and slaves in the manor of gifts
and the granting of freedom (manumission).
In 1834 the British Government
demanded that freedom be granted to all slaves and that wages be given in exchange
for work. To their credit, many of the plantation owners had already freed
their slaves by 1834. Those who had not, were now made to comply. Those
slaves who left, found work elsewhere. Many of the newly
freed stayed on at the plantations and worked for their old masters for
pay. That was the case with Dr. Romney's slaves who not only had benefit
of a hospital on the plantation, but also were taught to read and write.
Dependent Upon The Weather
Always on the fringe was the fear of losing it all to the
weather. Some of the crops took 20 years to mature so a hurricane could
wipe out a lifetime of work in one hour or less. Loans would be taken out
at the Bank either to buy more land or to plant new crops. A bad year
could cause a default on a loan and loss of land. A few good years might
tend to make one careless and forget that the land and the plantation owner's
finances were at the mercy of the
weather.
Tourism Replaces Trade
During the 1900's, foreign markets became more active and took away many of the
customers that the growers had come to depend upon. Today the island
fruits and spices are either eaten by the land owners or sold locally at markets and
the landowners make their living by working at various professions in the
towns. Many have left for England, Australia, Canada and America.
Tourism has taken the place of the merchant trade. The
beauty of the West Indies, the deep blue/green water, the white sands, and the
friendliness of many of the people now draw tourists to Grenada and the other
islands in cruise ships. The money is now to be made in satisfying the
tourists who stop to shop at the local stores. The hotel owners and the
government are the
ones really benefiting from tourism.
American Retirement Community
Another interesting development is the large number of retirees from the U.S.
who have built beautiful large homes on one side of the island. There is a
whole community of Americans who are stretching their retirement incomes by living in
Grenada.
It is
illegal there for local residents to possess American money so there is a thriving underground black
market in American cash and goods.
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The information
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Copyright © 1999 - 2005 by Patricia J. Dunne
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This page was last updated 11/23/05
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