In a small place like the Turks & Caicos Islands, our ancestors paid little attention to preserving History. Coupled with island humidity, high temperature, and insects, this lack of attention has left us with few records from the past. The Museum has seen to it that surviving historic Government records were placed in a more controlled environment. Unfortunately, there is at present this no public access to the material held in the government archive.
While documents on the Islands themselves have survived poorly, repositories in England, the U.S., Jamaica, and the Bahamas are being searched for records pertaining to the Turks & Caicos Islands. Where possible, the Museum has acquired microfilm copies.
Our collection now includes:
U.S. Consular papers copied from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., dating from January 10, 1818, to May 31, 1906. Eighteen microfilm reels.
Anglican Church papers copied from documents found in St. Mary's Church on Grand Turk. Marriage, baptism, and death records from several parishes on Grand Turk and Salt Cay, beginning in 1790s and ending in 1920s. Microfiche.
Colonial documents from the Public Records Office, London. Dating from 1760s through the 19th century. Includes ordinances and correspondence. Microfilm.
George J. Gibbs Letterbook, 1874–1878. Copied from Smithsonian Institution's National Anthropological Archives MS #7172. Includes correspondence on a variety of topics including anthropology, ornithology, and genealogy. photocopy.
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