Dear List, Last autumn I discovered the diary of my great, great, great grandfather, the Rev. William Fidler, in the archives of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. The diary, which covers the period 1825-1827, describes his voyage from Bristol to St Vincent accompanied by his wife Anna and other Methodist missionaries, and contains detailed descriptions of events and places during his first two years in the West Indies. He mentions several estates on St Vincent (Palmiste Park, Peruvian Vale, Cane Grove Estate, Spring Estate, Mount Wynne), and the owners or managers (Robert Gordon, Col. Edward Jackson, J. D. Questel). I have recently transcribed the text, and published it on the web. Anyone interested in this period of St Vincent's history might find the diary interesting. It can be viewed at the following address: http://www.kevinlaurence.net/genealogy/fidlerdiary/index.html Kevin Laurence London.

Hi Kevin, Thank you for posting your transcription of the diary of your great, great grandfather, the Rev. William FIDLER. It was a lot of work but must have been a labour of love studying and transcribing your ancestor's writings. There are many religious reflections, however, it provides an excellent description of the life and times in St. Vincent in the 1820's. It will take many visits to the site to thoroughly absorb the all information and identify the names and places. Your mention of J. D. QUESTEL is of interest. This must be James Dolbert QUESTEL, Esquire (ca 1772 - 19 Apr 1828) - a Planter and owner of Mount Alexander Estate 300 acres in St David's Parish - met/married Mary Letise OTTLEY. They had seven children of which two tie in to my Family. Jim C. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Laurence" <kml@kevinlaurence.net> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 1:14 PM Subject: Diary of a St Vincent Missionary > Dear List, > > Last autumn I discovered the diary of my great, great, great grandfather, the Rev. William Fidler, in the archives of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. > > The diary, which covers the period 1825-1827, describes his voyage from Bristol to St Vincent accompanied by his wife Anna and other Methodist missionaries, and contains detailed descriptions of events and places during his first two years in the West Indies. > > He mentions several estates on St Vincent (Palmiste Park, Peruvian Vale, Cane Grove Estate, Spring Estate, Mount Wynne), and the owners or managers (Robert Gordon, Col. Edward Jackson, J. D. Questel). > > I have recently transcribed the text, and published it on the web. Anyone interested in this period of St Vincent's history might find the diary interesting. It can be viewed at the following address: > > http://www.kevinlaurence.net/genealogy/fidlerdiary/index.html > > Kevin Laurence > London. > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > For information on individual islands, research aids, island bulletin boards or history please visit the CaribbeanGenWeb project at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/ >

Dear Jim, Thanks for your comments. In order to make the transcription more useful, I have added a query facility to the home page that will allow you to search for any specific text that interests you. Best wishes, Kevin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "James W Cropper" <jameswcropper@sympatico.ca> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 2:06 PM Subject: Re: Diary of a St Vincent Missionary > Hi Kevin, > > Thank you for posting your transcription of the diary of your great, great > grandfather, the Rev. William FIDLER. It was a lot of work but must have > been a labour of love studying and transcribing your ancestor's writings. > There are many religious reflections, however, it provides an excellent > description of the life and times in St. Vincent in the 1820's. > > It will take many visits to the site to thoroughly absorb the all > information and identify the names and places. Your mention of J. D. > QUESTEL is of interest. This must be James Dolbert QUESTEL, Esquire (ca > 1772 - 19 Apr 1828) - a Planter and owner of Mount Alexander Estate 300 > acres in St David's Parish - met/married Mary Letise OTTLEY. They had seven > children of which two tie in to my Family. > > Jim C. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kevin Laurence" <kml@kevinlaurence.net> > To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 1:14 PM > Subject: Diary of a St Vincent Missionary > > > > Dear List, > > > > Last autumn I discovered the diary of my great, great, great grandfather, > the Rev. William Fidler, in the archives of the School of Oriental and > African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. > > > > The diary, which covers the period 1825-1827, describes his voyage from > Bristol to St Vincent accompanied by his wife Anna and other Methodist > missionaries, and contains detailed descriptions of events and places during > his first two years in the West Indies. > > > > He mentions several estates on St Vincent (Palmiste Park, Peruvian Vale, > Cane Grove Estate, Spring Estate, Mount Wynne), and the owners or managers > (Robert Gordon, Col. Edward Jackson, J. D. Questel). > > > > I have recently transcribed the text, and published it on the web. Anyone > interested in this period of St Vincent's history might find the diary > interesting. It can be viewed at the following address: > > > > http://www.kevinlaurence.net/genealogy/fidlerdiary/index.html > > > > Kevin Laurence > > London. > > > > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > > For information on individual islands, research aids, island bulletin > boards or history please visit the CaribbeanGenWeb project at > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/ > > > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > ROOTSWEB MAILING LIST HELP PAGES > What is a Mailing List? > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help/mail1.html

Hello Kevin: many thanks indeed for that wonderful transcription of your ancestor's St. Vincent Diary. My own late father was a Methodist minister, whose first posting overseas after the seminary, was St. Vincent, and we arrived there when I was three, just abut 125 years after your great great grandfather! I am finding it a fascinating read, since as a child of the Manse myself, all the places he names bring back wonderful childhood memories. Thank you so much for sharing this delightful journal with us. Ernest M. Wiltshire Friends of the Barbados Archives 38 Inglewood Place, Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Y 4C7