Family Get Together (42 years later)

Two weeks ago, I was privileged to meet family members from my father’s side who I never knew existed. This was the first time Merlin and I actually met someone outside the US that was acquainted with him. They arrived from London England, in the cold summer month of December (hot day) and shopped till they dropped, I’m talking about no others but Carol, Maria, Shanice & Tyrese (Carol’s grandmother [Hyachinth C.] and my grandmother [Alberta C.] were sisters. My cousin Phillip [Carol’s brother] was here also, but like most men, his stamina for shopping was sapped. We spoke of rich memories Carol shared knowing Hugo and something I did not even know, after barbering for over 27 years, he turned his profession to being a tailor. Merlin and myself was overjoyed to meet this missing link in our family chain, and Tanty Eva and Bunny filled in all the gaps with stories and some salt fish cakes[hmmm]. Our picture gallery to be displayed in the web site for the first month seems nothing compared to what Eva and Bunny is going to supply me within the coming weeks. With the exchange of address and fond goodbyes, this family was a wake up call to the many other adventures I’ve experienced in my endeavor to reach my goal.

Sweet Taste of Home

Looking out the plane as we descended on Tobago, it made me feel as though I’d never left home, the clear blue skies and the anticipation of the warm weather (November) made this trip a dream. With Pam at my side, we set out on a mission of finding family history. Along the way however, we sidestepped as one would think we were on vacation, instead of the fact finding mission we came for, we ate and ate and ate, and after we ate, we drank some and then ate again. We limed with Kenneth, Sol, Ezla, Patsy and other family member into the wee hours of night and during the day, we spent our time at the beach by Store Bay with Edgar and his wife. Eventually I did get around working and was privileged to have family members, Ursulla and Verne come by. Can I call the trip eventful, well, I went down knowing approximately 6 to 8 family members, and came back with over 60 names, WOW! Who knew!!

Eric, What's This All About?

24 years ago, Wilma and Hugo Abbott passed away (parents). It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I realized I knew nothing about Wilma’s side of the family except a handful who I grew up with, and absolutely none on Hugo’s side, except his sister, Irene. It was even more scary that our children did not know anything about there foreign family’s heritage. So, slowly but surely, I undertook the responsibility of finding, researching, and acquiring as much information as possible. I’ve tried to look into family tree programs, finding software on the internet, but none worked.
I realized if I wanted to know about my family, I would have to get out there and find them the hard way. Over the years, I have amassed the names of over 200 family members, and I’m sure I’m not even close to the actual number. In the upcoming months, years, I hope using this venue to become more knowledgeable of our family will pay off.
This is a secured site and no one outside of who I invite can access for any purposes. We are all worried about identity theft, so if you feel more comfortable using first name, last initial, let me know (I used Wilma and Hugo’s because there are deceased)
Presently, the web site is under construction. It seems every month I’m coming up with new family information and pictures, so even though I have all these additions to add, the site will be posted soon on the internet. You can sit back and enjoy the ride; I’ll do all the hard work. You can support this cause with updates and corrections if you see something that needs clarification. If you’re reading this, YOU’RE FAMILY, where you fit in? Ask, browse the web site, and you will learn!