The Shillingfords of Dominica and Their Family Tree with Notes on the Dominica Taverniers

This is the story of The Shillingfords of Dominica and their Family Tree.

I decided to do this Family Tree book for four reasons. First, it was to address the universal need to find my roots and what my Shillingford family connections were. Second, the information I dug up, about Shillingfords and their achievements, proved quite fascinating and of popular interest. Third, the information demonstrated how members of the family cooperated to further the fortunes of both family and country. And fourth, I decided to write this story myself to record and pass on information as I had been told, especially about those older Shillingfords who had distinguished themselves and who would soon be forgotten.

In Dominica, Shillingfords all know that they are related. However, unless the family relationship was close, like first cousins, they never really knew what the relationship was. Sometimes you were told about these relationships but could never keep them straight, so I began making notes, which culminated in this record of the Dominica Shillingfords and their Family Tree. But the climb into the family tree to see family connections raised more questions. Who were these Shillingfords? Where did they come from? What did they do? Why are they so inextricably associated with Dominica? Why were they admired in one breath and vilified in another? This Shillingford Family Tree and Narrative, in part, is intended to answer some of these questions and throw some light on the heritage of the Shillingfords of Dominica and the West Indies.