John Sanders, government architect, Spanish Town

by John
(Istanbul, Turkey)

Hello,
I am a descendant of one John Sanders whom I am trying to research for family history. He was born in Jamaica in probably the 1740s and married a mulatto wife, Eleanor, with whom he had several children, who I have been able ti identify from church records that seem to place the family firmly in St Catherine.

John became a government architect working until his retirement to Britain in the 1790s, though I have not been able to find references to his work in Jamaica.

He returned to the island in 1811 to solve business and property problems, dying on the island in April of the following year and being buried under a tree in the garden of his house in Spanish Town.

He had a sister on the island in Elizabeth Barclay, and business associates in Kingston such as Richard Bayley of Bayley and Littlejohns, to whom he left the property in his will.

His daughter Sophia, who wrote a memoir published in London in 1829, mentions him approvingly as strongly in favour of emancipation for slaves and working on the island to that end.

However, apart from the church records on baptisms in St Catherines, I've been able to find nothing on him. My information comes mainly from British sources and his daughter's memoir.

Any advice and suggestions on where I could look for more information in the records available from Jamaica would be greatly appreciated.

With best wishes,
John

Editor's Note
Hi John,
Thanks for your inquiry. I've posted your request and asked that if anyone can relate or provide any information, to please contact yours via the comments below.

Good luck!

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