Germans in Jamaica

A German population in Jamaica (including Poles due to Partitions of Poland) was established in the 1830s when the abolition of slavery resulted in a labour shortage on the Caribbean island. Lord Seaford, who owned the Montpelier Estate and Shettlewood Pen in St. James established a European settlement in Westmoreland in order to combat the shortage, and over one thousand Germans migrated to Jamaica.^[2]

The German language is no longer used on the island, but some German words have entered the Jamaican vernacular.^[2] Many Jamaicans in Seaford Town and German Town in Trelawny carry heavy European features such as blue eyes, blond hair, freckles, and white skin, as a result of the German genetic influences.^[2]

References

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