Loyalists in the Bahamas

I have known for some time that there are Micklethwaites/Micklewhites in the Bahamas (other than Sir Michael Caine of course!)

 

Richard Micklethwaite, son of Christopher and Jane, died in 1802 on Eleuthera Island having been granted land there. Henrietta Micklethwaite was also given a land grant but was not his wife. I do not yet know if or how they are related. It seems that slaves from the estate of one or other of them took the name when they were granted their “freedom”, and, as in many parts of the world, the name Micklethwaite was not easy to pronounce and spell, and the descendants of the slaves generally have the name Micklewhite.

 

Thanks to fellow members of the Guild of One Name Studies, I have now learnt that Richard and Henrietta were “loyalists”, that is, they supported the British in the American Revolution, and so were expelled when the colony gained independence. This is why they moved to the Bahamas. I still have to find out when they emigrated to America.

 

It is interesting to note that some descendants of the slaves have now moved back to America!

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Posted by andymick on August 10, 2014

https://andymick.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/loyalists-in-the-bahamas/