Do You Know Your Family History?
For me, never was there a more apt sentiment. For decades, I knew very little about my heritage or my Jamaican mother's past so one day I decided to do some genealogical research into my family's history. This was a two-pronged process. The first involved tracing the surviving members of my mother's Jamaican family and interviewing them. The second involved research. Since the period I was interested in was the early 1900s, I wanted to research Jamaica's history, culture and folklore, as well as its social and class structure. 
It was never my intention when I started out on my genealogical journey to write a book about my findings. But, what I learnt through my research overwhelmed me, broke my heart, and in the end filled me with so much admiration for my mother that I felt compelled to write about my discoveries in Olga – A Daughter’s Tale so that future generations of my family would know something about her and their Jamaican heritage.
Excerpt from Olga - A Daughter's Tale.
CHAPTER ONE
CUTTING FROM “THE TIMES” LONDON
Letter - from Henry Pollock, Esq., Windsor, Surrey, England
to
Hon. Lt. Col. Bertram Pollock, Kingston, Jamaica.
September 1900
My dear Bertie,
Good news! There has been a splendid response to your recent advertisement in The Times for an articled apprentice and I have been busy all week interviewing a variety of young men for the position. But I have now finally made a decision on your behalf, and I think you will be well pleased with my choice. His background is thus:
John Sinclair, a young man of some financial means, not excessive, but certainly enough for him not only to be able to pay the premium, but also to buy a small estate in Kingston. Both his parents are dead, and his money has come from the sale of a small farm they owned in Inverness in Scotland.
He is a tall, strapping young man, with a pleasant demeanour, 25 years of age and recently married to Lucy Ross (there are no children!). Sinclair has had a reasonable education, is quite well read and I must say I thought he held a good conversation. I sensed in him an eagerness to learn new things and gain new experiences which is why I feel sure he will make an industrious and apt pupil and both of you will benefit.
Sinclair and his wife have been temporarily living with her family in Droop Street, Paddington, while they decide what they want to do with their future. He is adamant that he doesn’t want to return to Scotland. Says he has had enough of the freezing winters and being knee deep in snow! (He will be alright in Jamaica then, won’t he, old boy?) Naturally, I wanted to meet his wife as well, so I arranged a visit to her at the family home. I felt it would be a good idea to see them in situ, so to speak, in order to form a better opinion as to their suitability.
The head of the family is Samuel Ross, a constable with the Metropolitan Police, and a pillar of the community. I found him a bit overbearing and his wife, Harriet, the opposite, timid but pleasant enough. I suspect they are a church going family since what looked like the family bible was prominently displayed along with a number of other religious artefacts in the house – Catholics, I think.
I must say Bertie I was very impressed with Sinclair’s wife, Lucy. A sweet, gentle, and intelligent young lady who obviously adores her new husband and vice versa. They both impressed me with their knowledge of Jamaica, its politics and social structure. I believe she paints watercolours, so she should be well occupied painting the abundance of beauty and variety of scenery there is in Jamaica, particularly while Sinclair is out at work on the plantation.
Mrs Sinclair has two unmarried sisters, Martha and Becky, and clearly has a very close relationship with her younger sister, Becky, who is similar in both looks and demeanour to Lucy tall, slender with fair hair, blue eyes.
Martha is the oldest and most unlike the other two, short and stout, with a badly pockmarked face, result of chicken pox I suppose. You know, Bertie, how every now and again in a family, nature produces an offspring that bears little resemblance to either its parents or siblings, well that’s Martha Ross. She works as a seamstress for the Drury Lane Theatre in London and didn’t hesitate to tell me she is the best they have.
I came away from the meeting with a most favourable opinion of Sinclair and his wife’s suitability and adaptability to moving to the tropics. Sinclair’s references are exemplary (enclosed herewith) and I have told him that you will write direct to him offering the position assuming, of course, you concur with me.
Henry.
Letter from Lucy Sinclair, Constant Spring Hotel, St Andrews, Jamaica,
to
Becky Ross, Droop Street, Paddington, London, England.
March 1901
Dearest Becky,
Bertram Pollock is a charming man, born and bred in Jamaica. I like him a lot and John speaks favourably of him as a man who is fair and reasonable. The plantation is a few miles outside of Kingston, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Because our new home is not ready to live in, John is boarding in a room above the stables on the estate and I am staying here at the Constant Spring Hotel, which is quite nearby.
I have been here a short amount of time Becky and have seen little of the island, but already I have discovered so much beauty here. Jamaica attacks one’s senses, the sight of brightly coloured parrots, mockingbirds, sugar birds or to use their more common name, the banana quit and right now, Becky, as I sit here in the hotel’s gardens writing to you, flying in and out of the trees and shrubs are beautiful long-tailed hummingbirds.
The other day I saw a sinister looking blue-black bird with a huge beak. I am told it’s called a john crow bird and is the most often seen bird on the island. It is a great scavenger, very clumsy and ugly on the ground but so beautiful and majestic in-flight Becky.
Jamaica is full of vibrant colour and beauty and is a naturalist’s paradise. The spectacular scenery is enriched by the vivid flowers and scent of the roses that abound, roses and bougainvillea in every conceivable colour, as well as bright yellow allamandas, the annatto which has rose coloured flowers and purplish pods, the ebony which has yellow flowers and always comes out after rain and the pale blue flower of the lignum-vitae which grows over most of the island. To wake early and see the stars fade away and, in their place, watch a glorious sunrise and at sunset every night hear frogs, crickets and fireflies all make their presence felt and voices heard. From the fruit trees, which are everywhere, Becky, you can just pick and eat mangos, guava, papaw, oranges, and other more exotic fruits that I have never heard of like ackee, which is very popular here. And if you can find something sharp and heavy enough to crack open a coconut, you can drink the milk from it.
I long to be settled in our house so I can explore the island more and paint instead of the pencil sketches I continually do whenever I am out and about.
Socially, Jamaica has a lot to offer, but I do miss the theatres, art galleries and museums in London. But despite that, I am convinced we made the right choice about coming here. In fact, I have almost forgotten what my former life in London was like because we have both settled down so well.
Tell Martha that Jamaican women are very fashion conscious and do seem to spend a lot of money on clothes which are certainly more expensive here than in London and I am told they often arrange for material and patterns to be shipped over from London. We must persuade Ma and Pa to let you come for a visit.
Your loving sister, Lucy.
Letter - from Becky Ross, Droop Street, Paddington, London, to Lucy Sinclair, Constant Spring Hotel, Jamaica.
July 1901
Dearest Lucy
It was lovely to receive your last letter. Martha was very interested with your remarks about Jamaican women and how fashion conscious they are. Maybe there is an opportunity for her skills over there, although at the moment she’s got a “gentleman friend”, a private in the army and they certainly do see a lot of each other.
I’m working as a governess in Kensington for a very nice young couple who have two children, Emily and Robert, but it’s only a temporary position because they have an elderly governess who has been with the family for ages (handed down from generation to generation I think) but took a leave of absence and will be returning to her position in about two months. That suits me well because when I finish, I want to enrol in a housekeeping and basic cookery course with Marshall’s Cookery School in Marylebone Road.
I think the more things I can turn my hand too the less chance I’ll be pressured by Pa into marrying a man of his choice. Would you believe it, Lucy, in the past few weeks he has brought home three police constables to dinner with the express purpose of them looking me over to see if I am suitable marriage material. I’ve no intention of being press ganged into marrying someone I don’t love even if it means I do end up a spinster of the parish.
It is wonderful to hear about your life over there. I read your letters over and over again, usually on the way home from work, freezing cold and trudging through London smog, snow or rain, Jamaica seems magical, like a fairy land.
Your loving sister, Becky.
Letter from Lucy Sinclair, “Mon Repose”, Jamaica,
to
Becky and Martha Ross, Droop Street, London.
February 1902
Dearest Becky and Martha,
It is barely a year ago that we arrived here; such a lot has happened in a short space of time. John has found a small estate for sale, about 1,050 acres, and it is within our budget so, we have bought it and named our first home “Mon Repose”.
It is in the parish of St Andrews which is a few miles from Kingston and John says it is in a good position as it is on fairly level land and has a stream running through it. There are stables and a large barn which house some 50 or so cattle, 3 horses, 3 mules, a wagon cart and some other equipment that came with the land. The horses and mules will be useful, but John is undecided about whether he wants to raise cattle. He is keen to grow more crops and make use of what he has learnt with Bertie Pollock. The land is divided by wire fences, most of which need repairing and has considerable cultivation in bananas, coffee, pimentos, over 150 bearing coconut trees and other bits and bobs.
The house is quite large though it does need an awful lot of renovation because it has been empty for years, but its structure is sound. It has a drawing room, dining room and four bedrooms and is quite well furnished. That takes care of one immediate problem, having to furnish it. There is a kitchen and outside a water closet as well as an outhouse for bathing.
Oh, it is perfect Becky! You and Martha must come and visit very soon. There is plenty of room in the house, lots to see, and so much I want to show you. Are you and Martha working on persuading Pa and Ma to let you come for a holiday?
Your loving sister, Lucy.
Telegram from Martha and Becky Ross, London,
to
Lucy Sinclair, Jamaica.
Success at last! Martha and I leaving Avonmouth at 4.45 pm on 16th July for Kingston on “S. S. Port Morant”. All being well should arrive on 28th. Very excited. Longing to see you. Love Becky.
CHAPTER TWO - BECKY'S DIARY
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