From: "Nevilla E. Ottley" clasebon@erols.com
To: CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com

I have been searching for information on the Ottley family in the island of Barbuda. Tim Anderson sent me the following statements:

"I have 2 copies of a book that is essentially a catalog of letters --
The Codrington Correspondence. This branch of Codringtons had some
estates in Antigua -- notably Betty's Hope-- and essentially all of
Barbuda (I thought this was an overstatement, but it is not). Over 500 documents are cataloged and summarized from the 1740s to the 1840s.

I have been more interested in the period after manumission (where my
personal collection of Antigua correspondence picks up). The early
letters certainly mention buying slaves as well as consideration of
freeing slaves (in the 1700s in Barbuda). The main concern of the 18th C letters were sea battles in the West Indies with France and Spain.

"Two letters in 1814-15 from a slave John Edwards seeking to buy his
freedom in the first letter and sending thanks in the second -- the
second letter endorsed by "CBC" [Christopher Bethell Codrington]
'My servant when I am in Antigua whom I manumitted'

"I found an Ottley letter in the book 1809 George W. Ottley of Parham
House gives his advice on the selling of Codrington estates, Bolans and Jennings." The note was signed, "Tim in Gaithersburg"

Does anyone have any further information on the activities of George W.Ottley and Christopher Bethell Codrington in the island of Barbuda or Antigua?

Nevilla E. Ottley