The Crooks Family Descendants of Ami Djaba 1777-1825			Alex Haley
Home An African family in the Diaspora Slavery Days The Cousins Cove (Formerly Crooks' Cove Estate) A Slave Community Return to Africa the Motherland Family Tree: The Crooks of Jamaica Ancestors By Paul Crooks Paul’s Speaking Itinerary	Our Extraordinary Story Of Struggle And Survival	Migration Story	Family Tree		Slavery Days	Return to Our Ancestral Home Krobo Mountain	Kwame Nkrumah
			acknowledgement				Nelson Mandela
	Ancestors by Paul Crooks	The Story of an African Caribbean family From Africa to Europe	Going Back To Our Roots Tracing Back Through Our Father Line		Cousins Cove Formerly Crooks Cove Slave Plantation	Black History Really Didn’t Begin With Slavery
	The Cousins Cove (Formerly Crooks' Cove Estate), Hanover, Jamaica A Brief History of the Estate and Ownership Cousins' Cove is located between Green Island and Lucea. It was named by John Samuels, who was born in South Wales in 1640. He came into possession of this large tract of land through his marriage to his cousin Frances, the only daughter and heiress of Captain James Davis. He therefore named the place where he continued to reside "Cousins' Cove”. The Crooks of European origin are believed to be Cromwellian farmers who arrived during the 17^Th century when the British began colonizing Jamaica. In the burials registers there is a record of a Robert Crooks who died in 1743 and another James Crooks who died on the 16th October 1740.  James Crooks owned the property prior to 1754. Crooks' Cove Estate was a sugar plantation with cattle mill. The area totalled 763 acres, which was average size for a sugar plantation. By 1821, the estate grew covering an area 1,642 acres. This was by acquisition and merger with the Samuels' Estate. It is believed that this was as a result of inter-marriage between the two families. The estate bordered with Spring Valley Estate; Blenheim Estate; Harding Hall Estate; Haughton Tower Estate. The proprietor's house (referred as the Great House) was built on an incline overlooking the expanse. The house was named Bardanage House prior to 1807. It was located on an incline overlooking the slave village and workhouses. On occasion, Bardanage was used for slave baptisms. A slave called John Smith a 34 year old quadroon was baptised there along with Margaret. Further away - about half a mile - were the "Negro" quarters. This complex was situated on both sides of the stream that ran into the cove. Located nearby  would have been the accommodation, probably used by other skilled personnel-the bookkeeper, the distiller, mason, etc (probably slaves). Newspaper records show that John Crooks was the proprietor of the estate from as early as 1792. He had once put a notice in the Cornwall Chronicle offering a reward for the return of four escaped Africans. From 1812 to 1825, Cousins Cove was owned by the Dicksons, Richard who passed it onto William Augustus Dickson. Ownership was then passed to Alexander McCallum and then to Neil McCallum. Neil McCullum died early in 1836. James Lawson and a William Gordon were his executors. In 1840 George Webster is listed as the owner (through his marriage to McCallum's daughter). In 1914 the estate was involved in a lawsuit in Jamaica's Supreme Court, brought by Mrs Flora Annie Steel for the purpose of gaining possession of the property. The defendants were Mrs H. Kennedy and her daughter, Mrs Kirschmann. Mrs. Flora Annie Steel was to deliver a lecture on. Her father was George Webster, and her mother's maiden name was Isabella McCullurn, from Cousins Cove, Jamaica. A Slave Community In 1812. Three slaves were baptised. John Alexander Crooks was one. On the 3^rd March 1814, all slaves on the cove were baptised by the Reverend Daniel W. Rose. In 1817 there were 179 slaves (27% were of African origin). There were 88 males and 91 females. There were 9 mulatto slaves of whom five were by a Creole called Nancy Crooks . Nancy's children were aged between 16 and 25. Nancy was probably the domestic slave.  She died in 1826. Within months of her death, her daughters and their children were drawn from the estate along with a number of other mixed raced children. It is not clear why. 9 slaves died between 1817 and 1820. Six out of those 9 died before the age of 60 most were Africans. During this period, there were 14 births in total. One child was manumitted.  The total number of slaves on the estate rose to 183. In 1823 the number increased to 191, the net result of 13 births and five deaths. By 1826 there were more deaths on the plantation than births. Many of the deaths were black people over the age of 60. The slave population  decreased to 175. In 1829 the death rate returns to normal. The slave population was maintained at around 181 slaves. In 1834 there were 15 head people, 16 tradesmen (all male), 76 field labourers (44 were female) and 52 inferior field labourers (27 were male). There were 20 children under the age of six. There was also 8 "non effective" slaves. These slaves were aged or suffering from some disabling illness. An analysis of the family units reveal that: 1. Significant numbers of women had their children in later years. 2. In all 33 out of 44 (75%) of the males appear to have no family ties. This was true for nearly all men older than of 30 years of age. John Alexander Crooks was the only exception. 3. there were 20 females aged between 21 and 30. 6 (30%) did not have children. 4. Sarah Brown was the only free person of colour on the estate. When the British Government passed legislation to end slavery, Neil McCullum applied compensation in excess of £10,000 for 187 Jamaicans of African descent.  Compensation for the freed men and women of the Cousins' Cove estate was agreed on 19 March 1836. The figure was in excess of £13,000. Back to top