Joseph Noel was born in St. Vincent 12 Dec 1872. He married Catherine Searles, born in Granada 23 Nov 1882. (I have only found Emily Letitia Searles born in Granada 1882). Joseph was a pruner on a cocoa plantation. Their eldest daughter Aleatha was born in Granada in 1904. I don't know yet where the next two children (Betty and Bert) were born, but the youngest child, my husband's father was born in Trinidad in 1921. Apparently Joseph and his brother went, with families, from Granada to Trinidad looking for work. Joseph then went alone to Guyana, died shortly after his arrival (I would guess approx 1922), but Catherine and her children also moved to Guyana shortly after his death. We think both the Noels and Searles came from Barbados. There are many Searles listed on the IGI and a few Noels. We have been told there is an Irish and English connection (our Noels are of European decent), and as Joseph was a pruner, I would presume they came as indentured workers, possibly in the 1600s? We are at the very beginning of our search.
Judy Noel
Napoleon Noel - Most of my family are from the St Andrews area. My great-grandfather, who's real name I never knew, when he was 95 years old decided he wanted to leave the country and travel to Trinidad but he needed his records to do that. He did not remember much about his history due to the times. But with the help of my mother he was able to find his birth certificate which stated that his birth parents names were Mary and Joseph Noel, and his birth name was Napoleon. But somewhere in time his name was changed. He lived till 1989 when he died in Trinidad at age 104. The only thing I can think is that they took the name of whoever owned them at the time, but that was not always the case in those times. Not much to go on, but that is the only time that name appears in my family oral history.