In this masterclass, Paul captivates his audience with his unique account of his journey to find his family history as a case study and share his ten hot tips along the way.

Paul will reveal his top tips to get you started. This talk will cover records specific to African Caribbean research as well as other materials of more general interest to children of Windrush.

About the Speaker

Paul Crooks is unique as a published author and trailblazing genealogist with a specialist interest in Black ancestry. Paul pioneered research into African Caribbean genealogy during the 1990s, when he became the first to trace his family history from London, back 6 generations, to ancestors captured off the West African coast 200 years ago. Paul discovered that his ancestors were enslaved on a sugar plantation in Jamaica.

Paul gained national recognition for his work when his acclaimed historical novel Ancestors (based on the true story of the author’s African ancestors) was published by Arcadia Books in 2002. He appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? (Moira Stuart) as the expert in African Caribbean genealogy. His second book A Tree Without Roots is the authoritative guide to tracing African, British and Asian Caribbean ancestry.

Paul is recognised for inspiring an upsurge in interest in Black and British ancestry. He is also credited with having spawned an industry in African Caribbean genealogy.

‘Informative – provided deep insight’

‘Highly informative and educational’

‘Excellent – speaker was well informed’

‘Excellent, informative with charismatic delivery’

The audience at Teddington Library