Will JacksonWalking Back
The history of East End district (Part 1)
Will Jackson
The name, EAST END, means only that it is the eastern part of some place. In the case for discussion it is pointing out the eastern part of the island of Grand Cayman. East End, being separated of old from the main parts of the island by swamps and rough terrain, was never a place held in much significance by the settlers of the other parts; yet in the early days of occupancy, East End did claim a few settlers.
It was commonly said in times past that Cayman ended at Peas Bay, Bodden Town; thus making the settlement of no importance to any one who thought he was living in a chosen kingdom. According to the Corbet's census of 1802 there were only three shipwrecked families, about fourteen people settled in East End; namely, a Charles Mclean, a Pouchies, and a John Thomas. Those were the sole inhabitants of East End
About 1803 one Isaac Bawden was cast ashore on East End whilst enroute from Barkers West Bay to Jamaica on a sloop that he had acquired, ran aground on the reef abreast of the very spot on which he landed, and named it Old Isaac, a name which stands today. Shipwrecks in those days were frequent, and some of the survivors attempted to make a life right where they landed. One by one the survivors came until there were quite a few settlers in a village.
About 1834 the many slaves throughout the island had been set free and many of those had been slaves in Bodden Town, where it seems the greatest amount of slaves served, that district for some time being the capital, where the wealthy Boddens lived. There being lots of free lands on the eastern ports, many of the freed men made their way over and settled in, claiming lands, shorefront and inland; One such family was known as the Boddens; then there was the Conollys. Now there were three distinct clans of Conollys, who disclaimed relationship to each other.
There was a Conolly living at Colliers, one Moses Connolly; there was a family of Conolly's in East End, Capt. Cornelius and Capt. Jarret and one Laban Conolly besides the family of which we in this age know the most, the Conolly's who lived at Point, and were the largest land owners in the district. Mr. Austin could have rightfully been called the Mayor of East End in those days being a port of entry. His son Mr. Warren also had much in common with the Government being a J.P. and a Legislator, one whose name fits into the history of the development of the Islands.
Varied families, in the process of time sprang up in the district, some in the 19th century and many in the 20th century. A very large family in the district early in the 20th century was called Rankin. They have no pre-history of settlements anywhere else in the island, so apparently they must have been shipwreck survivors right in the area; but they grew into a very large family, and they only claim one ancestry.
The Watler's also came from Bodden Town, and established themselves in Gunbay; they of course were white people, the direct descendants of James Shearer Jackson. One of his sons, William Jackson came to East End in 1801 searching for land, as many others did, because their whole existence depended on produce from the land and what they harvested from the sea.
Another prominent family who is said to have directly descended from shipwreck survivors was the McLaughlins. They were some of the builders of the village spreading out into a large family. There is a story concerning old man Gilbert McLaughlin and William Jackson; Jackson discovered a tract of unclaimed land around which he set his marks as owner, and Old Gill, hearing of it went on Sundays and defaced Jackson's marks replacing them with his own initials, Jackson took him to court before the magistrate who, to establish ownership sentence them to a fist fight on Monday morning on the property.
On Monday morning very early the two men met with 6 witnesses who would judge the winner. When the sun was raised they started to fight and stopped around 10 am to eat after which they fell in again and fought until about 2 pm to eat again and rested for awhile, then fought again until the sun was going down behind the bushes when Old Gill said to Old Bill, "I give up, the land is yours". That place was there and then officially naming 'Battle Hill', and thus remains until now. I was the owner of the lot but sold it to Mr. Fossie Arch.
For a hundred years or more life in East End was lived primitively, the people fed on the produce of the soil and the yield of the sea. They made their own cane syrup and wet sugar. They made coconut oil in abundance for their cooking needs. They built their own houses using the wood out of the land and thatch leaves. They built some beautiful little houses, wattled and daubed and thatched. A few industrious East Enders of early times even built schooners with parts from the many wrecks that came ashore, from which they could get masts and sails as well. Those schooners were used to do turtle fishing and to trade with Jamaica and Cuba. They reared cows and hogs, and they cut log wood and Mahogany wood and sometimes iron wood which they sold in Jamaica; then of course they took turtles to the market there, usually to Montego Bay, that being the closest point to Grand Cayman.
To be continued Next Week...
Will Jackson
Seafarer and noted
Caymanian Historian