According to the Anti-Slavery Reporter for 1863, James Clement Choppin , who was attorney general of St Vincent in 1862 had a brother who was accused of murdering a labourer named John Hercules of Argyle Estate on October 4, 1862 during some riots. To the memory of Hercules, I must say that according to the report, he was working at the time and was not rioting. I'm trying to find out the name of this Choppin who was accused. Whether he was brought to justice, I don't know, but chances are he didn't spend one day in jail.
I don't know how all the Choppins are connected in St Vincent, but I'm sure they were in one way or another. On my family tree, there is a Caroline Elizabeth Choppin (my 2nd great grand-aunt) who had a sister named Kay. I don't know who their father was but their mother's first name was Jessie. Caroline (1857-1923), was married to a shipwright named Joseph Burns Bonadie.
I came across this passage a few years ago:
"Joseph & his wife lived in reasonably comfortable circumstances purely by dint of their united industry and hard work, for while the shipwright was building and repairing vessels, his wife Elizabeth, as a fruit and vegetable vendor, supplied with necessary stores many of the ships that called in the port of Kingstown. They worked hard from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday they found themselves in St George's Cathedral for divine worship. They were both very devoted members of the Anglican church."
Source: Pioneers in Nation-Building in a Caribbean Mini-State by Sir Rupert John, pg 101
I have many Choppin names in my database who were from St Vincent. Birth, death, and marriage records from St George's Cathedral.
Any assistance in finding out more about these people would be appreciated.
