Famous Jamaicans

Juan de Bolas (b. 1604?, d. 1664)  (his African name was Lubolo) was a 17th-century warrior and political thinker He was one of the first leaders of the Jamaican Maroons. He helped his people transition from Spanish to English rule after the English captured Jamaica in 1655. Juan de Bolas and his Maroon community was based primarily around the town of Lluidas Vale. The Spanish attempted to retake the Colony of Jamaica, and to this end Don Christobal de Ysasi relied on his alliance with the Spanish Maroons to secure this victory. However, Governor Edward D'Oyley succeeded in persuading one of the leaders of the Spanish Maroons, Juan de Bolas, to switch sides and join the English along with his Maroon warriors. In 1660, when Ysasi realised that de Bolas had joined the English, he admitted that the Spanish no longer had a chance of recapturing the island, since de Bolas and his men knew the mountainous interior better than the Spanish and the English. Ysasi gave up on his dreams,...

John Williams was enslaved Jamaican man who was granted freedom by the will of John’s enslaver, Col. John Bourden (d. 1697) He went on to become a wealthy merchant, and fought for himself, his wife and his sons (including Francis ) to have increased protection under the law. John Williams accumulated significant wealth through savvy business deals, leaving an estate worth £12,000 sterling upon his death in 1723.

Francis Williams (b. c. 1690, d. 1770) a Jamaican scholar, writer, poet, teacher, and land-owner in 18th century Jamaica. He was was one of the most notable free black people in Jamaica.  Born in Kingston, Jamaica into a slaveholding family. His parents: John and Dorothy Williams, both of whom were free people of color. John had been emancipated in 1699 through the will and testament of his former enslaver. John Williams accumulated significant wealth through savvy business deals, leaving an estate worth £12,000 sterling upon his death in 1723. Around 1710, Williams journeyed to Britain for an education. Accounts vary, but he certainly studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, London Back in Jamaica, Williams became a local celebrity, attracting fans and critics alike. He apparently sought a seat in the House of Assembly, but was rejected because of his ethnicity. He ran a school for free black students, teaching reading, writing, Latin, and mathematics. Williams challenged everything th...