Thomas Austin is believed to have been born on the Island of Barbados in about 1727. His ancestors had most likely emigrated from England, possibly via the then American Colonies, during the previous century. Thomas married three times and had sixteen children, all born in Barbados. Some remained on the Island, others emigrated to Guiana. These children and their descendants rose to prominent positions in society, some taking Holy Orders and others holding senior posts in government. The source of their wealth was sugar.
A history of the Austin family descended from Thomas Austin was
written by Dora P. Burslem and Audrie D. Manning and published in 1973 as ‘An
Old Colonial Family, 1685-1900’. It was revised and updated by Roger B. Austin
and Timothy J. Smellie and printed in 2000 for distribution to family members
as ‘An Old Colonial Family’. The book has entries for over 600 persons and
gives their lineages back to Thomas Austin. A second
edition of the revised book, updated, corrected and with entries for over
1700 persons, was printed in May 2002.