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 and in the British Armed Forces. 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 had entries for over 600 persons and gave their lineages back to Colonel Thomas Austin. A second edition, with many additions and updates and entries for over 1700 persons, was printed in May, 2002.

Descendants of Thomas Austin now live in the U.K., the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Sweden, Barbados and South Africa.

The author wishes to trace some of these descendants.