Place:Saint Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Saint Andrew is a parish, situated in the southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountains. In the 2011 census, it had 573,369, the highest population of any of the parishes in Jamaica. George William Gordon (d. 1865), one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes, was born in this parish.

It contains many attractions, historical sites, famous residents, and the country's financial capital.

The parish has a rich musical tradition, with numerous well-known musicians and developing popular types of Jamaican music. The Studio One studio founded by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd is in Saint Andrew. Mavado, Sean Paul, Buju Banton, Elephant Man, The Mighty Diamonds, Monty Alexander, Beres Hammond, Lady Saw, Sugar Minott, Bounty Killer, Mr. Vegas, Richie Spice are some of the parish's current musician residents.

The area of Trenchtown became famous for such residents as The Wailers (Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley), and Toots Hibbert, who created reggae music. Waterhouse is another hometown to many musicians, including Keith Hudson, King Tubby's, U Roy, Sir Jammy's, Black Uhuru, Dennis "Senitor" Allen, Early B. Super Cat, Shabba, and Beenie Man. It is also the home of Olympic gold medalist, Shelly-Ann Fraser.

The residence built in 1881 by George Stiebel, Jamaica's first black millionaire, is known as Devon House. Steibel gained his wealth in Venezuela and returned to Jamaica. He was appointed as the Custos, a high civic post, of Saint Andrew. His residence has been restored and is operated as a house museum; it is open to the public for tours and special events. Concessions include a Devon House ice cream shop.

The grounds of the Hope Estate, built in the 17th century, now support Hope Gardens (Royal Botanical Gardens), one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. The University of the West Indies is located on the estate and uses some of the historic buildings. Part of the navigable aqueduct is still intact.

Vale Royal, the residence of the Prime Minister, and King's House, the Governor General's residence, are significant historic buildings.

The area of Norbrook was once the plantation of George William Gordon. The Bob Marley Museum is located in a mansion on Hope Road that was once owned by businessman Chris Blackwell. It is now open for guided tours.

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