Trafalgar, ‘No. 28 Village,’ on the West Coast Berbice was bought by former slaves in the post Emancipation period as part of the Village Movement. The village has since become diverse. But nestled in the farming community is a cottage that is 94-year-old and according to village records, it is the oldest house.
This house which is situated at Carmichael Street ,on the northern side of the public road, has within its walls the rich history of Joseph Cramer Carmichael and his descendants.
The original house was constructed in 1853 by Joseph who was married to ‘My Titi,’ a Fraser from Belladrum, West Coast Berbice. Together they had nine children who were all born and raised in the house. Their names are Octavius, Gibson, Joseph Jr., Adolphus, Caroline, Mabel, Clementina, Louisa and Claire.
In November 1929 a freak storm hit the village, throwing the house off its pillars and to the ground. At the time of the incident a three-month-old baby, named Sheila Liverpool, was in the house and rescued by her 10-year-old cousin. The two were alone at home.
Sheila celebrated her 94th birthday Sunday with family and friends in the United States.
Sheila is from Gibson’s line. She is his granddaughter and the oldest surviving relative of Joseph Cramer Carmichael clan. She has nine children, 25 grands and several great grands.
Trade unionist Lincoln Lewis is a descendant of Cramer and is from Mabel’s lineage. She is Lewis’ grandmother by his father’s side which makes him Cramer’s great grandson.
In an interview with Village Voice News, Lewis shared that the house stands out for him not only because of its age, but it was also the home where Cramer’s grandchildren spent time during the holidays, and families stopped over when passing through the area. He also informed that his father, Stephen Lewis, was the 10-year-old in the house, during the freak storm, who rescued the seven-month-old Sheila.
Speaking about the house, Lewis said when he knew it his grandmother, Mabel, was the adult who was in charge of the dwelling. He and sisters spent a lot of time there. As a boy he recalled fishing in the trench and catching mullet, white cuirass, and later tilapia when it was introduced to the area. With a smile on his face, Lewis said the family would cook the fishes in coconut milk or cassareep, eat them with or without staples like rice, ground provisions or bread.
“28 was known to be a meat eating village. If it was not fish, it would have been beef or pork. Chicken was not the meat villagers looked forward to. That is the reason why events in No. 28 never ended without some beef broth.”
Lewis further noted that Joseph, as the eldest of the Carmichael’s brothers, acted as surrogate-father for his younger siblings and their offsprings.
A fun fact of the family is that Cramer’s daughter, Caroline, who was married to a Profit and moved to Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, returned to the family home in No. 28 to deliver all her babies.
The great grandson of Cramer said when anyone speaks of the non-profit ‘Food For Poor’ he remembers his great aunt Caroline ‘Aunty Beauty,’ who did something similar. According to him, Caroline would visit No. 28 with a number of filled baskets from which she would parcel off items and distribute them throughout the village to those in need. He said his task, along with another cousin, Rufus, was to walk alongside his great aunt fetching the load as she distributed the parcels.
Sylvester Carmichael, former Vice President, Marketing, of the Bauxite Industry Development Company (BIDCO) is the great nephew of Joseph and cousin of Lewis.
The house remains in the family and has been transferred to one of Cramer’s bloodline.
