On December 10, 1835, a ship called the Olbers arrived at Rio Bueno, Trelawny, with 532 German immigrants. This was a third wave of imported Europeans who were destined for work on various agricultural estates, as part of a deliberate attempt by the Jamaican Assembly to replace slave labour with recruited European settlers. These immigrants were slated for townships set up in the interior of the island. One such settlement was Seaford Town, Westmoreland, some 25 miles from Montego Bay.

The majority of the immigrants hailed from Lower Westphalia in Western Germany. On arrival in Jamaica, some were dispatched to various estates in the western part of the island. Some 250 were sent to Seaford Town. They included carpenters, shoemakers, teachers, millers, brickmakers, masons, weavers, tailors, blacksmiths, labourers, dyers, joiners, butchers and even one musician.

The settlers had a rough welcome. They found that the township was underprepared for them as only 16 half-finished cottages had been erected by the time they arrived. They had expected to be housed and to receive small weekly wages until they could manage to make a living for themselves. It was also expected that they would be given free title to their lots. Instead, they had to build the township practically from scratch and had to subsist on very meagre rations. Many succumbed to tropical diseases and overwork and by the end of 1838 the population had been reduced to 156.

Early settlers

Since the majority of the settlers were Roman Catholic, the building of a church was a priority. The Sacred Heart Church was established very early but the town's first priest did not arrive until in the 1870s. The church, rebuilt after it was destroyed by hurricane in 1912, still plays a central role in the community. Seaford Town boasts a museum featuring artefacts and memorabilia illustrating the life of the early settlers. Exhibits include kitchen utensils and tools and domestic artefacts such as a wooden bathtub carved from a tree trunk. There is also a painting of the Olber, which brought the settlers from Germany.

Seaford Town, also known as German Town, celebrates a traditional annual garden party on December 26. In the event that Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the party is usually held on the Friday to prevent interference with the church service on Sunday. There is a Seaford Town Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) committed to the preservation of the community's cultural heritage. The NGO organises a heritage tour of the church, the cemetery, the museum, grounds and basic school.

Cultural retentions

Although Seaford Town was not the only place in Jamaica which had German settlers, it is widely regarded as having the strongest German cultural retentions. Today, the population is more mixed and numbers 581. Family names have gradually become anglicised but their German roots are still recognisable.

For example: Braun has become Brown.

Bunnemann Bunnaman

Grosskopf Groskope

Hikker Hacker

Hoke Hacker

Kameke Kameka

Kleinhans Clenance

Munte Minto

Poppe Popwn

Riemann Rieman

Sommer Somers

Wedemeyer Wedemire/Eldemire

- Frances Brown is affiliated with the Seaford Town NGO.