Shawn Jackson Photography

Angus "Pisco" Watler

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 76 (2018)

"Pisco" was born in Lima, near San Pedro Sula on the mainland of Honduras. His mother was from Roatan and his father was from Belize. Pisco has lived on Roatan since 1951 though he has spent some time back and forth on the mainland. He lives in the Swamp. He is married and has 12 children. Through the years he has worked as a cook, a dancer, a waiter, among other jobs. He is most known to generations of islanders for his small newspaper and peanut stand downtown Coxen Hole near the park.

Marlin Castela Brooks Johnson

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 72 (2018)

Marlin was born in Flowers Bay. Her mother, who was from Roatan, was a midwife. Her father was from Oak Ridge. There were 9 children in the family. She has lived all over the island as well as over in Cortes where she worked helping a woman with her new baby. She worked in West End doing laundry. She now lives in Coxen Hole with her husband, Pisco ( featured above ). They have eight children and many grandchildren.

Nelson Jackson McNab

French Key, Roatan

Age: 90 (2018)

Nelson was born July 22, 1928 in French Key. His mother was from Roatan. His maternal grandfather, a McNab, having come from Scotland to Roatan, married someone local and had Nelson's mother. Nelson's paternal grandfather was from South Carolina and his paternal grandmother's family was from Bonacca and the Caymans. Nelson grew up in French Key. At age 23 he married his wife, Nelly Dixon who was also from French Key. His wife passed 18 years ago. Nelson never really left French Key until 1959 when he went out to sea. He worked on ships from 1959-1967 and again from 1971 to 1973. Nelson traded land for two shrimp boats that family still operate. He is still an active farmer, growing plantains, bananas and raising cows nearby and in First Bight. He walks miles nearly every day to his farm. Nelson has 11 children, though two have passed. He has 26 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren. He loves his motorcycle though has "had to take it easy" as he's gotten older.

Adela Menita Beckford Woods

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 92 (2018)

Adela was born in Coxen Hole. Her father's family were the Beckfords from Jamaica, with English ancestors. They immigrated to Roatan during the "Banana Republic" era. Her mother was from Roatan and her mother's mother came from Balfate as a child. Adela was a baker of wedding cakes for many years but is best remembered in her community for her work as a natural pediatric Midwife. Families would bring their babies to her for medical care. In 1987 she went to live in the United States with family. In the US she worked in hospital pediatrics and worked as a caregiver for the elderly. Three years ago she moved back to the island. She has two children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A. Alexander Dale

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 61 (2018)

Alexander was born in La Ceiba in 1957. His parents were both from La Ceiba. His mother's parents were from the Caymans. When he was nine, his father passed away. His mother moved to New York and then sent for Alexander's stepfather and the children. On June 6, 1973 he arrived in the US. Alexander lived in New York on and off for 20 years. He lived in Europe for ten years, spending time in Germany, Spain, Italy and then England. He speaks German, Spanish, Italian, and English. Back in NYC, he worked in after hours clubs and got involved translating for a businessman from South America who was running an illegal business. Later, Alexander's name was given to police due to his involvement with this man and he was arrested and asked to provide information. He returned to mainland Honduras and later to Roatan in 2000. He worked as a baggage handler at the Ferry terminal and now works washing cars.

Ivy Reborn Warren

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 79 (2018)

Ivy was born in West End and lived there until her family moved to La Ceiba for a couple of years before returning to the island and settling in Coxen Hole. In January of 1955 her family opened the family store, H.B. Warren's (Casa Warren) where Ivy worked from the age of 16. She married at age 18 and had two children, followed by eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Many years later she would open her fabric store at its new location in the Credomatic building. Ivy's mother's family was from West End. Her father's mother passed when he was young. Her father's father was a Warren from Utila with European ancestry.

Lorleen McLaughlin Bodden

Helen, Roatan

Age: 71 (2018)

Lorleen was born in Helen and still lives there today. Both of her parents were from Helen. Her paternal grandmother was from Sandy Bay and her great grandfather was a descendant from England. Lorleen had two sisters and two brothers and all of them attended school locally in Helen. Lorleen used to work baking cakes to sell and her husband worked at sea. The couple had eight children, five still living. Her husband passed a few years ago. She now has many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Thomas Edgar Brooks

Consolation Bight, Roatan

Age: 58 (2018)

Thomas was born in Brooks Bight, what is now Consolation Bight in the Coxen Hole area. Thomas' mother was from Roatan and her family was from Trujillo. His father was from Roatan with family from the Caymans. His father had 12 children, five of them are still living today. Around the age of ten, Thomas went to New York to live with his mother who had moved to New York several years earlier. His maternal grandmother was also living there. Thomas lived in the US for 20 years, moving from New York to Florida. He worked as a Chef, mainly in Italian restaurants. In the early 1990s he moved back to the island and ran a couple of restaurants, living in Consolation Bight. He has three children, two of them living in the US, one living on the island. He has two grandchildren. He now lives in the Ticket area of Coxen Hole.

Allan Baxter Hyde Elwin

French Harbor, Roatan

Age: 80 (2018)

Allan was born in French Harbor. His mother was from French Harbor and his father was from Bonacca. His mother's family came from England, one relative serving as a British Governor on the island. In the 1890s, his paternal grandfather, David Hyde came from the Caymans with earlier ancestors from England. He had six siblings including his brother "Kern" (also featured). Allan attended high school in Florida, returning after school when he began working with his family. His family was developing the fishing industry. Allan worked on ships from 1960 to 1970. He also worked on bringing the first official cruise ship to Roatan, the Ocean Spirit which made 52 trips around the 1980s and proved it "could be done." Allan continued to work in the seafood industry for 50 years while also partnering in Hyde Shipping. Allan married Evett Hyde from Bonacca, they had four children and nine grandchildren.

Cecil "Kern" Hyde Elwin

French Harbor, Roatan

Age: 76 (2018)

Kern was born in French Harbor. His father had a passenger boat. On Monday nights the boat would leave for La Ceiba, load up on Tuesday, travel to Guanaja on Wednesday, and be in Roatan for the weekend. In the 1940s and 1950s they transported bananas. Kern worked with his dad and in 1959 they built a bigger boat. From 1959-1970 they worked exporting coconuts. Small boats would bring coconuts and store them in "coconut houses." From there, they were gathered and loaded onto the ship, approximately 150,000 coconuts in each shipment, headed for Mobile, Alabama and Tampa, Florida. Though the ship was not a passenger vessel, during that time, seamen on US Merchant Marine boats would catch a ride with them from time to time. A few years later they got shrimp boats and he and his family, including his brother Allan (also featured) focused on seafood. Truman Jones (also featured) began working on Kern's family's boat at that time. In 1963 Kern married his wife who is from Bonacca. They lived in French Harbor and had four children. They now have 11 grandchildren.

Viola McLaughlin

Sandy Bay, Roatan

Age: 86 (2018)

Viola was born in Trujillo. After moving to Diamond Rock with her mother as a baby, she was mainly raised in Sandy Bay. Her mother's family are Hydes from Sandy Bay, her father's parents were from Diamond Rock. After moving to the mainland for a while, she returned to the island and got her piece of property in Sandy Bay with her children. She now has many grandchildren. Viola worked her whole life as a Midwife and Bush Doctor. She is a self-taught herbal medicine expert, and would gather herbs to make medicines. Her most popular remedies were for infertility and for kidney problems. She delivered countless babies, sometimes for those she had treated previously for infertility.

Hope Gordon

Pandy Town, Roatan

Age: 90 (2018)

Hope was born in Pandy Town and has lived there since birth. She married and had seven children. She stayed home and cared for them. She now has a few grandchildren as well. Hope's parents were born on Roatan. Her grandparents were also from Roatan.

Truman Victor Jones Scott

French Harbor, Roatan

Age: 72 (2018)

Truman was born in French Harbor. His mother was from Roatan with Scottish, Welsh, and English heritage. Her relatives, the McNabs, came from Edinborough and were the first family to settle in French Harbor in 1835. Truman's father's great grandfather's family was the first to settle in Jonesville, having come originally from Wales. In June of 1963 Allan Hyde (also featured) brought the first shrimp boat to French Harbor and Truman was hired to work on the ship at age 17. Working his way up, he learned the job and became a rig man and, years later, became Captain. Truman would go on to get his own boat, followed by others, fishing for shrimp and lobster. Truman worked from 1963 to 2013 on ships and during those 50 years, met 10 Honduran Presidents. Truman married Lynn Jones from Jonesville and they had four children. They now have six grandchildren.

Gloria Emory Johnson Eden

Coxen Hole, Roatan

Age: 85 (2018)

Gloria was born in Castilla on the mainland. Her mother's family was from Flowers Bay and the Caymans. Her father was from Spring Garden, Roatan. Her father's grandfather was from the US. Her mother brought her to the island as a baby and registered her here. Later, Gloria went to the mainland and worked in a bakery. She spent 17 years on the mainland before returning to Roatan where she worked as a cook. Gloria's husband is deceased. She has ten children, many grandchidlren and great grandchildren.

Sherman Arch

Age: 64

French Key, Roatan

Sherman Arch was born on French Key and has lived there all his life. Sherman worked on houses and boats with his father and continued to do so after his father passed away. His parents were born on the island and had US and English family backgrounds. He continues to build and repair boats.

Sherman is married with four children. His family started the Iguana Farm in 1980. He says the best thing he ever did was to get involved with taking care of the marine life several years ago. He enjoys living on Roatan, calling it "a pleasure" and says "there's been lots of change but I think all of us should be happy to live here."

Stasmore Clifford Allen

West End, Roatan

Age: 82 (2018)

"Stas" was born in Crawfish Rock. His parents were both from Coxen Hole. Stas' father was an alligator hunter. When an uncle came home blind while working on a ship, Stas' family encouraged him to take the position at age 16 or 17. He moved later with his mother and siblings to New York where he attended music school and played the bass. He moved to Los Angeles and saw Miles Davis at a house party, later landing a gig with him, traveling to perform for Timex Watch Company. From there he traveled to Egypt. Stas moved to Texas and married. The couple returned to the island where he began farming. His wife, an American Indian, had to return to the US with the children due to Indian Bureau support rules. He stayed and began traveling the island with his father. At this point, there were no cars, people traveled by boat or by horse. He remembers when the fruit company came in and things really started to change, he was upset when the road was built and cars appeared. He says "What we had here was the moonlight, the starlight, and the sunlight. I think that was enough, wasn't it?" Stas built a house in West End. When a family member sold the land nearby, the new owners wanted a place built and Stas built what is now part of Canibal Cafe. He can still be seen sitting out front most days.