Emigration & Immigration

North America U.S. Virgin Islands

Records show people from many places have settled here over the centuries including considerable interaction with other islands of the Caribbean. Many records from the Danish colonial period are held by Rigsarkivet (the Danish National Archives).


 * Danish West Indies Passenger List Collaboration Project


 * Danish West Indies Passenger List Finding Aid

If your ancestor traveled by passenger ship to or from St. Thomas in the 1800s, or to or from Christiansted between the years 1794 to 1847, it is likely a record was created documenting that travel. Now, all Virgin Islanders will be able to view those archived records in digital format thanks to a remarkable gift from Rigsarkivet (the Danish National Archives).

The entire 34 DVD set of Passenger Arrival Lists, along with a preliminary finding aid prepared by Susan Lugo, is available at the following repositories:


 * the Territorial Archives and the von Scholten Collection at Enid M. Baa Public Library, St. Thomas
 * the Caribbean Genealogy Library in St. Thomas,
 * Whim Research Library and Archives in St. Croix,
 * the Territorial Archives at Florence Williams Public Library in Christiansted, St. Croix
 * the Elaine I. Sprauve Public Library Special Collections on St. John,
 * the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía collection being established at the Universidad Interamericana de Hato Rey,
 * the Archives and Records Management Unit of the Deputy Governor's Office in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.