U.S. Virgin Islands

This article is about genealogical resources for the U.S. (formerly Danish) Virgin Islands. For other uses, see Virgin Islands United States U.S._Virgin_Islands



Territory of the United States but a territory of Denmark from the 1600s until 1917. The U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas) were purchased from Denmark on January 17, 1917. They are about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico, in the northeast Caribbean Sea, helping to separate the Caribbean from the North Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Virgin Islands lie southwest of the British Virgin Islands. In Danish records they are called Dansk Vestindien or De Danskvestindiske Øer.

The early economy centered around cane sugar plantations worked by African slaves. Slaves were emancipated in 1848. Sugar cane lost its competitive advantage by the 1800s. Now, tourism has become the major industry.

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).

Virgin Islands Church Records
For records of christenings, marriages, burials and other church records created by several church denominations in the Virgin Islands see:


 * Historical Record Collections for U.S. Virgin Islands available on FamilySearch.org

Featured Content

 * Danish West Indies Passenger List Collaboration Project
 * St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Slave and Free People Records, 1733-1930 (Ancestry) ($)

Research Tools

 * 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.

Major Repositories

 * National Archives at New York City
 * Danish National Archives (Copenhagen, Denmark) Rigsarkivet

Websites

 * U.S. Virgin Islands GenWeb
 * St. Croix Census Records
 * Life and Culture of the Danish West Indies (in Danish)
 * History of the Virgin Islands (by The Danish National Archives)
 * General History
 * Libraries of the Virgin Islands
 * University of the Virgin Islands
 * Arkivalieronline (on line Danish archives)

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