Danish Port of Charlotte Amalia II from 1803 to 1823

Description

In this newly released book, Dr. Aimery Caron describes what St. Thomas’ main port town Charlotte Amalia looked like between 1803 and 1823. In a period of time with very limited censuses, this book seeks to compile lists of residents. This is a new release, 2026, and is the sequel to an earlier edition that covered the late 1700s. A good read for anyone interested in St. Thomas history, particularly Charlotte Amalia; and for those with ties to St. Thomas dating back to the early 1800s. Spiral bound. Soft cover.

To conduct his research Dr. Caron used historical newspapers, specifically the Sancte Thomæ Tidende of 1816 and 1817. He identified the names of people in the community within the newspapers and documented the context. He also reviewed government records related to tax collection. In the Danish West Indies, property in land, houses and enslaved people, was registered for the purpose of collecting taxes. By using tax roll documents from 1803 to 1823 Dr. Caron identified the names of, tax paying, white and free people of color living in Charlotte Amalia. Also included in the book is a list of names of free people of color that signed a petition in 1816 requesting specific privileges and relief from certain grievances. The petition was signed by a total 331 free people of color on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.

In addition to lists of people, Dr. Caron adds context to the history of the period, including information on the British takeover of the Danish West Indies between 1807 and 1815. His book also contrasts the demography, rights, privileges and duties of the whites with the free people of color living in the town.