Dr. George Tyson To Give Lecture About Africans On St. Croix After 1803

ST. CROIX — Dr. George F. Tyson, above, a historian and president of the Virgin Islands Social History Associates (V.I.S.H.A.), will speak about the demographic atrributes of ethnic Africans on St. Croix during the Nineteenth Century on Thursday, at the Danish West India & Guinea Company Warehouse.

Their little-known story up to Emancipation and beyond is the focus of this presentation, according to a press release the National Parks Historic Site issued on Monday. Drawing on archival documentation excavated and compiled by V.I.S.H.A. in its St. Croix population database 1734-1917, as well as other primary source material, Dr. Tyson will trace the historical trajectory, size, distribution and social characteristics of this important, but poorly researched, ethnic group that contributed so substantially to the cultural and genetic makeup of the Crucian population. The island, along with St. Thomas and John, was to the United States by Denmark in 1917. Moving from the general to the particular, Dr. Tyson will conclude by recounting the life stories of several men and women in an effort to identify the last surviving African on St. Croix.

Throughout his presentation, Dr. Tyson will discuss the nature and challenges of the historical documentation upon which he has relied. The talk will be followed by a 20-minute discussion period.

Dr. George F. Tyson is a leading authority on Virgin Islands history. A resident of St. Croix, he has taught at the University of the Virgin Islands, has served as executive director of the St. Croix Landmarks Society, president of the St. Thomas Historical Trust and president of the Society of Virgin Islands Historians. He has served as a consultant to UNESCO, the Organization of American States and the Virgin Islands National Park. Currently, he is the director of the St. Croix African Roots Project, a collaboration of Danish and American scholars involved in digitizing and studying biographical and demographic records relating to St. Croix during the period of Danish rule. And he has written and edited numerous scholarly publications.

The lecture will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The Christiansted National Historic Site parking lot will be open for this event until 7:00 p.m. The Friends of the St. Croix USVI National Parks will meet from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the same location.