Fates
Here you find life stories of various individuals from the history of the colony. From the convicts Mette and Jens, through the enslaved laborer Christian Sort who became a surgeon and plantation owner, to the well-known governor-general Peter von Scholten and the black national hero David Hamilton Jackson.
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The convicts Mette Nielsdatter and Jens Pedersen
A special group of Danes was transported to the Danish West Indies in order to work under slave-like conditions. It was convicts and indentured servants (contract laborers). However, the Danes had an opportunity to become free, which was rarely an option for the enslaved Africans.
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Christian Sort: Slave, doctor and planter
Very few enslaved laborers wrenched themselves free of the brutal life of a slave. Christian Sort was one of them. He got his freedom because he helped his owners during the slave rebellion on St. John in 1733. But he also won respect among both Europeans and enslaved laborers because he was a capable doctor.
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David Hamilton Jackson – rebel and hero
The black labor leader David Hamilton Jackson has been described in completely different ways. For officials towards the end of the Danish era he was an unpleasant rebel. But for the black population of the islands he was and is a hero.
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Domingo Gesoe: An unusual life as a enslaved laborer
Most enslaved laborers lived a miserable life. But some enslaved carved out a tolerable life with unusual experiences. One of them was Domingo Gesoe. He became an overseer and missionary and even went on a voyage to Denmark.
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Hezekiah Smith: The last Danish convict from the Danish West Indies
On September 15, 1923, King Christian X pardoned a prisoner at the Horsens state penitentiary. Pardons were not unusual but this pardoned prisoner was the last convict in Denmark who had been sentenced in the Danish West Indies.
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Jørgen Iversen: A rough life as the first Governor on St. Thomas
The first years of the Danish colonization of the West Indies was a rough period. Danish Jørgen Iversen was the first Governor of St. Thomas and ruled the island with an iron fist. However, he ended his life at the bottom of the sea – thrown overboard during a mutiny.
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Maria Elizabeth Yard: A free colored businesswoman
The bulk of the enslaved laborers who were either emancipated or bought their freedom were women. Maria Elizabeth Yard was one of them and became a representative for the free coloreds, who were caught in a difficult position in the racially segregated West Indian society. She also became a representative of the women who defied norms and understood how to create their own existence.
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Moses Elias Williams: From enslaved laborer to master butcher and planter
The enslaved laborers gained their freedom in 1848, but for the bulk of them it did not mean that their living conditions improved. However, there was a small group that succeeded in fighting their way to wealth and status. Moses Elias Williams was one of those who succeeded, even though his fate became tragic.
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Oldendorp: The man behind an impressive publication about the Danish colony
The Moravian missionary Christian Georg Andreas Oldendorp wrote a passionate publication on the political, geographic, and social conditions of the West Indies, including the origin and living conditions of the enslaved laborers. His opus is one of the first ethnological descriptions of the history of Africa and the Caribbean.
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Oxholm’s unique map collection
In 1777, the Chamber of Customs (Generaltoldkammeret) sent the young Lieutenant Peter Lotharius Oxholm to the Danish West Indies. The lieutenant was to examine and describe the condition of the colony’s defenses in text and pictures. He was a self-confident type, extremely effective and brilliant at making maps.
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Peter Lotharius Oxholm: A “watchful eye” on the West Indies
During the North American secession from the British Empire it was difficult for Denmark to stay out of the conflict. Thus, the Heir Presumptive to the Danish –Norwegian Crown, Frederik, wanted a “watchful eye” on the West Indies. The choice fell on the young Lieutenant Peter Lotharius Oxholm. His unique mapping of the islands is of great importance for posterity.
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Peter von Scholten and the journey to emancipation
Peter von Scholten is probably the most well-known Dane in the West Indies. He has been portrayed frequently in both books and film. He had an impressive career in the colony where he became the Governor-General but in 1848 he was forced to declare a general emancipation of the enslaved laborers to avoid a rebellion. The emancipation was not popular with all groups on the islands. Von Scholten suffered a nervous breakdown and had to leave the islands a broken man.
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The three rebel queens
Even after the abolition of slavery, conditions in the Danish colony were very tough. Frustration and unrest were brewing. In 1878, a violent rebellion took place in which houses, sugar mills, sugar fields, and over half the city of Frederiksted burned down. Three women, Mary, Agnes, and Mathilda, were especially active in the rebellion. Today, they are considered heroines in the islands.
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The pellet – the case against William Mangale
Today, court documents from the West Indies are important sources about life in the colony. When the archive boxes of these cases are opened, it is not only documents that are found. One of the stories told through legal documents is the tale of the case against William Mangale.
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