David W. Knight, Sr.
Historian.
Consultant.
David W. Knight Sr. is a cultural resource consultant, historian, and author exploring the rich history of the Virgin Islands.
David has spent much of his life exploring the primary records of the Virgin Islands and Danish West Indies in libraries, repositories, and archives, both abroad and throughout the Caribbean region. His professional goal has always been to bring the rich historical legacy of the Virgin Islands into sharper focus through broader public access, education, and awareness.
My Books
We are currently working on a shop for this site and plan to be launching it soon.
In the meantime, books can be purchased directly from me at NordsidePress@gmail.com
Please don’t hesitate to send me a message, I will do my best to respond promptly.
Or, if you are in the Virgin Islands, you can pick one up at Bajo el Sol Gallery on St. John,
or the Caribbean Genealogy Library on St. Thomas,
Online, you can purchase my books and a number of other fine history works by local VI authors HERE.
The Daughters of Eden
Coming soon! This deep dive into the little-understood conquest and early European settlement periods in the West Indies traces the inception and rise of a unique Creole society that emerged in the Virgin Islands at the dawn of the colonial era, c1590 to c1700. (History & Genealogy)
Cruz Bay
From Conquest to Exploitation
A Forgotten History
The previously untold history of the town of Cruz Bay (now a National Register Historic District) on the island of St John, U. S. Virgin Islands, from its founding as a modest rural hamlet by Danish colonists in 1766, to its meteoric rise as a booming gateway to one of America’s most popular National Parks. (History & Historic District Resource Guide)
The Enigmatic History of Water Island in the Danish West Indies
1672-1917
An in-depth documentary investigation into Danish colonization in the West Indies and the occupation and development Water Island, the smallest of the primary islands of today’s U. S. Virgin Islands. (History)
Understanding Annaberg
Step back in time and explore the complex tapestry of lives and events behind the imposing ruins of the Annaberg sugar-factory on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands National Park. (History & Visitor’s Guide)
St Thomas 1803
Crossroads of the Diaspora
An annotated transcription of the little-known 1803 “Registration of Free Colored Inhabitants” in the town of Charlotte Amalie in the Danish West Indies – today’s St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – with translations by Dr. Gary T. Horlacher. A must read for all students of the African Diaspora! (Genealogy & History)
The 1688 Census of the Danish West Indies
Portrait of a Colony in Crisis
An annotated transcription of the first comprehensive census of the multiethnic inhabitants of the Danish colony of St. Thomas in the West Indies, with information on the condition and locations of their properties, as well as rare data regarding the colony’s enslaved African and Indigenous-American laborers – translations by Dr. Gary T. Horlacher (Genealogy & History)
There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here or there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody.
Richard Moe
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Articles
The Sons of the Sea Beggars & the Daughters of Eden
A True Account of Piracy and Buried Treasure in the Virgin Islands As recounted by William Blackstock aboard the HMS Christian at sea, November 26, 1750
