A Dawn of Promise

© 2009 Anna Mae Brown-Comment. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/28/2009

ISBN: 978-1-4389-7515-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-2187-0 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009904447

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIV

CHAPTER XV

REFERENCES

DEDICATION

This novel is dedicated to my husband, Denis, whose encouragement and assistance over the years helped me to realize my dream.

To our children, Angela and Xavier, whose insight and sagacity exceed their years and always have been a source of wonder and strength to me.

To our grandchildren, who I hope will one day read this novel and through this medium, be able to appreciate their Virgin Islands roots.

Finally, to my deceased parents, Warren E. and Eugenia E. Brown, whose love, courage, knowledge and guidance I continue to appreciate every day of my life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgements for assistance and encouragement towards the writing of this novel are in order, first and foremost, to my dear childhood friend, Lorraine T. Hill. She faithfully stuck by me during the sometimes tedious task of churning out chapter by chapter. Her patience and perseverance kept me going.

Dr. Marilyn Krigger did me the honor of being one of my first readers for historical content and her fastidious editing and suggestions for clarity were invaluable and kept me grounded.

I am grateful to Dr. Aimery Caron for his advice on seafaring in the nineteenth century and other details that would pertain to a voyage from Copenhagen to St. Thomas.

I would also like to thank my lifelong friend, Patrice Ottley Scarbiel, an avid reader and critic whose input was very much appreciated.

My family, especially my sisters, Corinne, Jackie and Debbie, my brother Jonathan who have always expressed appreciation of my writings and encouraged me and I am grateful for their continued support.

Special thanks to my friend Bodil Norton and her valued assistance with the phrases in Danish.

INTRODUCTION

The emancipation of the enslaved people of the Virgin Islands in 1848 (almost twenty years prior to the emancipation of slaves on the U.S. mainland) is a story worth telling and re-telling for generations.

It is an exciting though daunting task to put a personal twist on historical events, especially when that story constitutes the cornerstone on which one’s history is laid.

Many would ask why I chose to re-tell this story not only from a young girl’s perspective, but also from a Danish perspective.

The Danish influence on our history has always fascinated me, especially in light of the revolt and the fact that compared with other places being liberated in the Caribbean, very little blood was shed. Intriguing to me also was the idea of a Danish family coming to a colony and their adaptation to a new way of life.

So the idea of a young girl finding herself and her family in the middle of swirling events, over which they had no control, seemed a fitting frame for a novel.

The heroine has a unique role in that she is placed by circumstance at the center of events as they unfold. She has the uniqueness of being able to establish a relationship with a family of free and unfree individuals through not only her friendship with Makeda who is of the same age, but also through her work with her mother in the little school set up for the education of the free and unfree. By virtue of her father’s position with Von Scholten and his place in the community, she has a bird’s eye view of both sides of the unfolding events.

The time is the mid-nineteenth century in the Virgin Islands and life in the towns of Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted were microcosms of genteel European society. The colonists brought with them their way of life, their clothing, their foods, their music and strove to maintain a quality of life that they had known or in some instances, wanted to be a part of in their old world. The slaves, who had not only been uprooted from their patrimony but also deprived of their customs and way of life, adapted some of what they were allowed in dance and music to some of the customs of their masters. For example, slaves Caribbeanized the Quadrille, which was brought straight out of the parlors of Europe, and put their own stamp on it.

Dutch Creole, which originated in St. Thomas, was a blend of Low German, French, Spanish, English and Danish. It was spoken by many of the masters, foremen and slaves up to the early 1800’s. Thereafter, English became more dominant and the dialect spoken by slaves and freed blacks was a mixture of several languages, including some African words with English as the dominant one. The dialect used in this novel was spoken mostly on St. Thomas.

The challenge of writing in this genre is first and foremost to remain true to the history that the writer is portraying and secondly, that the characters fit into that time and space.

To weave a fictional story around these historical events called for many hours of studying historical texts and reference works. And so, my efforts in guarding the integrity and veracity of the history were always a priority. Some works that were extremely helpful in recreating a mental picture of 19th century St. Thomas and St. Croix were, Islands of Beauty and Bounty: A Historical Profile of the Danish West Indies. Translated by Nina York, 2nd Ed. 2003, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, 1986; Government House, St. Croix: Its History and Special Furnishings by Priscilla G. Watkins, Thomson-Shore, Dexter, M.I., 1996, and A Caribbean Mission: History of the Mission of the Evangelical Brethren on the Caribbean Islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John by C.G.A. Oldendorp, John Jakob Bossard, Ed. English Edition and Translation by Arnold R. Highfield, and Vladimir Baroc, Karorna Publishers Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1987. Other texts used for historical data can be found in the reference section of this work.

The desire of all humans to be free and control their own destiny is as basic as the desire for the air one breathes. And regardless of color, race or creed, it is this desire that is fundamentally understood and influenced by emotions and feelings brought about by one’s existence in one’s own personal capsule of history.

It is my intent to bring to life an important seed of our growth as people of African descent brought to these beautiful islands centuries ago, and to show how the blood and sweat of our ancestors contributed to who we were and what we are today.

We do not lack understanding of that history, but we must continue to treasure this birthright of freedom, so hard won, and to continue to elevate it as a guiding light for our children and grandchildren; that they never forget the strong and proud people from whence they came.

It is my hope that this novel contributes to this in some small way.

The Author

CHAPTER I

The sun was already climbing high in the sky and casting shadows on the hillsides of the town of Charlotte Amalie. Karen stood at the railing of the ship, watching the place she had grown to love, slowly recede. Her sadness at leaving was compounded by her conversation a few minutes earlier with Governor General Peter Von Scholten. He was also on the ship taking them back to Denmark by order of the Crown. Her thoughts flitted through the exciting events of the past two years which culminated in the freeing of the slaves.

Mr. Johannsen had left Denmark the previous year to assist Governor Von Scholten in the Danish West Indies. The year was 1846 and Karen was entering the phase of her life when her father’s position at the Royal Court of Denmark was permitting her to enjoy the social life of a budding young lady. She and her friends whose parents were also attached in some way to the High Court, enjoyed birthday parties, soirees and high tea in the company of the royal families. These events were always elaborate and took place at Amalienborg Palace or at Rosenberg in the beautiful royal gardens.

As she stood by the rail of the ship, Karen recalled the heated discussions in the household when her grandmother learned that her daughter and grandchildren were going to leave the comforts of their Danish home to go to the God-forsaken place in the middle of an ocean. Her ambivalence to this change of circumstance and way of life was echoed by her aunts and uncles. On the one hand, it was an exciting venture and on the other, leaving her friends and family behind to go into the unknown was frightening.

At the age of fifteen, Karen was skillful at making herself invisible and thereby ignored by the adults around her. That permitted her to listen in on the conversations and learn about the goings on not only in her family, but the town in general.

She sat on the stairs when her grandmother and aunt came over to discuss with her mother, the possibility of them following their father to the Danish West Indies. After dutifully paying her respects upon their arrival, Karen excused herself and ostensibly headed for her room. By the time she reached the landing, they were in animated discussion and no one noticed her stopping and sitting quietly in the corner.

From what Karen could understand, her father had been sent by King Fredrik to help the Governor in the islands, who was having trouble with the slaves. It seemed that the Governor wanted to grant them their freedom, but the Crown was not in agreement, and so, her father was charged with keeping an eye on Von Scholten.

Her mother began to read the letter from her father, which had arrived two days ago. It read:

My Dearest Wife,

I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss you and the children. I trust this letter finds all of you well. After a month of adapting to the tropical heat and the new ways and customs of island life here, I am beginning to finally feel somewhat acclimated.

The Governor has installed me in a two-story house overlooking the harbour. It is quite spacious and the children will each have their own room. I am sure they will be pleased to hear this. There is a lovely courtyard with tropical flowers and a large front garden as well. A large living room leads out to a balcony and the dining room and drawing room are on the same floor. There is a kitchen room outside with a Dutch oven and a small separate room for the maid and manservant. Two slaves have been assigned to take