Restoration of the parish register for Friedensthal on St. Croix, 1773-1800 (1734-1836)

What is to be done?

In 2025, the Unity Archives would like to safe and restore a unique parish register from the first Herrnhut mission station Friedensthal on the island of St. Croix, now the American Virgin Islands. Parish registers are chronological lists of official church ceremonies. Historical parish registers are valuable sources for research. The parish register, whose information we would like to safe and preserve for the future, consists firstly of a ten-page catalogue of European Moravians who died and were buried in Friedensthal in the period between 1734 and 1833. This is followed by the main section detailing recorded baptisms and burials of enslaved men, women and children in the period from 1773 to 1800 on a total of 203 pages. The final pages contain a two-page catalogue of children of European Moravians who were born and baptised in Friedensthal in the period from 1763-1836. The special aspect of this parish register lies in the names and family relationships recorded, and also geographical origins of the enslaved people who were reached by the Moravian Mission. With the restoration of this parish register, the Unity Archives would like to preserve the information recorded and thus also make a contribution to the reappraisal of Moravian missionary history.

Why do we need your donation?

At the Centre for Book Preservation in Leipzig who we have asked to carry out the restoration, has quoted a sum of around € 5,000 for the work necessary. If more money is raised, this will be used for further preservation projects at the Unity Archives.
 

Project launch: March 8, 2025 (26th Archives' Day)
Required sum: approx. € 5,000
Progress made: 
Total donations: € 907 (as of July 16, 2025)

Bank account for donations:

Account holder: Ev. Brüder-Unität
Keyword: Archives' Project 2024
IBAN DE04 3506 0190 1560 1000 15
Bank für Kirche und Diakonie eG
BIC GENODED1DKD

Thank you for your donation!