Jan. 17, 2009 – The Caribbean Genealogy Library Inc. (CGL) will hold the first of what will be an annual membership meeting at 3 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 1, at the University of the Virgin Islands' Administration and Conference Center.
Elections of the 2009 board of directors and officers will take place and members will hear reports on the activities and progress on projects undertaken by the organization since its inception. Nominees for the board are: Aimery Caron, Pedrito François, Myron D. Jackson, Susan Laura Lugo, Jeanne I. O'Day, Michelle Rogers-Bully, E. Aracelis Francis, Thyra Hammond, Wanda Mills-Bocachica, Leayle Robinson and Robert Upson. President Susan Laura Lugo said, "CGL's accomplishments over the past years have been significant, but I am even more impressed and excited by the slate of nominees willing to lead the organization into the future."
Following the business meeting, local historian George F. Tyson will discuss the St. Croix African Roots Project for which he serves as project director. SCARP is a collaborative effort of Danish and American scholars to research individual biographies and family histories of over 100,000 enslaved and free residents on St. Croix from 1734 to1917. To document research findings, SCARP has compiled a unique searchable database of over one million entries with links to digitized resources.
A special treat for members and their guests at the annual meeting will be a preview of the SCARP database. Lugo notes that it has already enabled some Virgin Islanders to trace family roots back to African ancestors and to African homelands. Limited seating for Tyson's presentation is available for the public.
The library's mission is to identify, preserve and provide access to Caribbean genealogy, history and cultural heritage information resources for the V.I. and the Caribbean and to promote and encourage their use for family history documentation, education and scholarship.
For questions or additional information, call President Susan Laura Lugo at 690-0531 or e-mail her at SusanLauraLugo@gmail.com. To learn more, call 714-2136 or e-mail CaribGenLibrary@gmail.com.
