ST. CROIX — The remains of one of the most influential women of the former Danish West Indies who advocated for the freedom of enslaved Africans in the 1800s were returned to her family burial ground at Aldershvile during a reinterment ceremony held Wednesday for Anna Heegaard in what is now known as Estate Orange Grove.
Heegaard, who was born on January 25, 1790 in Christiansted to Susanna Uytendahl, a formerly enslaved woman, and Jacob Heegaard, a Danish official, had a relationship with Governor-General Peter von Scholten prior to her death at the age of 68 on January 1, 1859. She died 10 and a half years after von Scholten emancipated all those enslaved in the former Danish West Indies on July 3, 1848. Some historians, however, argue that he had no alternative given the well-planned rebellion of the slaves led by General John Moses “Buddhoe” Gottlieb.
Heegaard is credited with improving conditions for the enslaved African and “free colored” population of the Danish West Indies in the 19th century because of her 20-year relationship with von Scholten. She “undeniably influenced the movement for legal and social equality for free Black men and women in the Danish West Indies,” according to the Encyclopedia of Antislavery & Abolition. She is believed to have helped von Scholten prepare a list of social reforms that he presented to the Danish king, who appointed a commission to study and carry out new rules for social justice for non-whites in the DWI. Reforms for the “unfree” eventually included a regulated length of workday, curtail of corporal punishment, banning of public slave auctions, a reprieve for pregnant women, establishment of schools, and housing improvements.
The 175th Emancipation Commemoration Committee, St. Croix Friends of Denmark Society, and Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ State Historic Preservation Office organized the ceremony in collaboration with land developer H.C. Ruparelia, owner of Innovative Asset Group. It featured remarks from individuals representing each entity as well as Ruparelia, who officially donated the burial ground to the Virgin Islands government as part of the ceremony by handing over the deed to Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. in his capacity as acting lieutenant governor. Governor Albert Bryan Jr. was unable to attend, and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach is out of the territory attending the annual meeting of the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association in Detroit.
Ruparelia said before the ceremony started that his late wife, Kirsten Worm, was Danish and their three children — Amanda, Henrik, and Erik — are Danish. He paid for the restoration of the perimeter gate around the burial ground. He also committed during the ceremony to install benches at the site.
“I have Indian culture, African culture, Virgin Islanders, American, as well as Danish, so I felt the right thing to do was to donate it,” he said.
Francis said the government will ensure an access road leading to the burial ground will be cleared and made available for public use. He said the Legislature has the responsibility to ensure the site becomes part of the Virgin Islands Territorial Park System.
Located in the bush up on a hill behind Gasaway Service Station & Mini Mart, Heegaard’s family burial ground was formally documented in 2007 as part of an archaeological survey following the purchase of the land by Ruparelia. After an excavation of one of the gravesites in 2019 by the National Museum of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen, analysis confirmed it was Heegaard’s final resting place, Sean Krigger, DPNR-SHPO state director, said. Wednesday’s reinterment ceremony returned to the burial ground Heegaard’s remains in an oak casket purchased by Ruparelia and transported by James Memorial Funeral Home.
Carol Burke, 175th Emancipation Commemoration Committee chair and a descendant of Heegaard, served as mistress of ceremonies in addition to providing remarks. She said Heegaard’s story is much bigger, broader, and deeper than her family tree. She said Heegaard’s legacy is part of a DNA of the entire Virgin Islands community.
“As a free mulatto woman, she was in a unique position to influence one of the most significant events in Virgin Islands history,” Burke said. “While much remains unknown about her exact role in advocating for reforms that led to the abolition of slavery, undoubtedly her closeness to Governor-General Peter von Scholten was significant.”
Burke said with the restoration of the burial ground and official transfer of the site to the government, Ruparelia has given the community a great gift.
“Anna Heegaard’s resting place is no longer untended,” she said, holding back tears. “Her headstone, stolen from her grave decades ago, has been returned, and Anna will be laid to rest again among her family. This place can now be a touchpoint for our collective memories, a beacon as we travel through our history.”
Burke was not the only descendant of Heegaard to speak during the ceremony. One other person who attended and gave remarks also shares the family bloodline.
Shirley de Chabert Highfield, a retired University of the Virgin Islands professor and member of the 175th Emancipation Commemoration Committee, is Burke’s cousin and a descendant of Heegaard. She said von Scholten was taken back to Denmark in disgrace after choosing emancipation instead of following orders from the Danish military to squash the revolt of enslaved Africans. She said Heegaard and von Scholten never saw each other again but noted that Heegaard influenced the improvement of conditions for those enslaved through her 20-year relationship with von Scholten.
“Most significantly, she introduced Governor von Scholten to General Buddhoe, leading to their collaboration during the tumultuous events of July 3, 1848,” she said. “No doubt, Anna Heegaard had a great important influence on Governor von Scholten.”
Francine Lang, St. Croix Friends of Denmark Society president, said the society was honored to collaborate with the 175th Emancipation Commemoration Committee in organizing the ceremony.
“We are honored to be included in this ceremony to reinter the physical remains of Anna Heegaard, a Danish subject who played a key role in the freeing of slaves on this island in 1848,” she said.
Julie Frederiksen, St. Croix Friends of Denmark Society vice president, said the connections between Crucians and Danes remain a remarkable legacy and potential for building a richer future, bridging the miles of distance and the years of history through friendships born of mutual respect and family ties that transcend cultural differences.
“As the St. Croix Friends of Denmark, we build these bridges between our collective past, the present and, we hope, the future,” she said. “We are part of history right now, right here. As we return Anna to her rest, we have a duty to educate our children and our community about our identity as a people, how that identity was formed, and the choices and the sacrifices our ancestors made.”
