VIRGIN ISLAND EXODUS: The United States Citizen's Identification Card System of 1918 and the Post-Transfer Quest for Opportunity Under the United States Flag
Written and Compiled by David W. Knight & Laurette de T. Prime, Little Nordside Press, ISBN 1-891610-02-3

Under the Danish West Indian system of government, individuals wishing to travel out of the colony, or even between the Danish islands, were required to obtain passports from the police. This system was initially maintained after the islands' transfer to the United States in 1917, but conflicts soon arose over whether the issuance of passports was a civil matter, as it had been under the Danes, or a matter to be handled by the newly-installed US military government.

Most Virgin Island residents at the time were under the impression that Article 6 of the treaty of secession between Denmark and the United States granted them automatic US citizenship after a period of one year from the date of transfer. However, vagaries in the language used in the treaty prompted debate, and it was many years before the issue of status was sufficiently resolved. Largely for the sake of expediency the debate over status was swept aside and it was decided to issue "Unitesd States Citizen's Identification Cards" to qualified Virgin Islands residents who desired to travel to the US mainland or Puerto Rico.

VIRGIN ISLAND EXODUS contains material extracted from the first one hundred and seventy-three (out of an orginal one hundred and eighty-four) United States Citizen's Identification Card applications submitted by Virgin Island residents between May 21, and October 9, 1918.

Complete text of the The Virgin Island Exodus, Written and Compiled by David W. Knight & Laurette de T. Prime(published 1998, reedited 2011), by permission

Searchable tables of the record data, from Virgin Island Exodus

Index of ID Cards sorted by #       Index of ID Cards sorted by Name

ID Card #1  ID Card #3  ID Card #4  ID Card #5 
ID Card #6  ID Card #7  ID Card #8  ID Card #9  ID Card #10 
ID Card #11  ID Card #12  ID Card #13  ID Card #14  ID Card #15 
ID Card #16  ID Card #17  ID Card #18  ID Card #19  ID Card #20 
ID Card #21  ID Card #22  ID Card #23  ID Card #24  ID Card #25 
ID Card #26  ID Card #27  ID Card #28  ID Card #29  ID Card #30 
ID Card #31  ID Card #32  ID Card #33  ID Card #34  ID Card #35 
ID Card #36  ID Card #37  ID Card #38  ID Card #39  ID Card #40 
ID Card #41  ID Card #42  ID Card #43  ID Card #44  ID Card #45 
ID Card #46  ID Card #47  ID Card #48  ID Card #49  ID Card #50 
ID Card #51  ID Card #52  ID Card #53  ID Card #54  ID Card #55 
ID Card #56  ID Card #57  ID Card #59  ID Card #60 
ID Card #61  ID Card #62  ID Card #63  ID Card #64  ID Card #65 
ID Card #66  ID Card #68  ID Card #69  ID Card #70 
ID Card #71  ID Card #72  ID Card #73  ID Card #74  ID Card #75 
ID Card #76  ID Card #77  ID Card #78  ID Card #79  ID Card #80 
ID Card #81  ID Card #82  ID Card #83  ID Card #84  ID Card #85 
ID Card #86  ID Card #87  ID Card #88  ID Card #89  ID Card #90 
ID Card #91  ID Card #92  ID Card #93  ID Card #94  ID Card #95 
ID Card #96  ID Card #97  ID Card #98  ID Card #99  ID Card #100 
ID Card #101  ID Card #102  ID Card #103  ID Card #105 
ID Card #106  ID Card #107  ID Card #108  ID Card #109  ID Card #110 
ID Card #111  ID Card #112  ID Card #113  ID Card #114  ID Card #115 
ID Card #116  ID Card #117  ID Card #118  ID Card #119  ID Card #120 
ID Card #121  ID Card #122  ID Card #123  ID Card #124  ID Card #125 
ID Card #127  ID Card #128  ID Card #129  ID Card #130 
ID Card #131  ID Card #132  ID Card #133  ID Card #134  ID Card #135 
ID Card #136  ID Card #137  ID Card #139  ID Card #140 
ID Card #141  ID Card #143  ID Card #144  ID Card #145 
ID Card #146  ID Card #147  ID Card #148  ID Card #149  ID Card #150 
ID Card #151  ID Card #152  ID Card #153  ID Card #154  ID Card #155 
ID Card #156  ID Card #157  ID Card #158  ID Card #159 
ID Card #161  ID Card #163  ID Card #164  ID Card #165 
ID Card #166  ID Card #167  ID Card #168  ID Card #169  ID Card #170 
ID Card #171  ID Card #172  ID Card #173  ID Card #174 
ID Card #176  ID Card #177  ID Card #178  ID Card #179  ID Card #180 
ID Card #181  ID Card #182  ID Card #184 

ID Card 506 
ID Card 500 
Daniel application No 1 
Listings of ID card applicants and destinations 
Lindquist application No 4 
Adams & Elshoe application 
Letter regarding VI records  
miscellaneous application documents