Vintage St. John Book Press Release

An open book of Vintage St. John

 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VINTAGE ST. JOHN
by Valerie Sims

[St. John, US Virgin Islands, February 3, 2020] Discover St. John’s History Through Seven Generations of Heartfelt Stories.

Love and loss abound in this new historical memoir, documenting a way of life that no longer exists. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.

With 200 rare photographs, it’s a visual feast for those curious about St. John’s history under the Danish and US flags.View of Vintage St. John, a new family memoir

THE BOOK’S BLURB

When a prominent St. Thomas merchant accumulates 2,500 acres on the island of St. John to raise cattle and cultivate bay leaves, he has no idea that his generation will be the last to farm the land. 

During the 1920s to the 1950s, Herman O. Creque’s hard work pays off on his estates of Annaberg, Mary’s Point, and Lamesure, but at the peak of their profitability, he dies, leaving them all to his wife, Emily.

Summer Fun at Francis Bay

Francis Bay is their children’s favorite with almost thirty years of summer memories, fishing, hunting, and crabbing. One day, the beach and summer cottage will be theirs, or so they believe.                             

Laurance Rockefeller and Frank Stick

When two conservationists from the United States visit the island in 1952, they find the unspoiled nature of Emily’s lands enchanting and “wish to preserve them for the enjoyment of the nation.”

Little do Emily’s children suspect that life as they know it is about to change forever, and the unthinkable will tear their family apart.

The Virgin Islands National Park

Vintage St. John is a collection of their heartfelt memories woven together from personal interviews. They paint a vivid picture of life before the establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park… and life shortly after.

 

“If history were taught in the form of stories,
it would never be forgotten.”

~ Rudyard Kipling

 

ABOUT VALERIE SIMS

Image of Valerie Sims, author of Vintage St. John and Vintage Norman Island

Valerie Sims grew up in the US Virgin Islands, a descendant with ten generations of family history including the British Virgin Islands.
Her love of family history all started with wonderful conversations with her grandmother!
Learning about her life growing up under the Danish flag, inspired her fascination with genealogy and family history as a young girl.
In 2010, she captured the top prize for the Deputy Governor’s History Research Award in the British Virgin Islands for her research paper. It was about her second great-grandfather entitled, The Life of Henry O. Creque, 1857 to 1915, A Biography.
Today, she researches and writes for her website, VintageVirginIslands.com. It offers over 300 blog posts about the history of the US Virgin Islands, the Danish West Indies, and the British Virgin Islands. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and introduces her readers to the past through old newspaper articles, family photographs, and vintage postcards.
She also has fun creating products for ShopViHistory.com to bring the islands’ past alive with puzzles, notebooks, and prints. Each one has a fascinating story to tell! 
Vintage St. John is her first book. She hopes it will inspire others to document their family stories and keep their heritage alive.

Valerie and her husband currently make their home in the Caribbean raising their two children with an ever-watchful eye on their two, rambunctious little dogs.

 

VINTAGE ST. JOHN IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOW!
Have a look: http://www.amazon.com/

Sales page and Book trailer

Vintage St. John will be available at select stores in the US Virgin Islands, including Bajo el Sol at Mongoose Junction, StarVilla Vacation Homes and more to be announced.

A stack of Vintage St. John booksPublished by Vintage World Media, SEZC
Release date: February 1, 2020
Paperback: 359 pages, 6.14 x 9.21
ISBN: 978-1-7343863-0-1

Contact: Valerie Sims

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To follow Valerie’s blog, visit www.VintageVirginIslands.com

 https://www.facebook.com/vintagevirginislands/

For an interview or a review copy request, please contact the author, Valerie Sims at: Valerie@ValerieSims.com

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