Arnold E. Jr. van Beverhoudt

Island Boy Meets Island Girl: Our Life on the Rock Arnold E. Jr. van Beverhoudt

Black & White Edition -- In the 1670s, a Dutch settler named Claudius van Beverhoudt arrived on St. Thomas, Danish West Indies. He married a woman named Elizabeth deWindt and made St. Thomas his home. Arnold van Beverhoudt, Jr. is a direct 8th generation descendant of Claudius and Elizabeth. His paternal grandparents, Ernest and Elisa, were living on St. Thomas in 1917 when the Danish West Indies became the U. S. Virgin Islands. They eventually moved to Venezuela, but Arnold's father remained on St. Thomas, where he became an auto repairman and raised his family. This book presents - in words and photos - Arnold's memories of life growing up and eventually meeting his "Island Girl" Helena on the tiny Caribbean island that its residents affectionately call "the Rock." It's a story that's been over 340 years in the making.