Rico Corneiro, Native Virgin Islander Tracing His Heritage

Enrique “Rico” Corneiro was born and raised on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. His family’s history on the island dates back more than 200 years, back to a time when the islands were called the Danish West Indies. For almost 250 years Denmark ruled over the Virgin Islands. As a young child, Rico heard many stories about what life was like back in the old Danish days when pirates roamed the seas and sugar cane was the king crop.

An alumnus of the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas in 1985, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he worked as air traffic controller. While in the military, he continued his education and received three Associates Degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and in 1995.  He currently works in the financial services industry and is married with one daughter.

Over the years, his passion for learning about his family’s history and the history of the islands has led him to write several books. The most recent one, The Danish West Indies in Black and White. Almost 300 black and white images depicted what life was like on the islands 100 years ago. His other works include Rescuing Virgins: A Guide to Virgin Islands Sports Collectibles while his first book detailing his family’s 200+ year history in the Virgin Islands is entitled I Born Here: The Story of My Virgin Islands Family.