by: Nadeche Diepgrond, Nicole Borginho, Santiago Suárez, Tom Hacha

Introduction

In the 19th century, the colonial government of Paramaribo, Suriname, maintained detailed ward registers that documented the city’s population between 1828 and 1847. These records include a wealth of information such as names, ages, occupations, ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations, and the number of enslaved individuals living at each address. Following digitization, the data was harmonized into a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) database. This structured dataset now serves as a powerful tool for historical and genealogical research, offering unique insights into urban life in mid-19th century Paramaribo.

The ward registers provide an important entry point into understanding identity, social organization, and urban dynamics in a colonial context. While the dataset offers remarkable detail and spatial structure, it also reflects the inequalities of its time. Enslaved individuals were often recorded without names and only as numbers, and many entries lack full demographic data such as age, occupation, or religion. Additionally, the transcription process introduced minor inconsistencies. Nonetheless, the dataset remains a rich source for historical inquiry.

In this data story, we explore one particular aspect of Paramaribo’s population: religion. Our research question is: What was the distribution of different religious affiliations across the districts of Paramaribo during the period 1828–1847?

Our aim is to examine the distribution of religious affiliations across the city’s districts during the period 1828–1847, and to explore how this reflects broader social and demographic changes. This question is highly relevant because 19th-century Suriname was a culturally and religiously diverse society. The population consisted of Indigenous people, enslaved and freed Africans, Europeans, and other migrant groups — each bringing their own religious traditions. Understanding religious affiliations across the city allows us to explore Paramaribo’s cultural landscape and to consider how religion may have influenced social structures.

Religious affiliations in Paramibo

To examine the distribution of religious affiliations across the city’s districts it is essential to understand the overall religious makeup of the population. Figure 1 presents the total counts and percentages of individuals per religious affiliation, offering a clear macro-level view of the city’s religious composition during the period 1828–1847.

This overview helps identify both the dominant and minority religions in the city. The largest groups were Protestant denominations: Hervormd (25.2%), Luthers (21.4%), and Gereformeerd (16.2%). Other significant groups included Rooms-Katholiek (8.2%) and Hernhutter (8.1%). Jewish communities also formed a notable part of the population, particularly the Portugees Israeliet, Nederlands Israeliet, and Hoogduits Israeliet congregations. At the same time, the city was home to a range of smaller denominations, including Mennonieten, Remonstranten, and Doopsgezinden, as well as individuals recorded as Geen Religie, Heiden, or Episcopaals, each representing less than 2% of the population.

This first visualization highlights two important aspects: the dominance of Protestantism, and the broad diversity of religious expression within the urban population. It provides essential context for the spatial analysis that follows, in which we explore how these religious groups were distributed across the city’s districts.

Although Protestant denominations formed the majority of Paramaribo’s recorded population between 1828 and 1847 (see Figure 1), this dominance was largely driven by the inclusion of the enslaved population from 1836 onward. Among the free population, religious affiliation was more diverse. The following graph (Figure 2) displays the religious distribution in the period 1828-1847, where the ten most represented religions are shown individually and the remainder religions (less prominent) are aggregated. Figure 2 shows a sharp increase in recorded individuals after 1836, due to the expanded registration of enslaved people. The Hervormd group displays the most significant growth in this period, followed by smaller increases across other denominations. On the other hand, the Gereformeerd group shows a decline after 1835. This pattern reflects a shift in administrative practices rather than actual demographic change.

The following bar chart (Figure 3) shows how the religious groups were distributed across the different districts (wijk) of Paramaribo. The Hervormd group was the largest overall, and especially concentrated in district A, B, D, and E. Luthers were similarly widespread but with a strong presence in district B, D and E. Gereformeerd were also widespread across all districts but had a strong prevalence in district D. RoomsKatholiek, although were a smaller group, they were also spread across all districts with a larger presence in district D, as well as Hernhutter. Hoogduits Israeliet, a Jewish denomination, had a notable population spread across district A, while Portugees Israeliet were more localized in district B. Smaller religious groups such as Israeliet and GeenReligie were present in low numbers. Overall, district D appears to be the most religiously diverse and populous, with many groups represented significantly.

The spatial arrangement of Paramaribo's districts is presented in the map below, with each district distinguished by color. These districts boundaries were digitally identified and colored in Adobe Photoshop, adapting district boundaries identified on an 1898 map (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Map_of_Paramaribo_1898.png) and applying them to this 1850 map. Despite its 1850 publication date, just beyond our 1828-1847 timeframe, this map constitutes the earliest accessible cartographic representation of Paramaribo's district boundaries and is available on http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:53200.

Figure 4: Map of Paramibo, with the districts identified (1850)

Conclusion

This data story set out to study the distribution of religious affiliations across the districts of Paramaribo between 1828 and 1847, using newly digitized ward register data. Our findings show that Protestant denominations, particularly Hervormd, Luthers, and Gereformeerd, were the most widely recorded religious groups during this period. Catholic and Jewish communities also made up a significant share of the population, especially in districts such as district A, B, D and E. Smaller groups, including Mennonites, and various Protestant minorities, contributed to a complex and diverse religious landscape.

The inclusion of enslaved individuals in the registers after 1836 had a notable impact on the religious data. It led to a visible increase in the recorded population, particularly within the Hervormd denomination. This growth likely reflects a change in administrative recording practices rather than a demographic shift, highlighting the importance of critically interpreting historical data in its colonial context.

Our results and scripts can serve as a foundation for further historical-demographic studies using the Paramaribo ward registers. Future researchers might adapt our queries to investigate other aspects of identity, such as age, ethnicity, or status (free or enslaved), and how these intersect with religious affiliation.