Jews and Muslims in British Colonial America: A Genealogical History

[Lyndsey]

Much gratitude to Dr Yates and Dr Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman for writing this incredible and much informative book!

I'll try to give the short version of my story: While doing my genealogy on my paternal line, I had noticed SEVERAL IRISH QUAKERS and they were all emigrating to Pennsylvania. I was looking for my Jewish Ancestors because of my DNA results being Jewish II and Jewish III. Why was I finding all these IRISH QUAKERS!

Ok, so fast forward, the book mentioned above caught my attention and I decided to get it. I noticed a chapter on IRISH QUAKERS in PENNSYLVANIA! This was the very first chapter I read and before I finished I was stunned. My IRISH QUAKERS were JEWS!

They were incognito Jews under cover aka Crypto-Jews, in the guise of Quakers!! I went back to my genealogy and started looking more closely at the given names and surnames, I.e Barak, Maria, Fisher, Butler, and the names given to their children, I.e Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Sarah, Rebekah, some of whom married Enos Ellis and Solomon Hoge, to name a few, just as Dr Yates and Dr Hirschman pointed out in their book and lo and behold there they were, hiding in plain site! I was so excited I quickly emailed Dr Yates and shared with him what I had found including some pictures of the names of my ancestors from their Quaker records.

Dr Yates replied that I had hit "pay dirt" and indeed it was!

Does anyone else have any Quaker Jews hiding in their family tree?

[emmdee2]

I am reading the book, still looking around and trying to complete my genealogy. I had one Jewish III and two Jewish IV markers so I think those tend more to Turkish or middle eastern? My sister not done this test but she has shown Ashkenazi Jewish on some tests.

Marcia

[Lyndsey]

Hi Marcia,

I think you’ll enjoy the book. These books written by Dr Yates and Elizabeth Hirschman are answering a lot of questions and help put the pieces of the genetic and genealogy puzzle together.

[emmdee2]

Hi Lindsey.

It is interesting. A direct relative is named among possible Maryland crypto Jews or Muslims. Elias Amos Veatch is my 4th Great Grandfather. The name is different and is variant of French for cow Vache, which the Spanish Vaca/Baca is said to be crypto Jewish. Still I think more likely his wife last name Brown and her family seem more likely from the given names.

[christopherswink8]

I too have found many Quakers in a couple of my lines on my fathers side. I have a Lydia Veatch b 1784 Maryland married to a Levi Jones in my lines. This Veatch line seems to go back as far as I can find to Scotland 1500’s to a Malcom Vietch Muirdean. I see variances in the Veatch name in Scotland 1400’s and 1500’s as spelled Viatche as well. I have one marker each for Jewish I, III and IV on my Melungeon report.

[emmdee2]

Hello Christopher,

Wow, small world, we are some sort of distant cousin then as to my knowledge all the Veatchs/Veitchs in the US are all descended from James "the Sheriff" Veitch who immigrated from Scotland to Maryland in like 1651. At some point part of the family kept the Veitch spelling and another branched to Veatch with the a instead. So if your ancestor was Veatch might be around James Veatch Jr. b. 1725 in Maryland is my 5th great grandfather, what is that a 6th cousin? Pretty distant, likely no or little actual shared DNA, but quite a coincidence our both being here.

I have one Jewish III and two Jewish IV markers. I am the only one in the family who has done a DNAConsultants test, mom already passed away. I usually don't show Jewish of any kind but on this my 2nd Mega Population was Jewish. My sister often shows Ashkenazi Jewish but can't say if it is from mom or dad or related to the Veatch lineage if is from mom's side.

Marcia

[christopherswink8]

Marcia,

I have markers for Jewish I, III and IV. Not positive which side or if both. But am fairly certain moms side at least one of the markers. The Veatch is in my dads side. “The Sheriff” sounds familiar like I have read about him somewhere else. Interesting also is I have read that Quakers had intermarried within Native Tribes as well. And were also friends to “Indians” and hid them from danger at times also.

We probably are distant cousins. The US seems to be heavily admixed. Especially descendants of people that were from the entire Eastern seaboard from 1600-1700’s.

[emmdee2]

I have found a trail back to Nicholas Bacon, father of Sir Francis Bacon (?) but mine via Nicholas' son Edward Bacon, this on my mom's paternal side. I believe he is mentioned as Crypto Jewish or Sephardic Jewish in Jews and Muslims in British Colonial America. Shows as my 12th great grandfather.

That is the most sure link I have to Sephardic Jewish. I have one Jewish III and two Jewish IV markers and Jewish was my 2nd Mega population and Iberian my first.