Guiana Amerindian Slaves in 1600’s Barbados

[christopherswink8]

This has been a long journey. And one I am sure will continue for the rest of my life. Had it not been for DNA Consultants though I may not have looked as deeply into many of my ancestors from 1600-1700’s along the East Coast of America. I found one of my 9th great grandmothers that was born in Barbados, was transported to “New Jersey” 1679. Was granted her freedom and was allowed to then marry. Elizabeth Burton ?1652-1719? Married John Shotwell ?1679? She may or may not have been Amerindian but given the location of her birth, being “warded” out to a Major Nathaniel Kingsland, Barbados Plantation, and given her freedom once in New Jersey are certainly clues for me to look into. One very interesting note is that Amerindians from Guiana were routinely shipped to Barbados in the 17th century for slave labor. And that my Melungeon report shows that part of my genetic profile is in common with modern day Columbian - Andean, Amazonian, Orinoquian; Paraguayan.

While I know that DNA Consultants cannot comment on other testing companies. I can say that my results from 23andme show that I match Columbian, Surui, Karitiana, Maya, Pima, and Guatemalan.

All this said. Without the help and benefit of the entire staff at dna consultants I never would have even known where to look for my ancestors. This is only one of many lines that I will continue to research.

https://read.dukeupress.edu/ethnohistor ... th-Century

[emmdee2]

Hello Christopher.

My 23andme is on version 4 and my dad, sister and one of my sons on version 5. Mine originally had a vague E Asian and/or Native American trace. Over updates they have erased that. My dad and all show some trace African that they are stepping out. Took it off the map into trace and I expect will disappear as well. They are competing with Ancestry to give you the within 200 years accuracy, which I can find those via genealogy pretty easily.

Glad you are making progress. My Native Fingerprint showed Cherokee enrolled as my #1 world match, but my sister on Cherokee test shows as not likely and very low Cherokee results (Admixed 147 and 289 world,enrolled 311versus was my #1 ) and only Lumbee in top 50 for her (my #42 I think) and mostly African type results. That did lead me to find a (white) ancestor born in Jamaica and another service shows my sister as a 5th or so cousin to two Jamaican men of color. I think it has to be on their European, because that woman from Jamaica was daughter of a plantation owner and married a revolutionary war officer here ins the US in 1700s) ...

So... still don't know but interesting. Some other big box services give me 3-5% West Asian and at times trace Lebanese or Levant. Another service using STR alleles calls us Romani (3-6%) and Florida Muskogean around 6% (too high on both IMO). But Florida Native was my #5 result on DNAConsultants Native Fingerprint. We are too distant and too mixed, and maybe something distant on both sides of family.

Like hearing your results, thank you for sharing.

Marcia

[emmdee2]

Well now I looked at 23andme and they have done an update as of October. They don't give me but do my dad, sister and my son (from my side!) some trace Siberian and Broadly Chinese and SE Asian now. My version 4 not reading the same on their new chip I presume but my son prior had Native from his dad's side that they removed. I am pending ancestry update but expect they won't give back any thing and might delete my Russian/E. European. Will see.

[christopherswink8]

Marcia,

Thank you for sharing that. On my Melungeon report Melungeon was #1. Lumbee was #3 and Cherokee admix n=62 was at #9. I have a lot of Spanish, Portuguese, Iberian matches in my megapopulations also. On my 18 marker ethnic panel I have 1 NA II marker, 3 Jewish markers and 2 SSA markers. I am wondering if the Spanish/ Portuguese may not be a “false” match for NA. I dont know though. Anyway. Here is a picture of one set of my 4th great grandparents. Hohn Leffler and Joanna Howell. Both born in Hope Hardwick and Monmouth New Jersey early 1800’s. John Leffler is of the Shotwell line connected to Barbados. Joanna I have found documentation on Ancestry that she was in Barbados after birth for a time and then returned to New Jersey. I am confused by this. But the picture here is pixelated but has some interesting things to it. John, although fair complexted, has his hair in what seems to be in a roach and appears to be wearing earrings. Joanna they say is Pennsylvania Dutch but her facial features and hair bun lead me to think otherwise.

95632898-8C91-4ECC-A76A-566CAD11FF81.jpeg (28.56 KiB) Viewed 40806 times

[christopherswink8]

emmdee,

One thing I love about DNA Consultants is that they will never take away our population matches. I have not yet lost my trace amounts of NA on 23andme yet. They did however take away my Spanish/ Potuguese and add Angolan/ Congolese. Which still falls in line with my DNA Consultants results of SSA and my rare genes test showing Khoisan. If I do lose the NA from them I still know its there based on DNA consultants results.

[emmdee2]

I have to tell you that I have just recently found a connection to Barbados and Jamaica but she would have been Irish that were there in the slave trade, Elizabeth O'Neal and her father, great grand father born in Barbados. I found an O'Neal family history from like 1924 saying that the ONeal's had been in Salem, and converted to being Quaker and then forced down South and this part of family went to Barbados. But it appears the O'Neills/O'Neals may have went to the Caribbean in reference to connections to the Spanish government?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/307 ... richardson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93_N% ... n_O'Neills

I don't believe Colonel Richardson could be my actual 6th Great grandfather since Edith Richardson was born at least 10 years before he met Elizabeth O'Neal. So her father probably was either Hugh Purdie or the first husband surname Root (?). This is, so far, the only direct connection to slave trade I had found in my family.

Thank you for what you've shared.

Marcia

[christopherswink8]

Marcia,
Or Native American sold and shipped to Caribbean. Possible. Or if truly Irish slave probably mixed with Carib Indians. Surui, Karatiana etc.

[christopherswink8]

Marcia,

I am happy to share anything I find. Nothing is a secret to me. Some families still hold secrets. I personally believe that now more than ever our familial secrets need to be unearthed and told.

In our present day where there is discrimination amongst all lower class. Black and white. And the Indian goes unnoticed. Especially the descendants of Native Americans.

I feel that if I find something of interest or that can be of help to anyone else they have the right to know.

White Americans are here to stay.
Black Americans are here to stay.
But the “Indian”. The North American Native is fading fast. What are we to do?

[emmdee2]

Hi again Christopher.

Though I believe I have at least one Native ancestor, still elusive, I do consider myself to primarily white/European racially and culturally. But I am finding there is something to results that I thought had to be wrong. For my sister her Cherokee test she had probably 25-30 of her top 50 matches were US black, African, Caribbean black matches and the Jamaican Black I thought maybe so went looking and did find the connection to that area. We show as distant cousins to some black people from Jamaica on MyHeritage (where they are like 70 - 80% black and 10-15% European), I feel it is probably on a common European ancestor but who knows.

Also, we were never told that we had any Polish, but turns out 2nd great grandparents called German or Russian were born in Pomerania in old Prussian Empire and most of that is modern day Poland on the Baltic Sea. My sister's #4 match and my 16th had Poland.

Lots to explore.