Tracing Your African American Ancestry
alani
It has been a long journey, and in some aspects quite rewarding. I
wrote two books about my search, Pieces of the Quilt: The Mosaic of An
African American Family, and Notes and Documents of Free Persons of
Color. Along the way, I took a DNA test, one which showed about 87%
European Ancestry, 8% Native, 5% African. That is my straight maternal
line, and only one part of the many branches in my family. My brother
took a Full Panel DNA test, which showed our straight paternal line to
be Native American from Columbia South America. Seeing those results
is what prompted me to write Pieces of the Quilt, which was my second
book. I came to realize that African Americans are more of an Ethnic
Group, than a race. Some of us are mixed white/African, Native/
African, Native/African/White, and any mixture of the other groups in
America.
While tracing my ancestry, I proved my Native lineage, and also proved
lineage to an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. One of my
ancestors was born in Guinea, enslaved at the age of twelve, and sold
in South Carolina. Another African Ancestor was a slave in
Fredricksburg Virginia, to a Quaker. There are those who were
Indentured Servants to George Washington's family in Westmoreland
County Virginia. My interest in tracing our family history started
early with stories my mother told me as a child. Her stories led me to
Virginia and Pennsylvania, the places where much of our history took
place.
I am now assisting African Americans in tracing their ancestry, and
especially those who are tracing Native lines. Not only have I found
lines, but I have been able to complete a family history chart. i know
how i felt when each ancestors was revealed, and it is good to share
that experience with others. If anyone is seeking assistance in
locating ancestors, please feel free to contact me.