Category Archives: Y-DNA

The Life and Times of Black Patriot Samuel Freeman: Born Free and Enslaved During the American Revolution

2nd Regiment, 4th Regiment, Abraham Mattyse, Abram Jansen Van Salee, African-Native, Afro-Dutch, Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Indigenous historic erasure, Afro-Indigenous Loyalists, Afro-Indigenous Patriot, American Revolution, AncestryDNA, Angenieje Weaver, Angenietje Webber, Anna Jans Wallis, Anthony Jansen Van Salee, Anthony Piggott, Antonia Freeman Snyder, Ari Dee, Atlantic Creoles, Augustine Van Dunk, Black Patriot, Black Patriots, Blauvelt, Blauvelt Slaves, Caesar Piggott, Canada, Capt. Benjamin Egbert, Claes Manuel, Colonial New York, crypto-Muslim, DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution, Davenport, Day, De Vries, DeFreese, DeGroat, DeGroot, Delaware, Delaware Lenape, Dewint, DeWints, Dey, Diana Haal, Diana Johnson, DNA Tests and Indigenous Identity, DNA Tests and Native American Identity, DNA Tests and Native American Tribes, Elizabeth Dee, Endogamy, Enslaved People, Fort Crown Point, Fort Niagara, Fort Ticonderoga, Fortuyn, Frans Abrams Van Salee, Fredericus Blauvelt, Free Backs in NJ, Free Blacks, Freeman, General George Washington, Genetic Genealogy/DNA Testing, Genetic Paper Genocide, Genocide, Grietje Reyniers, Harris Stephenson, Indigenous, Indigenous Americans, Indigenous Loyalists, Indigenous Slavery in New England, Isaac Sharp, John Green, John Joseph, Jora Van Guinee, Kitchawan, Kitchawan Wappinger, La Garce, Lenapehoking, Lenni-Lenape, Love, Lyon, Lyon-Green-Merritts, M23, Madagascar, Madagascar Slave Trade, Madagascar to Virginia Slave Trade, Malagasy Diaspora, Malagasy Roots, Malagasy Slaves in New York, Mann, Manuel, Moriscos, Munsee, Munsee Lenape, Murat Reis, Nanticoke Lenape, Native American, Native American Loyalists, Native Americans, Native-American and African-American ancestry, Netherlands, Neutral Ground, New Amsterdam, New York City, Nova Scotia, Nyack, Ogden, Pickett, Piggery, Piggott, Pirates, Pirates in NY, privateer, Ramapo Lenape, Ramapo Mountain Indians, Ramapo Mountains, Ramapough (Munsee) Lenape, Ramapough Lenape Nation, Rebekah, Revolutionary War, Revolutionary Westchester 250, Rockland County, Samuel Freeman, Sand Hill Indians, Sarah Piggott, Sarah Van Salee, Schuyler, Slavery in New Amsterdam, Slavery in New Jersey, Slavery in NY, Snyder, Stony Point, Tun Snyder, Van Cortlandt, Van Dunk, Van Salee, Van Surlay, Wappinger Federation, War of Independence, Willet's Levies, William Pride, Wolfert Weber, Y-DNA
Manhattan Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

On April 5th, 2024, I was inducted into the Daughters of the America Revolution (DAR)
for the wartime service of my 5x great-grandfather, Samuel Freeman (1754–c.1840)—a significant milestone.2 Born free, Samuel Freeman was enslaved twice during the conflict, escaped captivity to become a fugitive, and ultimately secured his freedom by serving in Lt. Col. Johannes Hardenbergh’s New York Militia until the end of the war. When I first applied to the DAR, we knew of his military service and his life after emancipation.
This article brings his story into sharper focus, exploring his origins, his path to freedom, and the life he built afterward.

For those interested in New Amsterdam/New Netherlands and Colonial New York History from a global and local perspective, I highly recommend Black Gotham Experience walking tours.  Click here.

The article can be read here: Teresa Vega_Life_and_Times_of_Black Patriot_Samuel_Freeman

The Fall of 23andme/ La Caída de 23andme/ Rediscovering Latinidad Podcast

23andme, ancestria, arboldefamilia, consumerdna, data breach, discovery, DNA, DNA cousins, DNA matches, eugenics, family tree, FamilyTreeDNA, FTDNA, genealogy, Genealogy Research, Genetic Genealogy, Genetic Genealogy/DNA Testing, hispanic, hispanidad, La Caída de 23andme, Latino, LatinX, Lenapehoking, M23, M23 Haplogroup, Madagascar, Malagasy Roots, Malagasy Roots Project, mtDNA, Rediscovering Latinidad, The Fall of 23andme, Y-DNA

Kudos to the team at Rediscovering Latinidad—Edward Rueda, Briar Rose, Edward Fausto, Jellissa, and Matthew Sambolin—for inviting my cousin, Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, and me to join this important conversation. Rediscovering Latinidad podcasts are “made with  love and dedication to the art of family history. Too often, the search for our roots is framed through a Eurocentric lens, making the process feel inefficient and exclusionary for those who identify as Latiné, LatinX, and everything in between.” I highly recommend subscribing to their podcast. Our history is complex, rich, and diverse, and it deserves to be explored on our own terms.

The recent data breach at 23andMe has sparked widespread concern, with many predicting the company’s potential downfall. In this podcast episode, we discuss the challenges 23andMe currently faces as a company in flux, separating fact from fiction. We also examine the pros and cons of other major DNA testing companies, providing insights for those navigating the evolving landscape of consumer genetics.

Of course, we also reflect on why we chose to use DNA testing in the first place—how it has helped us break through brick walls in our family trees. For many people of color, DNA is often the only tool available to trace our ancestry beyond recent generations. The brutal legacies of slavery, genocide, and dispossession were designed to sever our connections to the past. In this context, consumer DNA testing has been nothing short of revolutionary. Yet, it comes with its own challenges, particularly for those of us with endogamous ancestry, which can complicate genealogical research.

Finally, we confront the risks and ethical dilemmas of DNA testing, including issues of privacy, the lack of strong legal protections, and the troubling resurgence of eugenics—junk science dressed up in modern discourse. As genetic genealogy continues to evolve, it’s crucial to remain both informed and vigilant about how our data is used.

Please click on the red link to listen to Rediscovering Latinidad, Season 6, Episode 1

The Fall of 23andme/La Caída de 23andme

Enjoy!