View Full Version : POssibly descended from slaves in Bermuda

09-27-2015, 10:03 PM
I recently had my DNA tested , and based on results, I started delving into my genealogy. I had earlier in life researched my genealogy, but when I got my 23andme results back, I started digging deeper and what I found in my genealogy seems to tell a story that coincides with my 23andme results. Would love a second opinion

Originally i thought i had all my ancestors traced back to Europe. However, I had on my 23andme results European except for 1% african and 0.2% Native American. Yes these are small amounts but hear me out. (Harappa world finds me to be 3.5% mesoamerican dna by the way, i find some matches with clovis child including some on chromosome 1 and 2, and a few other reasons why i think this is legitimate not just noise...)

When I trace my genealogy back, I can trace ancestors back to Europe until I get to my ancestors who came from the island of Bermuda, which was a British colony at the time. I reach a point around the time when I would be receiving just small percentages or fractions of percentages from any ancestor, around 1800, where one of my ancestors, a woman who married into my family, I couldn't find anything about her date of birth or her parents. A woman in Bermuda who loves to do genealogy research looked into primary sources on my behalf and found that this female ancestor was actually born to an unwed mother and took her mothers maiden name at birth. The name of the unwed mother was the last name of a slave holding family. And slaves and freedmen in that colony would take their masters surname. Furthermore, when my ancestor married my male ancestor, she was going by a different maiden name, who could have been her fathers surname, or there are various possibilities based on what i read regarding slaves in these colonies (https://grannum.wordpress.com/category/caribbean-research/)
So the pattern of her name and the fact that her mother was unwed and that most slave descended mothers would be unwed in that time and place seems to match her being descended from slaves possibly. And the slaves on Bermuda were a mix of Native American and African slaves.

The Chromosome that I have the most Native American distinct alleles on, according to 23andme, is Chromosome 8, and other than my mother's half of that Chromosome, my fathers half is all British, and then it is African American and Native AMerican clustered together according to the Chromosome painting.

This is extremely important to me, as my Children are part Native American on their dads side and love doing powwows and it would mean a lot to me to be able to point to evidence that I have some heritage as far as this goes too. Is there anyone who is willing to help me evaluate this?

09-28-2015, 01:05 AM
1% African is compatible with an African ancestor around 1800 at 23andMe.

09-28-2015, 01:17 AM
yes, and the native american slaves were brought to Bermuda around 1650...
i mean it makes sense historically
i am just wondering if anyone knows how to look at data and say for sure whether or not it is "noise" and i am reading too much into things or if i have something solid here

09-28-2015, 02:45 AM
THe native american could easily be noise from ANE

09-28-2015, 03:44 AM
I have read all sorts of possibilities but am looking for a researcher who can help me evaluate my data specifically based on experience. Believe me, I have read all sorts of things. I have spent countless hours research both from the genealogy angle as well as the dna analysis angle and i believe i have gotten as far as i can on my own and am looking for an inside evaluation. I did try writing to McDonald but haven't heard back. Wondering if there are any other specialists that I should try?