runaway slaves
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Tracing Your Roots: My ‘Merikin’ Ancestor Escaped Slavery
Researching those who chose to fight for the British and emigrate to Trinidad in order to be free. Dear Professor Gates: I was wondering if you could help identify the parents of my five-times great-grandfather Ezekiel Loney, who was among the “Merikins” (formerly enslaved African-American soldiers who fought for the British) who settled in Trinidad. …
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Tracing Your Roots: Is My Spouse Kin to a Man Who Freed 81 Slaves?
Sleuthing the tale of a “bachelor” slave owner who freed those enslaved at Virginia’s Tynes Plantation in his will. Dear Professor Gates: I have been trying to research the connection between the family of my father-in-law, Timothy George Tynes (April 13, 1927-November 1983), of Cambridge, Mass., and a slave listed in an 1802 will. The…
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Tracing Your Roots: Did My Wife Descend From Runaway Slaves?
A Canadian resident tries to confirm the origins of his wife’s ancestors, who reportedly traveled the Underground Railroad. Dear Professor Gates: My wife, Kathy Brooks, and I live in Canada, and she is trying desperately to trace the ancestry of her great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Shepherd, who arrived in Canada between 1845 and 1861. We believe…