Black Dutch - Tracing your roots!

Researching Black Dutch Ancestry
Revised:

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For many generations people through their family stories have often heard their elders being self identified as sharing this unique heritage.

This page is not intended to define or explain the many variances that exist in connection with this interesting topic.

What I am attempting is to explain my own genealogical findings in regards to claims of this interesting ancestry in my own family as a means to encourage the discovery of those people who were known to use this name.

Many people associated with this term also claim Indian heritage, and in my research I have found that this topic is very important to bring to light as there are many people whose families have heard this over the years, and so I would encourage you to dig very deep into your own history as I have done.

Below is my discovery based on many years of research into my own root cellar of those folks who utilized the name when asked about their roots.

My own great-grandmother often told members of our family, including my own mother, that she was of this heritage.

So this page exists so as to honor these wonderful people, and to explore the meaning behind this enigma of family history.

This name has sometimes been spoken of in reference to Sephardic Jews who married into families located in Holland, these offspring were then given the name as far back as the days of the Inquisition.

Many people discount this theory, however my great-grandmother was indeed descended from the Jews at New Amsterdam who came to America from Holland.

She was also Irish and directly descended from the man named John Bailey who was the first European land owner of the area now known as Elizabethtown N.J. after trading for the land with the Lenne Lenapi (Delaware) Indians in the year 1664.

So while many contemporary genealogists believe this theory to be little more than fabrication, my own research tends to affirm this idea that has been circulating for many years prior to the modern era.

In fact one noted professional working for the Genealogical Institute in Salt Lake City publicly announced that there is no tie between these people and Jews, however I strongly dispute this statement as it is based on error.

As a researcher who has done very extensive Jewish research, I find such statements quite inaccurate. The facts are, that many people that claim this heritage do indeed document their ancestors as being Hebrews from Holland!

I am not certain why many professional genealogists insist on making statements that are contrary to the evidence, however it is very clear that many are perhaps completely unaware of many legitimate long standing claims of those people that self identified themselves as such!

My 11th Great Grandfather John Bailey was married to a woman named Rebecca Stillwater who many researchers now believe was a daughter of one of the three Delaware Chiefs who traded with my grandfather for the land. These leaders names were Mattano, Manawowaone & Cowescomen.

There is much speculation that his wife was perhaps a Delaware Indian descended from one of these three Chiefs. This may be part of the reason our family was self-identified as such, which is through my grandfather's mother on my mom's side of the family.

While this may seem a bit strange, it is exactly this combination of lineage that my family related through the years. The most likely meaning of this in regards to my own roots is the hint of Indian ancestry among those whom were known as the New Amsterdam Jews and the Delaware tribe.

So you can see, in this instance there is not just one tribe who is possibly affiliated with the name.

Although the most common claims to such ancestry seems to be found among the Creeks, Choctaws, Cherokees, & Chickasaws, there are also other tribes that should be considered when stories of this heritage are connected to this name.

Other claims by other extended members of this particular family through the years also include Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee & Cynthia Ann Parker.

Several of the family members according to stories was present during the raid in which she was taken captive on the frontier of Texas.

All of the people involved, including one branch of the Parker family has also claimed this history sometime in the past.

One of my cousins related to my Great Grandmother was also captured in a raid in Erath County.

It has been passed down through my family that because of my cousins dark complexion and her long black hair, that the raiders believed that she must be part Native and spared her life!

I had heard this told through the years from my grandfather whom heard it from several other family members that this was indeed the truth, and lo and behold it is even reported that her dark hair saved her as mentioned in her obituary which has been graciously placed on-line!

Isn't online genealogy fantastic? It is hard to not see the value of computers when you confirm your long told family stories through the years as found in records that volunteers place on-line to aid family research!

My own research has uncovered some very interesting things in regards to this topic, and perhaps it is this mixing of peoples that accounts for many family claims much as it appears in my own roots.

If you have heard it passed down that your family is descended from these people, keep digging! There is a reason for this claim, and it may not be easy to find, yet with careful documentation and research, you may possibly find the reason this name was used.

It is not uncommon for people of mixed blood heritage to hear such stories. And I would presume a good majority of these family claims directly are speaking of Indian ancestry perhaps dating back to the 1600's in many cases, as the name is generally found to be an old colonial term.

The key is to not give up, and realize that it is not just some myth, but perhaps an even more interesting lineage than what appears at first glance!

Other groups associated with this name are the Melugeons which are usually perceived to be people of mixed blood ancestry that had married either former slaves and Portuguese/Jewish emigrants whom came to America early on to escape discrimination in Europe.

Many people who claimed this ancestry did so to escape discrimination, however as in the case of my own family this was not the case. They simply used the name when asked and it was not always a term used to hide their lineage, but rather perhaps was meant to describe their heritage to others whom shared the same type background.

However, in later years this name became strongly associated and used by mixed bloods. When asked about their dark complexions as a way to explain their dark features, many people utilized their roots from Holland as a means to explain their non-white appearance.

And no doubt they were legitimate in claiming such, as most uses of this term do indeed find their roots in families very similar to my own.

Many researchers speculate that this term originated because of Portuguese invaders into Holland in the 1550's and these soldiers then mixed with the local population in and this resulted in the name.

My own personal history however is not consistent with this ideal, as my great-grandmother's ancestry has proven to be mixed blood Jewish/Dutch/Indian.

In reviewing the majority of articles written by professionals on this topic, one thing has consistently presented itself.

The simple fact is, that the people doing the most writing on the subject are individuals whose own ancestors never claimed to be related to these people. So what you find is folks having to interview others outside of their own culture group in order to obtain information.

The most insightful and reasonably sound material available does not appear to be provided by professional genealogists, but rather from the very people whom claim to be descended from these good folks.

This is important to keep in mind! As you simply will not find official sources able to provide information on the term, any more than you can expect these same records to tell you the name of the tribes in which former slaves were listed in anglo-american manifests or sales notices.

Our brothers and sisters with African lineage also must rely on family history legends to a great extent, and these stories are no less invalid than the documented evidence that backs these stories up.

So while some researchers grasp at straws in their attempts to explain away these things, there are others with extensive genealogical research that winds its way back into Biblical times.

And among those researchers you often find that the most likely use of the term no doubt finds its true origins among people of mixed blood Jewish descent somewhere in the past.

You might not see it in documentation, but there is a very good chance this is indeed what has taken place regardless of what you might read in some article written by people with no knowledge of such ancestral history.

Whether this is the case with all families who claim this descent with Indian ties or not I can only speculate. However, it is not as far fetched as it seems and should not be ruled out.

People often forget that many Hebrew families came to this country in Colonial times very early on, and more often than not their names were changed into a more European sounding name to blend in as a means to disguise their Jewish origin.

In fact among these folks, one may find Jews who practiced Christian beliefs, and in fact these people came to this country to escape the discrimination against them by their own fellow countrymen whom castigated them for accepting the faith found in the New Testament.

Family stories that some researchers eschew as inaccurate folk tales, often prove themselves to be far more reliable in truth than what the records themselves reveal!

The name has also been associated with the term Gypsy throughout the years, and while some genealogists cling to the premise that this does not denote potential Jewish ancestry, these researchers are perhaps ignoring the actual family stories behind such claims.

In fact, if you venture to ask the good people in the country of Hungary as to whether or not the people known in their country as Gypsies are of Jewish descent or not, they are liable to ask you how long you have had your head hid in the sand!

Unfortunately there is more speculation and conjecture in relation to this name than perhaps any other genealogical topic. However, I have found in my own research that the reasons for such claims stems not from use as a term of derision as most assume, but rather a sense of Nationality and kinship that is shared by many people in connection with Indian lineage.

Whether your ancestors were self identified as Melungeon or Gypsy or Metis or other mixed blood peoples, we should always try to esteem these claims in the knowledge that during earlier times in this country, there was heinous discrimination that people of color could not openly embrace their cultures because of fear of death or retribution against their families.

It is for this reason that ancestors of these individuals must be bold in claiming their ancestry, simply because for the last 500 years it has been a matter of survival to keep such lineages hush hush and quiet.

We live in a somewhat different world today, and no longer should people be forced to keep quiet about their ancestral heritage. When you consider the many world cultures that exist, it is almost incumbent upon people to step forward and claim that which was buried before it gets lost altogether.

It is not so important that there is no standard concensus concerning the use of the term, either way our people exist regardless of measures taken to eliminate these claims as being just a myth or legend.

This type of genealogical research is founded in family stories, you will find no provision in legal documents that indicate that an individual was named as such, however the term exists even though you do not find such use in legal documentation of your ancestors.

For professional researchers to scoff at claims of lineage that include the mention of these people are simply not doing quality genealogical study. Some folks can't be explained away as myth when records of some families that make such claims also find their ancestors in the pages of the Holy Bible.

In fact, if you dig deep enough you may just find that many of these folks are very much interwoven in the fabric of European Royalty. However, that is another story altogether, and we certainly would not desire to give contemporary researchers a migrane in their attempts to explain away the claims of the occidental thrones of Europe. :o)

In my experience, I have found that the majority of family stories do indeed have truth in their contents, and it is just these type of legends that should be explored and documented for the future generations to enjoy.