A view of the site of the Catoctin Furnace, an iron forge where enslaved people of African descent once worked, in Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland, U.S., in this undated photograph. Aneta Kaluzna/Handout via REUTERS
To read more of Will Dunhams' article, please click here.
In a first-of-its-kind analysis, the researchers examined historical DNA alongside genetic testing company 23andMe's personal ancestry database to identify 41,799 Americans related to the 27 individuals, including 2,975 close relatives.
"Enslaved African Americans are largely excluded from the historical record, and in documents where they are mentioned, they are often treated as property, not as people," said 23andMe population geneticist and study lead author Éadaoin Harney. "I hope that this study can help to restore some of the information about the lives of the Catoctin individuals that has otherwise been lost to time."
The people identified in the study as relatives of the 27 individuals have not yet been notified of those findings, according to the researchers and 23andMe.
"We are considering a way to thoughtfully and ethically return results to those in the 23andMe database who would like to know if they are connected to the Catoctin Furnace individuals," 23andMe spokesperson Andy Kill said.
The study found some European ancestry in a majority of the 27, aligning with the history of sexual exploitation of enslaved people by enslavers and others. It found that some of the 27 carried risk factors for sickle cell anemia and G6PD deficiency, genetic conditions involving red blood cell abnormalities still common among African Americans.
"The experiences of African Americans within the early industrial complex of the United States are not completely understood and their labors in this system have not been thoroughly explored or acknowledged," Smithsonian anthropologist and study co-author Kathryn Barca said.
"We hope this paper gives voice to these 27 individuals while it acknowledges their origins and centers their histories within the broader context of the United States," Barca added. "In this way, it can help to begin to restore their identity stripped by enslavement."
Comments (0)