Who said History has to be boring?
Starting with me…
This blog explores genealogy, ancestry, Caribbean History, and the lived realities of the Atlantic world through carefully researched, narrative-driven storytelling. Drawing from archival records, court cases, parish registers, wills and family oral histories; it traces real people across St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Colonial America. Also from Tudor England, enslaved individuals to clergy, soldiers, writers, activists, artists, shockingly American Presidents, statesmen and Founding Fathers all connected through my family lineage.
I am starting with me! I was born on 07/16/70… actually, no. I celebrated my birthday on that day until I was 12 years old. Then I got a copy of my birth certificate and, lo and behold, it said 07/17/70. My mom said I was born close to midnight. Maybe that was the mix-up. My mom was the late Patricia (Kate, Kathleen, Pat), and my dad is Denzil.
Why me? I’m Renée. I was a state certified (NY, GA, DE and CT) History and English teacher for the last 20 plus years. I’ve taught U.S. History and Literature, World History, NY State History, African History, and African American History and Literature. I love History and watch historical documentaries for fun.
I was also an English Language Arts and Literature teacher for my entire tenure in the classroom. So I pull from the best of both worlds to write my posts.
I earned a BSEd from UD and a minor in History (it would have been my major, but a girl needed to be paid), so I chose a practical degree. Not only do I love history, I also love researching my ancestry and genealogy. I’m on GedMatch, here is my GedMatch number: MS5521941 let’s see if we are related!!
Surprisingly, I am related to many distinguished American Statesmen: a signer of the U.S. Constitution, a signer of the American Declaration of Independence, TWO U.S. Presidents (it is said that if you are related to one U.S. President {except VanBuren} then you are distantly related to ALL U.S. Presidents , ipso facto President Obama is my distant cousin.) I am also related to an infamous Civil War General! If that is not scandalous enough I am directly related to the man I dub “The first Serial Killer in the Caribbean”. I have already written about him and many of these people already. I will continue to explore even more of these folks in my future blog posts. So let’s dig deeper.
Why now?… Why not now??!!
Why St.Kitts?
I was born and raised on the beautiful island of (St. Christopher aka St.Kitts in the Caribbean. It is part of the twin island federation of St. Christopher and Nevis. Both islands were originally named by the native Kalinago people. St.Kitts is Liamuaga “Fertile Land” and Nevis Oualie or Oualichi “Land of Beautiful Waters”. I think the islands should return to their original names.
My family roots run at least 5 generations deep in both islands. I can trace my ancestry on the islands all the way back to two of my African born ancestors.
I was curious as to my background and did an Ancestry DNA test. I’m 92% West African and 8% European. The strangest outcome is my being 1% Albanian (How Sway??) !!! Below are my results.
So now you know my DNA breakdown; let’s dissect it a bit. My highest percentage of DNA match comes from Benin/Togo at 24% and Nigeria also at 24%. What blew my mind was my matching with SIX different 4th cousins and one 3rd cousin 1x removed who are Nigerians, straight from the continent. They all have no ancestry in the Americas nor in the Caribbean. So what does that mean? Did I find a direct link to my African-born ancestors? The cousins have not been very forthcoming the most I’ve gotten so far was 4 were Igbo and 3 were Youruba.
Continue with me on this literary and historical journey where I spill the tea on BOTH sides of my ancestry. Yes the enslaved and the slavers. I have some shocking, juicy and sometimes downright chilling accounts. I’ll put links to maps, wills, court cases, census data, travel documents, ads, and letters all with an attempt to see the inner workings of my family’s history and linage. Also that of folks with a connection to St.Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean.
I will be posting my flyer if you are interested in learning US History and Literature, African American History and Literature from me. It will be painless and fun I promise. I will approach the History in a balanced and exciting way. The Literature will be taught through short stories. They will be deep, thought-provoking but yet very enlightening. I will be hosting one on one sessions or small class sessions via Zoom. So you can schedule and learn WORLDWIDE!
🌺🌸Buy me a coffee ☕️ please🌺🌸
LEARN U.S. HISTORY and LITERATURE WITH ME:
Disclaimer: some content and images were generated and edited by AI.
I promise to deliver:
Hidden Histories of the Caribbean: Slavery, Resistance, and Ancestry
Through this narrative-driven blog uncovering Caribbean history through stories of slavery, resistance, genealogy, and the lives history tried to erase. I will also explore my European ancestors (I have many). I will also reveal my family link to some very important American Statesmen. Keep reading and share with a friend of 5. lol
