Comments on: Stories From 23andMe: James Larry Vick and the “Black Dutch” of Newman’s Ridge

By: latrell malone

latrell malone — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:03:05 +0000

black dutch, means you are a descendant of king arthur, and his queen ,guinnivere.and the other early english kings and queens.black means out.like out of office and dutch means he was of dutch ancestry

By: Jason Hill

Jason Hill — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:25:32 +0000

My GG-gmother was born in south central KY and has been called “(black) Dutch” and I am looking forward to having her last surviving granddaughter tested to see her admixture results. I have traced the usage of the term back to the Wars of Religion in Continental Europe. Basically, Iberian mercenaries raped women from Holland down into Germany and the children would be called “Black Dutch” or “Black Deutsch,” hence roughly equating the original meaning of the term with today’s “Hispanic.” Johannes Kepler’s mother is an example of one of the offspring of these traumatic times. When the Palatinate Germans came to America they brought this term with them and it would come to apply to anyone looking darker than a typical Northern European. The older term in colonial times used for a “Hispanic” looking person was “Portugee.” Over time in America these terms evolved to refer to an individual with questionably racially mixed ancestry without necessarily implying African heritage. “Melungeons” have always maintained that their ancestors were not slaves.

I am also a documented descendant of the Bunch family in another line. From Y-DNA testing it is known that the Bunch family progenitor is from Africa. In one of the Bunch branches the name changed to Collins around Louisa County, VA. From there Vardy Collins later moved to Newman’s Ridge, TN ca.1790 and became a local patriarch of the “Melungeon” Collinses. So we may be related somehow through the Collins/Bunch family. I have a hypothesis that there is a tendency for these “Crypto-Africans” to “recognize” and marry one another throughout the generations, hence preserving this genetic legacy better in some branches. In the early days, African genes like the sickle-cell trait may have provided an advantage with malarial resistance. These early African “colonists” may have been more genetically adapted to the environment of the Southern Colonies than their European contemporaries.

By: ken reed

ken reed — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:10:10 +0000

I was walking in downtown Houston, and stopped for a traffic light. A man next to me looked me in the eye, and said, “I’ll bet you’re black Irish.” I was leery, but just then the light changed, and he hurried on ahead. I never knew until now what the term meant. I do know I am primarily Scots-Irish on both sides of my family, with a touch of German on my father’s side and one Cherokee Indian on my mother’s side. I would really love to go back in time and visit with some of my ancestors. I can see speech patterns, character traits, and ways of thinking in myself and my siblings that came to us through our parents. I would like to know how far back they originated.

By: aber

aber — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:39:38 +0000

My father claimed he was black dutch. He had dark wavy hair and olive skin and almond shaped slanted eyes..sort of oriental-like. But from looking on the web I found that Native American’s used to call themselves “Black Dutch”…back when there was some shame in being an American Indian.

By: Katy Brown

Katy Brown — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:07:18 +0000

The term “black” was used early on in this country.

From the minutes of Stony Creek Baptist Church (SW Virginia or NE Tennessee, due to border fluctuations.)

August the 22, (1801)
Met in order. Referred the hearing of Sister Mary Jones till next church meeting:
Brother Jesse Wilson and Br. David Cox to cite her to appear. Received by experience John Watson, Senr. Baptised Nevel Wayland, Senr., William Marshall Cockrel, Henry Leath, David Cox Jr., Nancy Wayland, black Rode (Rhoda).

March the 27, 1808
Church meeting held at Stony Creek and found in love. Simon Dotson, Feby Dotson, Mary Dotson, William Hollan, and black John and Eve. Elizabeth Bradic excluded from this church this 27th day of March 1808. Brother Cock, Brother Wells, Brother Brickey appointed to attend at Copper Creek the third Saturday in April. Brother Cock has given a letter of recommendation from the church where he came from. Elizabeth Carter came forward told her experience and was baptised. Lidish (?) Ogden has taken a letter from this church. Presley Carter received by experience and baptised. Dismissed in order.

The Blacks referred to here may have been free people because elsewhere in these minutes there are references e.g. “James, Mr. Smith’s black” indicating James was the property of Mr. Smith.

http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/scott/church/stonycrk.txt