Home

[Herb.]

I've finally found the last piece of my ancestral puzzle.

I'll begin with this picture. This is my great great great Grandmother, on my mother's side.

She was of French and Black descent, and was a DeBerry (a Northern French name -- my mother's maiden name.)

Looking at this, you can clearly tell she was not enslaved. And possibly had some wealth, even. I later learned the term for what she was, which is a free person of color.

"Free people of color" was a term most used in FRENCH colonies.



I decided to look up the details of the free people of color:

When I looked it up @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_people_of_color

I kept seeing one word keep popping up: Haiti.

I was like whoa Because I remembered these words...

Taron told me months ago:

your features remind me of this Hatian girl from NYC that I went to school with. She had the prettiest chocolatey skin with this LONG beautiful wavy hair and her brother was so sexy

Monk told me months ago:

I rlly thought Afro was Haitian
idk why

had some Haitian coworkers in NYC
and they all have this similar look

u look distinctly Haitian

Now i'm not gonna lie, when they told me this mess I was originally looking like ... Haitian? gor... sdnnsdndssd

I would have NEVER thought to look there for anything, because my family is not "Caribbean".

When I say my mouth DROPPED. I totally forgot how closely Haitian and French relations were!

She was basically Creole.

Louisiana Creole people have strong ties to the Caribbeans!

creole is a mix of French, Spanish/Portugese, African, Caribbean and Native blood
ALL of these regions came up in my DNA 
Crazy that even the Southeast African regions where the Portuguese mixed with Africans popped up as a huge part of my African DNA!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_peoples

My mother's DNA is strong as fuck.

EDIT: Also found that there is an city right on the border of Texas and Louisiana with my family's last name!!!!!

[Herb.]

I am proud of this heritage because unlike other colonists, the French EMBRACED  a LOT of their mixed race children, and offered them wealth and education.

Free people of color (or Creoles) were a distinct cluster of people , who separated themselves into their own sort of high class club. Many of them had the same "aura" my great great great grandmother gives in that photo. Very highly esteemed, very well poised. You can tell they were in good positions.





The only part that I find discomfort in is that I read that many of them had "servants". I really hope she wasn't one of them, and I have no evidence that says she was. So I'll leave it at that.

[Herb.]

I just told my grandmother ....she is so excited to really know her tea.

She told me that people used to ask her if she was West Indian
s
s
s

[Young]

Omg wow
This is amazing sis.


I really need to do my research like this because I know the feeling has to be so rewarding. And even therapeutic in a sense; you're unlocking your truth. 

[Sinpool]

That's cool luv

But are you sure it's not Louisiana Creole?

But then again you would probably know if it was Louisiana though.

[Barbie Dangerous]

[Herb.]

That's cool luv

But are you sure it's not Louisiana Creole?

But then again you would probably know if it was Louisiana though.

I'm sure it is

But you have to remember, Creole people didn't come out from the states originally. Many of them came from the Caribbean -- Haiti, etc.

Many Louisiana Creole families arrived in Louisiana from Saint Domingue as refugees from the Haitian Revolution.

A lot of Creole's deep origins are traced to the Caribbean. The genes are just that damn strong that they're still on my face generations down the damn line    strong enough for people to pick it up  that's fucking crazy

[Herb.]

Omg wow
This is amazing sis.


I really need to do my research like this because I know the feeling has to be so rewarding. And even therapeutic in a sense; you're unlocking your truth. 

!!!!

I know it sounds so silly, but I almost cried today.

This is all I fucking wanted. Just to know who the fuck I am. I was so close to giving up.

And was avoiding Europe for filth.  That was stupid of me.

I have nothing to be ashamed of. My great great great grandmother was in a good place. And was part of something amazing. I'm proud of my heritage, and so glad I can just put a name on it that sums it all up.

My journey is officially done.

[Sinpool]

That's cool luv

But are you sure it's not Louisiana Creole?

But then again you would probably know if it was Louisiana though.

I'm sure it is

But you have to remember, Creole people didn't come out from the states originally. Many of them came from the Caribbean -- Haiti, etc.

Many Louisiana Creole families arrived in Louisiana from Saint Domingue as refugees from the Haitian Revolution.

A lot of Creole's deep origins are traced to the Caribbean. The genes are just that damn strong that they're still on my face generations down the damn line    strong enough for people to pick it up  that's fucking crazy

Yeah alot of Haitians came to Louisiana, but you Louisiana was a French colony first so there were alot of creoles already there. That's why Louisana Creoles are the most "mixed" group of Black Americans but I get what you're saying

That's so cool. You should learn to speak Haitian Creole 

[Herb.]

ssssssss

So all my redbones get on da flo'
And all my yellowbones got on da flo'
And all my brownbones get on da flo'
Then you mix it up, and you call it Creole!!!!

[Young]

This is amazing

[Herb.]

That's cool luv

But are you sure it's not Louisiana Creole?

But then again you would probably know if it was Louisiana though.

I'm sure it is

But you have to remember, Creole people didn't come out from the states originally. Many of them came from the Caribbean -- Haiti, etc.

Many Louisiana Creole families arrived in Louisiana from Saint Domingue as refugees from the Haitian Revolution.

A lot of Creole's deep origins are traced to the Caribbean. The genes are just that damn strong that they're still on my face generations down the damn line    strong enough for people to pick it up  that's fucking crazy

Yeah alot of Haitians came to Louisiana, but you Louisiana was a French colony first so there were alot of creoles already there. That's why Louisana Creoles are the most "mixed" group of Black Americans but I get what you're saying

That's so cool. You should learn to speak Haitian Creole 

Yeah I don't know why I didn't put it together before.

When I started looking it the pieces....the French, African, Native, Iberian (Spanish) results .. I was like wait isn't this Creole ? 

But I was like no. I didn't even bother looking further into it.

Hun, when I perched into that Free Persons of Color page today I was SLAYED. Like omfg.  it put EVERYTHING into perspective . I would have NEVER looked for any of this information I found. It just smacked me in the face.

My grandmother was like waiiiittt...yes!!!

She didn't know much about this mess. Which is understandable, she wasn't close to her father's family. And this is where that ancestry comes from. I wondered why she kept telling me to look into it. but it makes sense now. I feel so bad for delaying it. She was asking because she didn't have an opportunity to know them. She was excited. 

I was thinking of learning the language today too. sssssss
ommff I wanna go to Louisiana now. Maybe I'll surprise my grandmother with a trip there.

[Herb.]

This is amazing

Luv, download your raw DNA file from Ancestry and upload it to GEDMatch if you want a more thorough breakdown of your mess.

I'll help you learn how to use it.
ANd how to read the results...

[Sinpool]

I tried to dig deep but my fam don't know shit and I dont understand that GEDmatch stuff

[Herb.]

I tried to dig deep but my fam don't know shit and I dont understand that GEDmatch stuff

That kit you have is autosomal right?