E Pluribus Unum

TL;DR -- The NEHGS has a 10 Million Names project to identify the Americans of African descent who were here from the 1500s and 1865. D. A.R. has a project to identify and document Patriots of Color. The databases can be accessed at either site. 

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Black History Month ends today. We report on recent work of the NEHGS and D.A.R. with respect to the identifying unknown patriots. 

• E Pluribus Unum - "has been a motto of the United States since the earliest days of the Republic. But in practice, the history of the country has often overlooked the participation of certain groups, including the vital contributions of people of color and women to the War of Independence and the founding of the United States."
• 10 Million Names -  "collaborative project dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America (specifically, the territory that would become the United States) between the 1500s and 1865."
• Daughters of the American Revolution: Patriots of Color, 1712 – 1888 database - "was originally released in 2021 on the DAR’s Genealogical Research System (GRS) website and is filled with more than 6,500 names of individuals of African, Native American, Iberian, Latin American descent, or of multiracial ancestry who served in or supported the American Revolution. The names and sources tied to the names can assist researchers in their quest to uncover important facts about heritage or more general information about the Revolutionary War."
• American Ancestors Database News: Daughters of the American Revolution: Patriots of Color, 1712 – 1888 - "This database encompasses a less-examined aspect of the American Revolution: the Black, Native American, and mixed-descent participants. For the patriots that can be found here, the information available is extremely varied and comes from many diverse sources. There were both free Black and enslaved Patriots, and these entries sometimes only include a first name, or a first name and their enslaver’s last name as parenthetical information. Native American participants may be listed under their indigenous names and their tribal affiliation will be provided when known. These entries cover the original thirteen colonies as well as some of the frontier areas, such as the “Old Northwest,” which encompasses most of the Great Lakes region."

This watercolor from the American War of Independence is by Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger (1762-1851). The watercolor shows the variety of soldiers fighting for American independence, depicting, from left to right, a black soldier of the First Rhode Island Regiment, a New England militiaman, a frontier rifleman, and a French officer. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Remarks: Modified: 02/28/2025

02/28/2025 --