Linda Strausbaugh celebrates a project to mark the 200th anniversary (in 2007) of the end of the Atlantic slave trade

Venture Smith, born free in Africa, was sold into slavery when he was about eight years old: ‘I was bought on board by one Robert Mumford … for four gallons of rum and a piece of calico, and called Venture on account of his having purchased me with his own private venture.’* He was sold to a New York family, and married another slave, Meg, when he was about 22. He was known for his stature and strength, and his refusal to suffer insult resulted in his being sold several times. In his late 30s he managed to buy his own freedom for seventy-one pounds and two shillings. Bit by bit he liberated his family, buying Meg in his early 40s. He died at the age of 77.

When he was 69, he said: ‘Though once straight and tall, measuring without shoes six feet, and every way well proportioned, I am now bowed down with age and hardship. But amidst all my griefs and pains, I have many consolations; Meg, the wife of my youth, whom I married for love and bought with money, is still alive. My freedom is a privilege which nothing else can equal. I am now possessed of more than 100 acres of land, and three houses. It gives me joy to think that I have and that I deserve so good a character.’*

(* Excerpts from A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa by Venture Smith. The full text is available here.) 

Venture Smith’s Narrative, published in 1798, is an extremely rare autobiographical window into one West African’s encounter with the Atlantic slave trade during the eighteenth century. It also vividly recounts the extraordinary challenges Smith overcame to free himself from slavery and to live as an American citizen.

Born Broteer Furro around 1729 in West Africa, Smith died in Haddam Neck, Connecticut, in 1805.  By the time of his death, Venture had become a highly respected merchant and landowner.

A unique interdisciplinary project, Documenting Venture Smith, is now trying to trace the geographical and ethnic origins of Venture and his family.(1)

Looking back

The genome offers an unparalleled opportunity to trace the footprints of history.  By comparing DNA signatures of any individual with those of living populations, we can make inferences about the geographical/ethnic origins of our ancestors.   Thanks to the many descendants of Venture Smith, who are active partners, and the philanthropical sponsor Bio-Rad Laboratories, such studies are under way.

Documenting Venture Smith hopes to ‘look backwards’ from their remains to better understand the geogenetic origins of Venture and Meg, his wife.  At the request of the matriarch of his living descendants, an attempt was made in summer 2006 to recover DNA from bones collected from the excavated graves of Venture, Meg, their son Solomon and granddaughter Eliza.  Unfortunately, the acid soil and water had long ago dissolved all skeletal elements, except two badly degraded arm bones from Meg.  DNA recovery attempts are ongoing.

Looking forwards

There can be little doubt that the slave trade has had a major impact on the modern genetic landscape of many parts of the world.  The second part of the genomics perspective is to ‘look forwards’ from Venture and Meg, through their living descendants, to document the many new lineages that contribute to the modern genetic landscape arising from this remarkable couple.

This pioneering study is made possible by excellent genealogical records compiled through a collaboration between many descendants and one member of the East Haddam Cemetery Association who has been following the trails of Venture’s family for years.  By analyzing the mitochondrial DNA types of descendants from two branches of Venture and Meg's family tree, we have found evidence of maternal lineages tracing back to Africa.  The first dates back 80,000 years, and ties Venture's descendants to one of the oldest modern peoples who left Africa to play a role in populating the rest of the continents.  The second maternal lineage detected through the Smith descendants dates to 59,000 to 79,000 years ago, to a people who now make their home in western and west central Africa. 

One can’t help but suspect that entrepreneurial Venture would be pleased that his life’s story and family are playing such innovative roles. 

Notes

1.  Documenting Venture Smith is a partnership of the University of Connecticut, the Beecher House Center for the Study of Equal Rights and William Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE, University of Hull).  A full report of this project will be delivered at the May 2007 WISE conference Slavery: Unfinished Business at the University of Hull.

Dr Linda D. Strausbaugh is Professor of Genetics & Genomics and the Director of the
Center for Applied Genetics and Technology at the University of Connecticut