Quander Family

The Quander Family is believed to be the oldest documented African American family that has come from African ancestry to present day America. Historians believe so because they cannot find any records of any other African American family whose ancestry has been consistently kept and published. Their origins began in Ghana, Africa to which now the majority resides in either Maryland or Virginia/Washington DC[1] and more recently parts of Pennsylvania.[2]

Origin

The Quanders originated from the Fanti tribe in Ghana, West Africa. A man by the name of Egya Amkwandoh was kidnapped during the African slave trade and transported to the United States.[1] According to official slave records, when slave owners asked for his name, and he answered “Amkwandoh,” it translated to them as “I am Quando.’ The next few generations of Quanders went by the name Quando rather than Quander.[3] Other variations used include Quandoe and Kwando. The name became recognized as the present day pronunciation “Quander” during the 19th century. Egya Amkwandoh had two sons, who were both taken away from him and split up. One was sent to Maryland and the other sent to Virginia. The first known records of the “Quando” family existing as free people descent from the Maryland side, specifically the family member Henry Quando. A slave owner by the name of Henry Adams from Portobacco, Charles County, Maryland, included the freedom of the Maryland Quandos in his will on October 13, 1684. The Quandos who reside in Virginia are the ones in direct relation to George Washington, as well as the ones who remained in slavery up until the death of Martha Washington.[1]

Where the family’s freed members acquired land, it has turned into Quander Road and later Quander Road Elementary School named after the family. Homes are built along on the road that have been standing for 100+ years.[4]

Slavery to George Washington

Nancy Quander and her mother Sukey Bay were amongst the slaves who worked on the grounds of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Nancy Quander worked as a spinner for the Washington family and began her work once she was of age; 13 years old. She worked in a small back room behind the slave quarters.[5] The slave quarters were two one-story wings, one a female wing and the other male. Even if the slaves were married, they had to sleep separately. The quarters consisted of a working area and sleeping room, both of which had conditions that were unsanitary in addition to being small, and every room contained a fireplace as well.[6]

George Washington ordered the release of his 124 slaves was not to be done until the death of his wife, Martha Washington.[7] George Washington died on December 14, 1799. Martha instead signed a deed of manumission in December 1800,[8] and the slaves were free on January 1, 1801.[9] On that date, Nancy Quander being one of the slaves included in his will, was freed. She returned to his tombstone with ten others about 30 years later to pay their respects attributed to their loyalty to Washington, whom they claimed to have been like a father.[10]

Family Reunions

There are two branches of Quanders; those who reside in Maryland and those who reside in the Virginia/Washington DC area. The Quanders of Virginia and Washington DC have been celebrating annual family reunions since 1926. The Quanders of Maryland did not begin the tradition until 1974.[4] The Quanders had their 85th family reunion held at Mount Vernon for the first time in 2010 to return to the grounds their family was once enslaved to.[2] The family placed boxwood twigs and cuttings on the slave memorial in memory and respect to their ancestors who worked the grounds.[11]

Significant Family Members

Henry Quando

Many believe that he is one of the two sons of Egya Amkwandoh who was the first Quander brought to America through the slave trade. He established himself in Maryland to build a family and eventually be freed in 1864.[4] He was one of the first black males to adopt and act on the idea of civil rights, stemming from legal altercations involving his wife and daughters.[1]

Charles Henry Quander

Charles Quander is the father of Nancy Quander, and worked on the Hayfield Plantation; a slave plantation in present-day Fairfax County, Virginia. This is now present-day Hayfield High School. Once he was freed towards the end of the Civil War, he bought two acres of land at a time up until he reached 88 acres. Once he passed, the land was divided up amongst his children where homes still stand, a century old, on Quander Road.[5]

Nancy Quander

Nancy Quander is the daughter of Sukey Bay and Charles Quander and a slave of George Washington’s,[1] among many other Quanders. She was a spinner and landscaper; records have been found and kept of her work on the Mount Vernon grounds.[6] She worked in the back room of the slave housing, spinning cloth for George Washington's garments. It is believed that she was unable to read or write, therefore after her release from Mount Vernon, no records can be found of her life thereafter.[5]

Nellie Quander

Nellie Quander founded the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as well as took her position as the first supreme basileus.[12] Nellie also is closely related to George Washington as she is a direct descendant of West Ford, son of Bushrod Washington, who was George Washington’s nephew.[4]

Elizabeth Ann Quander

Elizabeth Ann Quander was one of the first lead singers with the Duke Ellington Band. For a ceremony in her honor, she sang at the White House for former president Jimmy Carter in 1977, long after her retirement.[4]

Rohulamin Quander

Rohulamin Quander is president of the Quander Historical Society, as well as an Administrative Judge for Washington DC.[2] (Cox).

Jay Quander

Jahmond “Jay” Quander is a descendant of the Quanders whom worked on the Mount Vernon Estate, and established their freed slave community where Quander Road and Quander Road Elementary stand. Some family members still live on the land acquired after their ancestor's release. Jay is now the Director of Food and Beverage at the Estate in which his family was enslaved.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilkinson, Julia (February 2013). "Old Roots". Ebsco Host. Retrieved 2016-02-03.(subscription required)
  2. 1 2 3 Cox, Tony (2010). "The Quander Family Returns to Roots for 85th Reunion". Ebsco Host. Retrieved 2016-02-03.(subscription required)
  3. ↑ Luke, Adam (2012). "The Quanders United Tricentennial Celebration, 1684-1984 : June 22, 23, and 24, 1984 : Washington D.C.". Equella. Pearson. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Still, Lawrence (1984). "The Quanders: America's Oldest Black Family". Ebsco Host. Retrieved 2016-02-03.(subscription required)
  5. 1 2 3 Henderson, Rhonda (25 August 1995). "Mount Vernon's Other Legacy". newspaper. Retrieved 3 February 2016 – via Washington City Paper.
  6. 1 2 Elmasry, Faiza (2014). "Harsh Lives of Washington's Slaves Revisted". newsletter pg. 3. Retrieved 2016-02-03 – via African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter.
  7. ↑ George Washington’s Last Will and Testament (https://web.archive.org/web/20050206235002/http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/collection/other_last_will.html).
  8. ↑ George Washington Pamphlets. 1885-01-01.
  9. ↑ George Washington and Slavery. 2015-09-05. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  10. ↑ "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  11. ↑ Sieff, Kevin (2010-08-08). "For Descendants of Slaves, a Powerful Connection". newspaper article. Retrieved 2016-02-03 – via The Washington Post.
  12. ↑ "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated - Beta Upsilon Chapter". 2007-11-09. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  13. ↑ "Mount Vernon at Home" (PDF). newsletter, pg. 5. 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-03 – via Staying Power.
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