Quander family

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The Quander family is remembered in various places around Fairfax County, Virginia, including Quander Road, a road that passes through the Groveton CDP and the Belle Haven CDP Quander Road at Columbia Drive in Fairfax County.jpg
The Quander family is remembered in various places around Fairfax County, Virginia, including Quander Road, a road that passes through the Groveton CDP and the Belle Haven CDP
Quander
Current region America
Earlier spellingsQuandoe
Quando
Kwando
EtymologyAmkwandoh
Place of origin Fante Confederacy
FounderEgya Amkwandoh

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.

Contents

The Quanders are from the Fanti tribe of the Akan peoples. Their origins began in Ghana, and now the majority resides in either Maryland or Virginia/Washington DC [1] and more recently parts of Pennsylvania. [2]

History

Origin

The Quanders originated from the Fanti tribe in Ghana. A man by the name of Egya Amkwandoh was kidnapped during the African slave trade in the late 17th century and transported to the United States. [1] [lower-alpha 1] According to official slave records, when slave owners asked for his name, he answered “Amkwandoh,” which was misinterpreted as “I am Quando.’ The next few generations of Quanders went by the name Quando rather than Quander. [4] 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 come from the Maryland side, specifically the family member Henry Quando. A slave owner by the name of Henry Adams from Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, included the freedom of the Maryland Quandos in his will on October 13, 1684. The Quandos who reside in Virginia are related 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, Quander Road and later Quander Road Elementary School (now known as Quander School) [5] [6] were named after the family. At least one home built along Quander Road has been standing for 100 years. [7]

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. [8] 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. [9]

In his will George Washington stated that he wanted his 124 slaves to be released upon the death of his wife, Martha Washington. [10] George Washington died on December 14, 1799, with Martha signing a deed of manumission in December 1800, [11] and the slaves were set free on January 1, 1801. [11] On that date, Nancy Quander being one of the slaves included in Washington's will, was freed. She returned to his tombstone with ten others about 30 years later to pay their respects in what was attributed to their loyalty to Washington, whom they claimed to have been like a father. [12]

Religion

The family is heavily Catholic (despite the early influence of the largely Protestant or Deist Washingtons), and one of their early communities was named "Chapel Hill" after the Catholic chapel near their homestead. [13] At least one recent reunion was hosted by Incarnation Catholic Church in DC (with a family history stop at St Mary's in Upper Marlboro, Maryland), and one recent family event was a Lenten fish fry held at Incarnation as well. [14]

Family reunions

There are three branches of Quanders; those who reside in Maryland, those who reside in the Virginia/Washington, D.C. area and those that reside in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. The family belongs to the African-American upper class.

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. [7] The Quanders had their 85th family reunion at Mount Vernon for the first time in 2010, returning to the grounds on which their family was once enslaved. [2] The family placed boxwood twigs and cuttings on the slave memorial in memory and respect to their ancestors who worked the grounds. [15]

Noteworthy Quanders

Henry Quando

A son or grandson of Egya Amkwandoh—the first Quander brought to America through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade—Henry established himself in Maryland to build a family and eventually become freed in 1684. [7] 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 Hayfield Plantation, a slave plantation in present-day Fairfax County (the land of which is now Hayfield Secondary School). [16] Once he was freed (probably after the Civil War), he bought two acres of land at a time up until his holdings amounted to 88 acres. When he died, his land around what became Quander Road was divided up among his children and then subsequently among their heirs. [8]

Nancy Carter Quander

Nancy Carter Quander, one of the daughters of George Washington's slave Suckey Bay and by virtue a slave herself, married Charles Quander [1] of Maryland following her release to freedom. She was a spinner and landscaper; records have been found and kept of her work on the Mount Vernon grounds. [9] 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. [8]

Nellie Quander

Nellie Quander was a 1910 initiate of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and served as its first international president. She led a group of five other sorority members (which included two founders) which ensured Alpha Kappa Alpha's perpetuity by securing legal incorporation on January 29, 1913. This strategic move enabled Alpha Kappa Alpha to grow by establishing chapters throughout the United States and, later, abroad. It also protected the name, colors, symbols and integrity of the organization. Nellie Quander 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. [7]

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 president Jimmy Carter in 1977, long after her retirement. [7]

Gladys Quander Tacil

Gladys Quander Tancil was a historical interpreter at Mount Vernon who worked to improve the historic site's coverage of enslaved people, including members of the Quander family. [17]

James Quander

James Quander was the first permanent deacon ordained after the Catholic Church revived the office, and was also one of the first people to use insulin as a treatment for diabetes. [18]

Rohulamin Quander

Rohulamin Quander is president of the Quander Historical Society, as well as an Administrative Judge for Washington, D.C. [2] [19]

Jay Quander

Jahmond “Jay” Quander is a descendant of the Quanders that worked on the Mount Vernon Estate, and established their freed slave community where Quander Road and Quander Road School 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. [20]

Paul Alonzo Quander Jr.

Paul Alonzo Quander Jr. was the Washington, D.C deputy mayor for public safety and justice, with responsibility for the police and fire departments, and for six months was acting chief of staff for then Mayor Vincent C. Gray. [21]

Michael Quander

Michael Quander was a television journalist for WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, and WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., consecutively between 2012 and 2021. He won a 2018 National Capital/Chesapeake Bay Emmy Award for "Historic/Cultural - No Time Limit" for his segment on his family's history. [22] He has since moved on to consulting work.

Mark Quander

Brig. Gen. Mark Quander grew up near Mt. Vernon. In 2021, he was appointed second-in-command at West Point. [23] In an NPR story about his new role, he was described as the fourth member of the Quander family to serve as a general officer in the U.S. military. [24]

See also

Notes

  1. As seen in another Washington Post article, the family historian unidentified in the "Roots"/Washington Post interview-article is Rohulamin Quander. [3]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Vernon</span> Plantation estate of George Washington

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Washington Parke Custis</span> Step-grandson of George Washington (1781–1857)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Washington and slavery</span> George Washingtons relationship with slavery

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Ona "Oney" Judge Staines was an enslaved woman owned by the Washington family, first at the family's plantation at Mount Vernon and later, after George Washington became president, at the President's House in Philadelphia, then the nation's capital city. In her early twenties, she absconded, becoming a fugitive slave, after learning that Martha Washington had intended to transfer ownership of her to her granddaughter, known to have a horrible temper. She fled to New Hampshire, where she married, had children, and converted to Christianity. Though she was never formally freed, the Washington family ultimately stopped pressing her to return to Virginia after George Washington's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie Quander</span> American labor leader

Nellie May Quander was an incorporator and the first international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. As president for several years, she helped expand the sorority and further its support of African-American women at colleges and in communities. The sorority established a scholarship endowment in her name. The legacy of the sorority has continued to generate social capital for over 112 years.

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Elizabeth Parke Custis Law, sometimes known as Eliza Law, was the eldest granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and a step-grandchild of George Washington. She married Thomas Law, the youngest son of the late bishop of Carlisle, England, and an experienced administrator with the East India Company.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Costin</span> African American activist and scholar (c. 1780–1842)

William Costin was a free African-American activist and scholar who successfully challenged District of Columbia slave codes in the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia.

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West Ford was the caretaker and manager of Mount Vernon, which had been the home of George Washington. Ford also founded Gum Springs, Virginia near Mount Vernon. He was a man of mixed-race, and possibly of Washington family descent.

Sarah Johnson was an African American woman who was born into slavery at Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate in Fairfax, Virginia. She worked as a domestic, cleaning and caring for the residence. During the process, she became an informal historian of all of the mansion's furnishings. After the end of the Civil War, she was hired by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, ultimately becoming a council member of the organization. She bought four acres of Mount Vernon land to establish a small farm. The book Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon (2008) tells the story of her life within the complex community of people who inhabited Mount Vernon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Carter Syphax</span> Matriarch of the Syphax family

Maria Carter Syphax, otherwise spelled Mariah, was the matriarch of the Syphax family, a prominent family of African Americans in the greater Washington, D.C., area who became civic leaders, civil servants, and educators. She was born into slavery as Maria Carter, daughter of an enslaved woman and George Washington Parke Custis, a grandson of Martha Washington through her first marriage. Syphax was thus a great-granddaughter of First Lady Martha Washington.

John Scott Fairfax was an early American planter and politician in western Virginia, who twice served in the Virginia House of Delegates but may be best known for six years he spent as one of the overseers for former President George Washington.

Gladys Rebecca Quander Tancil was an American tour guide who was the first African-American to work as a historical interpreter at George Washington's Mount Vernon. She worked to improve the interpretation surrounding the slaves that Washington owned.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilkinson, Julia (February 21, 2013). "An African American family historian discusses the Quanders' deep roots". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Cox, Tony (August 5, 2010). "Quander Family Returns to Roots for 85th Reunion". NPR . Retrieved January 8, 2020. Transcript of NPR interview
  3. McGlone, Peggy (July 29, 2016). "A thorny question for African American museum: Whose story do we tell?". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. 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.
  5. Murphy, Caryle (January 14, 1977). "Fairfax School Is Chosen For Emotionally Disturbed". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  6. "Quander Road School - About Us". Fairfax County Public Schools . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Still, Lawrence A. (September 1984). "The Quanders: America's Oldest Back Family". Ebony . 39 (11). Johnson Publishing: 131–132.
  8. 1 2 3 Henderson, Rhonda (25 August 1995). "Mount Vernon's Other Legacy". Washington City Paper . Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 Elmasry, Faiza (2014). "Harsh Lives of Washington's Slaves Revisted". newsletter pg. 3. Retrieved 2016-02-03 via African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter.
  10. George Washington (July 9, 1799). "George Washington's Last Will and Testament". The Washington Papers/University of Virginia . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Thompson, Mary V. (2008). "In the Hands of a Good Providence": Religion in the Life of George Washington. University of Virginia Press. In December 1800, Martha Washington signed a deed of manumission for her deceased husband's slaves, a transaction that is recorded in the abstracts of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Court Records. They would become free on January 1, 1801.
  12. "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  13. "African-American Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George's County, Maryland". Issuu. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  14. "Welcome to Quanders United Inc. We pray everyone is staying safe and well". Quanders United Inc. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  15. Sieff, Kevin (2010-08-08). "For Descendants of Slaves, a Powerful Connection". newspaper article. Retrieved 2016-02-03 via The Washington Post.
  16. Pfennig, Dennis. "The History of a Field of Hay". Fairfax County Public Schools.
  17. Zielinski, Graeme (December 1, 2002). "Slaves' Descendant Told Their Stories at Mount Vernon". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  18. Courtl; Milloy (1978-01-19). "Quander Family Tree Spreads Its Branches". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  19. "Rohulamin Quander interviewed by Oral Ofori" . Retrieved 2019-04-29 via Hypercitigh.
  20. "Mount Vernon at Home" (PDF). newsletter, pg. 5. 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-03 via Staying Power.
  21. "Paul A. Quander, former D.C. deputy mayor for public safety, dies at 61". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  22. 60th Emmy Awards. National Academy of Television Arts &SCiences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter, page 37. (https://vongachi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NATAS_60th-Emmy-Awards.pdf)
  23. Brigadier General Mark C. Quander 79th Commandant, U.S. Corps of Cadets, U.S. Military Academy, West Point. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (https://www.westpoint.edu/military/commandant/biography)
  24. 'It's Going To Be Hard': A New West Point Leader On Confronting Extremism In Military. NPR, WAMU 88.5. National Security. February 13, 20215:08 PM ET. (https://www.npr.org/2021/02/13/967665837/its-going-to-be-hard-a-new-west-point-leader-on-confronting-extremism-in-militar)