Thomas S. Murphy ClubhouseGenealogy Project

• Meshach Smith

• Rachel Poinson

• Kendell Francis

• Tiffany Hutchinson

• Christopher Polonia

• Tyquan Davis

• Aryea Ebanks

• Marc Poinson

• Allen Eugene

• Kiara Mason

Learning About Our

History• One aspect of this project was to study the history and origins of our ancestors.

• We also went on two trips to study the history and changing culture of our community.

A Family Tree

• This is an example of a pedigree chart or family history chart.

Other Family Trees• This is another

example of a pedigree chart. There are many different types.

• For people of African descent it is often difficult to find records.

Beyond Family Trees

• So we also did research on the African roots of our countries of origin.

• We studied our roots from the Caribbean island to West Africa

Important Definitions for Studying Our Genealogy

• Genealogy

• Stereotype

• Leo Africanus

• Syncretism

• Gunpowder

Our Roots

• The majority of our group members are of Caribbean descent.

• We found out that most people of African descent found in the Caribbean originally came from West Africa.

Fourteen African CountriesThere are 14

Countries in West Africa whose culture, traditions, and customs can be seen throughout the Caribbean society today.

14 AFRICAN COUNTRIES

1. Benin2. Cote de Ivoire3. Togo4. Sierra Leone5. Gabon6. Guinea7. Cameroon

8. Rep. of Congo9. Senegal10. Ghana11. Nigeria12. Angola13. Liberia14. Guinea Bissau

Where We Come From

• As a person of Haitian descent, Rachel’s ancestors probably came from Benin, Nigeria, and Congo.

• As a person of Jamaican descent, Tiffany’s ancestors most likely came from Nigeria, Ghana, and Angola.

The Triangular Slave Trade

• The European trade in African people involved the continents of Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

• Raw goods and people were taken from Africa to be sold in the Caribbean, and then the U.S.

Survival of Our Cultures

• One of the worst aspects of slavery was that it wiped out our original names, and almost took away the memory of our pasts, and culture.

• What we found out is that in some instances our African ancestors were able to keep their way and beliefs alive.

Syncretism

• Here are two pictures from Haiti that show the survival of African culture. (top) Haitian people practicing the Vodun ceremonies of their ancestors. (bottom) An Haitian altar to African gods.

Our Community History and Landmarks

• As part of this project we also visited two institutions in our community to learn about the history of our neighborhood.

• Our research took us to The Dutch Reformed Church, and Erasmus High School Campus.

The Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church

• The Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church is one of the oldest in our community, and was founded in 1654, shortly after the settlement of Kings County.

The Flatbush Dutch Reform Church (FDRC)

The Flatbush Dutch Reform Church, only two blocks from our Clubhouse

have a wealth of history that we discovered on our visit there.

It was really an Adventure!!!

The Church Structure • The beautiful stained

glass windows of The Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church were made by Tiffany’s, the famous jewelry company.

• In this series of windows each glass represents a different European country.

Segregation• There are also beautiful

balconies in the main

sanctuary but we discovered unfortunately that our ancestors were made to sit in the upper balcony. Slaves we not permitted to sit in the mezzanine section.

• Racism and segregation was not only apart of the South but right here in our Flatbush community.

The Cemetery at Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church

• The FDRC has a cemetery that is like a time capsule.

• The quality of the headstones and the materials used to make them tell us about the wealth of the person buried there and sometimes the situation surrounding their death.

Changing Face of Flatbush

• Here we see old and new side by side.

• Flatbush was once mostly farm land, now it is a busy urban shopping area

The Church House

• The Church House of the Dutch Reformed Church.

• The house was constructed in 1924 and serve as a unique place for community events and recreation

.

Erasmus Hall Campus

Erasmus Hall Today

• Erasmus Hall is the oldest operating school in the country.

It was established in 1784.

A view of the original Seminary Building

• Erasmus Hall was originally formed as a seminary.

• This building was the original structure of the school still standing in the middle of the court yard.

The original Seminary

• This plaque is in recognition of the seminary first established in 1786

Our trip to Erasmus Hall• A statue of Desiderius

Erasmus stands right in front of the original school building. He was a Dutch scholar.

Erasmus • Here are two examples of

the excellent stained glass windows at Erasmus Hall.

Erasmus• Here we observe a

collage of some of Erasmus Hall’s many famous alumni.