We Are Family

It is relatively common, especially for families rooted in the same Southern state to descend from the same Slave owner and or Slave. For centuries. Historians and genealogists call this endogamy (marrying within a limited group), and in the context of slavery, it was often imposed by circumstance rather than choice. 

In the 1700s and early 1800s, enslaved populations in certain regions were relatively small, especially on individual plantations. Families often intermarried within these local communities because travel and social mobility were restricted by law and circumstance.

Many enslaved women were forced into relationships with slaveholders or their relatives. When that happened across generations, the same white enslaver’s lineage could appear multiple times in a family tree—sometimes in both maternal and paternal lines.

Enslaved communities were often isolated due to legal and social systems. Over time, this produced higher chances of relatedness. For Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved in the same region for generations, shared ancestry through the same white slave owner is not unusual.