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Reconnecting Communities

Building Bridges
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Unearthing Atlantic Descendants Legacies

What we do
DNA Ancestry
Development of shared family trees through Ancestry.com and other platforms to document connections across the Atlantic.
Research & Archives
In partnership with archives and libraries in Maryland, Virginia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Sierra Leone for access to historical records.
Descendants Communities
Collaborative genealogical research projects between descendant communities in Virginia, Maryland, Nova Scotia, and Sierra Leone.

Chesapeake – Nova Scotia – Freetown

The partnership between Stephanie, Shantelle, and Akindele reflects the living legacy of historical migrations that connected communities in Virginia and Maryland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and Freetown, Sierra Leone more than two centuries ago. Through family history, scholarship, cultural exchange, and community leadership, they are laying the groundwork for a new transatlantic descendants network that will help families reconnect across oceans, reclaim shared stories, and strengthen cultural and genealogical bridges between descendant communities in these three regions.

Reweaving Trans-Atlantic Stories

Stephanie Dunmore
In Williamsburg, Virginia, Stephanie has been a long-time volunteer with the William & Mary Bray School Lab, bridging the Bray School story with its descendant community.
Shantelle Vanterpool
In Preston, Nova Scotia, Shantelle Vanterpool has traced her family to Black Loyalists and Black Refugees, with confirmed ancestral roots to Virginia and the wider Chesapeake region.
Akindele Decker

From Freetown, Sierra Leone, through genealogical research and DNA matches, Akindele Decker has identified possible ancestral connections to families in Calvert County, Maryland and Virginia.

Recent News & Updates

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"“My journey began in Williamsburg, tracing my family through records, oral histories, and DNA matches. Names like Downy, Diggs, and Carvery connect my family to others in Nova Scotia and beyond. Understanding historical geography has been crucial—many of the boundaries have changed since the 18th century.”"

Stephanie Dunmore

"Growing up in Nova Scotia, I always knew we had deep roots. Through research, I traced my ancestors back to Virginia through Black Loyalist records and DNA matches. Stephanie and I discovered shared ancestors — tangible proof of these trans-Atlantic family connections."

Shantelle Vanterpool

"In Sierra Leone, many families can trace their roots back to Maryland and Virginia through the Black Loyalist migration of 1792. My own family is part of this story. This map of Settler Town lists over a hundred households — people who once lived on Chesapeake soil and helped found Freetown."

Akindele Decker