y family, the Smiths, have been listed as either B or M in all census records and I can prove direct lineage. The earliest ancestor I have found so far was called Gypsy James Smith.

However, a DNA test states that I do not have any African DNA. It does show my Native American heritage since James Smith married a Cherokee woman in South Carolina in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

Has anyone experienced something similar or have suggestions as to why we were identified as such when we were not?

Thanks for any response.

Jim Smith

It could be as simple as what state they were in...some states or commonwealths didn't recognize Native Americans especially in that time frame. They listed the births as either black, mulotto and in some instances they were listed as "N" for a not very complementary term for blacks. Some places have issued "replacement" birth certificates recently to set the record straight. Hope this helps you...

Thanks for the reply. It also has been suggested that since the DNA test looks at paternal DNA, Gypsy James Smith may have been Native American and his wife African American.

Jim

That too is possible as the Cherokee especially (NC area) took in escaped slaves. I myself am gypsy (ROM) but am married to a Cherokee/Blackfoot man. I think that both groups have been persecuted far to long and think it would be a good idea for the two groups to help each other!

I totally agree. In researching mixed race cultures coming out of North and South Carolina and the CVherokee nation, I have been struck by the animosity among many of the groups.

Many of my ancestors were Cherokee and I am the last generation that could claim Cerokee status. But, the hoops the Nation makes one go through to prove encestry is more involved and cumbersome than anything I have ever seen or encountered.

We now believe that my Gypsy James Smith was probably a real gypsy, not just someone disguising himself as one. His wife was Cherokee.

Thanks for the feedback.

Jim

I was very interested in your postings, since my family tree allegedly contains Gypsy (Rom) too, from South Carolina. Smith is a name included in possible ancestors. My autosomal dna test (you can get one done by DNA Consultants and others) tells me I have Portuguese/Spanish, Moroccan, Native American (looks like Cherokee), etc besides the expected Scottish and other European. My Gypsy heritage cannot be proved, though I show Croatian, Slovenian, Albanian, Portuguese/Spanish, and India. This particular line (Cook was the paternal line) were in SC from at least as early as 1740's. They may have been mixed with the colonists of Santa Elena, those from shipwrecked pirates, etc. Would you email me with the part of SC in which your Smiths lived and the surnames they married into?

I hope you are still around Jim.
Have you been Y DNA tested?
There is an English Romanichal Smith who has Y DNA tested for the Romany DNA project. He is in Y Haplo Group H1a which is South Asian Indian in origin.

If you have not been Y DNA tested, then that is something you should consider doing one day. Chances are darn slim you will be in Y Haplo Group H1a, but on the chance that you are in
Haplo H1a, then that would be clear evidence of a direct Romanichal connection.