The Caribbean Y-DNA Project

Project Background

The African slave trade strecthed down from Senegal to Angola. Guinea- Bissau and Sierra Leone, the Gold coast, the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Biafra were the most active slave trading markets.
The Portuguse controlled the trade of Upper Guinea coast latter the Dutch and English established bases in Angola and Benin. The English being the biggest importers of African slaves followed by the Portuguese,the French and Dutch.

Tribes from North West Africa: Senegalese, Foulas, Poulards, Sosos, Bambarras, Kimbaras, Mandingos and Yolofs.

Tribes from the Coast and interior of the Great Bulge of Africa: Aradas, Mahis, Haoussas, Ibos, Yorubas, Bini, Takwas, Fidas, Amines, Fantis, Agouas, sobos, Limbas and Adjas.

Tribes from Angola and the Congo Basin: Solongos, Mayombes, Moundongues, Bumbas, and Kangas.

Kidnappers and gangs operated in the ports of England, Wales and Ireland, seizing drunken or unwary victims and selling them to captains bound for the Caribbean colonies.

Not all Irish and Scottish in the Caribbean were part of the English transportation of political prisoners or Irish slaves. Many were Irish exiles who became merchants and soldiers with large communities in Spain who immigrated to Cuba, Puerto Rico and South America. Others were also Irish exiles who had settled in France and the Spanish Netherlands became merchants and settled in the Islands of Martinique and Saint Dominique (Haiti). Many of this Irish became involved in piracy.

In 1681 the English passed legislation against the breeding of Irish females to African slaves for the purpose of producing slaves for sale. Generally because it was cutting down on the slave trade from Africa profits.

In 1797 the British army was defeated by the Puerto Rican Militia established by Alejandro " Bloody" O'Reilly.

Many y-dna studies on the Irish have been done without the complete and true facts about the Irish population before the 1600's. How can a study be made? Without the y-dna samples of the Irish sold into slavery during the Cromwell years in Ireland or military prisoners and the descendants of the "Wild Geese" who fought in the Spanish regiments all throught the Caribbean.

"RedLegs" " ,"Poor Bakros" or "Scotland Johnnies" was a derogatory term used for Irish and Scottish political prisoners or slaves that were brought into the Island of Barbados. It's believed this term came about by the burning of the legs by the sun. Since most of the Scotts and Irish whore kilts on their arrival.

Redlegs are found among the population of Barbados there is no evidnece so far that the Redlegs are the descendants of the Royalist Families who were exiled by Oliver Cromwell. The Redlegs never hardly married outside their kind for 300 years. But among the Irish marriages and children born by marriages with African happened more often.

Tories were Irish landlords who refused to be trnasplanted by the English during the Ulster English plantation. These Families took refuge among the woods and Mountains often joined by Irish Soldiers from Spain and France who had returend to fight the English. The Tories were hunted down for the price of 40 schillings. The Tories were often sought for refuge by Catholic priest. Often if a Torie was caught either he was hanged or sold into slavery . Priest were executed.

From 1686 to 1701 The Spanish crown denied all Flemish and Irish families to settle in Puerto Rico. In the 1770's all illegal Irish immigrant was deported from the Island of Puerto Rico.

1. After the battle of Kinsale 30,000 military prisoners who were sold to the English plantations in the Caribbean.

2. By 1637 the island of Montserrat in the West Indies the population was 69% Irish slaves.

3. In 1650 25,000 Irish slaves were sold to planters in St.Kitts.
4. Over 100,000 children and women were sold to English planters in the West Indies and to the United States particularly New England and Virginia.
5. 12,000 Irish prisoners were sold to English planters in the Island of Barbados.
6. 82, 000 in total Irish were sold and transported has slaves to Barbados and the state of Virginia.
7. In 1651 cromwell deported to the various Caribbean islands over 8,000 Scottish Royalist.
9. Thomas O’Neill who fought in the Spanish Netherlands. His descendants may still be in the Islands of Providencia & Santa Catalina in Colombia. In 1789 he was appointed Governor of Cartagena.
10. Enrique O’Neill of Tenerife , Canary Islands. Sub Liet. in 03.08.1796. Served in the Regimento de Infanteria Fixo de Cartagena de Indias.

11. Many O’Neill’s may still in the Islands of St. Nevitts, St. Kitts, Tortola, Anguilla, Martinique and many other Islands .

12. Carlos Eugenio O’Neill Served in the Spanish Regiments his descendants may live among the various islands of the Caribbean. The Island of Granada is a possible strong choice.

13. For 200 years the O'Neill Counts of Tyrone family lived in the Island of Martinique. The descendants of Hugh O'Neill , 2nd Earl of Tyrone



The English transported about 1,900,000 slaves to their colonies in the Caribbean from the years 1651 to 1807 when they finally abolished the slave trade.

The French, whose trade lasted between 1664 and 1830, shipped about 1,650,000 to their colonies.

In 1649 after the battle of Drogheda Oliver Cromwell transported many Irish political prisoners to the Island of Montserrat.
The Island of Montserrat 70% of the caucasian population was Irish. In 1677 the population on Montserrat was 3,200 + and bout 2,000 Irish and 600 African slaves with 600 English planters. Many Irish allied themselves with the French against the English. In 1633 Governor Anthony Bisket with origins in county Wexford, Ireland opened the Island of Montserrat for immigration for Irish servants and ex political prisoners once they had served their sentences.

In roughly the same period, the Dutch took 900,000 to the Guianas and the West Indies.

Martinique received a immigration of 29,000 laboures from Indian between 1852 and 1887. Guadeloupe received 45,000 Indian laboures.

Of course, these figures do not include those who died on the sea voyage and those who were killed by slave hunters in the gathering process in Africa.


The Dutch occupied Tobago in the early 1630s.

The Spaniards took over St. Croix, but the French drove them out in 1650.

In the middle of the 17th century the Dutch dominated trade with over 25,000 ships.

Pirates or Buccaneers until the 1690's operated openly out of Tortuga and in the western part of Hispaniaola and then, after 1655 , from Port Royal, Jamaica .

The Dutch West India Company dated back to 1621 declared bankrupcy in 1674.

The Danes on St. Thomas occupied nearby St. John in 1716, and the French sold St. Croix to the Danes in 1733.

In 1777 the Island of Grenada had 27 slaves per European.

The population of the British West Indies in 1787.

1. 461,864 African slaves
2. 58,353 Europeans, and 7,706 free Africans.

The population of the French West Indies in 1780.

1. 437,738 African slaves
2. 63,682 Europeans, and 13,429 free Africans.

Between 1791 and 1805 Havana, Cuba received over 91,000 slaves.

St. Domingue imported over 800,000 African slaves between 1680 and 1776.

In 1791 St. Domingue had 7,466 plantations-

The census of 1774 recorded that 5,000 of the 7,000 female affranchis were the mistresses of Europeans.

In 1778, Puerto Rico was opened for immigration and free land was given to settlers. Immigrants arrived from Hispaniola, Venezuela, and Spain. In 1815 the real cedula de Gracias open immigration for all catholic people from Europe . Germans , French, Irish and Corsicans.

There were Dutch, Danes, Normans, French , Corsicans, Germans, Irish slaves and Irish soldiers who fought for various military regiments in Spain.

The Caribbean is full of a rich history of piracy especially among the Islands of the Caribbean. The Y-DNA of these men must and is among the population. There is also the The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 that allowed many of Corsican , French, German , Irish and Scots to settle among the Spanish governed islands.