Hi Everyone, It's Toni Carrier from the Africana Heritage Project. I want to let you know about some exciting new research and invite you to visit the website: "Along the Manatee River on the west coast of Florida, archaeologists are searching for the remains of a maroon community of former enslaved Africans and Seminole Indians. Together they fought two wars against the United States in the early 1800s before their settlement was destroyed. Some survivors escaped to The Bahamas, where their descendants still live today. Their settlement of about 750 people thrived from 1812 until 1821 when a Lower Creek Indian war party, possibly at the behest of General Andrew Jackson, looted and burned their homes, scattering the survivors across the Florida peninsula. Some may have resettled inland, while others made their way to Cape Florida, where they sailed to safety. They left behind a community called Angola. This exodus from Angola on Florida's Gulf Coast was in the same year that Black Seminoles arrived at Red Bays on Andros Island in The Bahamas. If archaeologists unearth the lost settlement of Angola near Sarasota they could write a new chapter in the history of America and possibly make a conclusive connection between Angola and the Red Bays settlement where descendants of the early arrivals still live today. The saga of Angola is hidden in historical documents, oral histories and physical evidence that scholars are attempting to collect in a multi-disciplinary research project called "Looking for Angola." Angola is one of the most significant historical sites in Florida, if not the United States, Florida A&M University historian Canter Brown Jr., said. He is a member of the research team that is attempting to uncover artifacts, documents and oral histories to unlock the mysteries of Angola. "It illustrates the role Florida played as a refuge of freedom for slaves and their courage to get and keep their freedom," he said." Website readers are also invited to join in the search for historical documents that will shed more light on this remarkable story. To learn more about Angola or to join the search, please visit http://www.africanaheritage.com/lookingforangola.asp Best! Toni www.africanaheritage.com

Thank you for passing this most valuable information to every one , this just emphasize the struggles we as a people have had to endure. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 11:45 AM Subject: Re: The Search for a Maroon Community in Florida > Hi Everyone, > It's Toni Carrier from the Africana Heritage Project. I want to let you > know about some exciting new research and invite you to visit the website: > > "Along the Manatee River on the west coast of Florida, archaeologists are > searching for the remains of a maroon community of former enslaved Africans and > Seminole Indians. Together they fought two wars against the United States in > the early 1800s before their settlement was destroyed. Some survivors escaped to > The Bahamas, where their descendants still live today. > Their settlement of about 750 people thrived from 1812 until 1821 > when a Lower Creek Indian war party, possibly at the behest of General Andrew > Jackson, looted and burned their homes, scattering the survivors across the > Florida peninsula. Some may have resettled inland, while others made their way to > Cape Florida, where they sailed to safety. They left behind a community called > Angola. > This exodus from Angola on Florida's Gulf Coast was in the same year > that Black Seminoles arrived at Red Bays on Andros Island in The Bahamas. > If archaeologists unearth the lost settlement of Angola near Sarasota > they could write a new chapter in the history of America and possibly make a > conclusive connection between Angola and the Red Bays settlement where > descendants of the early arrivals still live today. > The saga of Angola is hidden in historical documents, oral histories and > physical evidence that scholars are attempting to collect in a > multi-disciplinary research project called "Looking for Angola." > Angola is one of the most significant historical sites in Florida, if > not the United States, Florida A&M University historian Canter Brown Jr., > said. He is a member of the research team that is attempting to uncover artifacts, > documents and oral histories to unlock the mysteries of Angola. "It > illustrates the role Florida played as a refuge of freedom for slaves and their courage > to get and keep their freedom," he said." > > Website readers are also invited to join in the search for historical > documents that will shed more light on this remarkable story. To learn more > about Angola or to join the search, please visit > http://www.africanaheritage.com/lookingforangola.asp > > Best! > Toni > www.africanaheritage.com > > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx >