"Uncovering the Ancestral Network: DNA of Enslaved Iron Workers in Maryland Connects to 40,000+ Relatives"

DNA analysis of the remains of enslaved individuals buried in a cemetery at Catoctin Furnace in Maryland has revealed their ancestry and identified over 40,000 living relatives, many of whom are still in Maryland. The study found that these individuals descended from West Africa's Wolof and Mandinka peoples and Central Africa's Kongo people, with strong genetic connections to present-day populations in Senegal, Gambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The research sheds light on the lives and histories of enslaved African Americans, whose experiences within the early industrial complex of the United States have been largely overlooked. The study highlights the power of genomics in reconstructing lost familial backgrounds and aims to restore the identity of these individuals stripped by enslavement.