S06EP06 - 'The Runaway' with Teresa Vega

In this Sixth episode of Series Six, host Andrew Martin meets family historian Teresa Vega and finds out how she got hooked on researching family history, how her background in anthropology has helped her research, her adventures with DNA testing to trace her Ramapough Lenape Nation ancestors, and her work on the Family Tree DNA Malagasy Roots project with TV's DNA Detective CeCe Moore.

THE LIFE STORY - ANTONIA 'TUN' SNYDER
Teresa has chosen to tell the life story of her 4x Great Grandmother, Antonia Snyder known as 'Tun', who was born circa 1790. Her mother's family had roots in Madagascar.

Teresa found an 1815 advert in a New York newspaper for a runaway slave - Tun. Crucially, this gave Teresa the key to solving her father's identity. Having found him, she was able to find her mother and siblings too.

Despite having been on the run from her enslaver, she does return to households of some of the big enslaver families in the area, where she is traded whilst having 13 children. She died in 1881.

THE BRICK WALL - ROBERT HENRY FISHER
It's a close-to-home brick wall for Teresa - her Gt Grandfather Robert Henry Fisher.  He was born circa 1898 but was legally declared dead in the 1930s after going missing.

Whilst the death is not the point of interest, it's his origins that have spawned conflicting stories and theories - one tells of him being a descendant of Jewish traders in White Plains, New York, whilst others point to a Cuban connection. 

Despite her efforts to analyse the DNA for clues about Robert's family, fascinating gaps seem to hide the answer.

• Was Fisher/Fischer actually his surname?
• Who were his parents?
• Does he descend from the Dutch merchants?

If you think that you have a clue or a research idea that could bring Teresa's brick wall crashing down, then you can contact her at the email address she gives in the episode, or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it straight on to her.

In the meantime, Teresa is keen for Andrew's help, but will he be able to get her to the right place?

- - -
Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Teresa Vega - Guest

Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.

You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:55 The Interview - Teresa Vega
• 20:19 The Life Story - Antonia 'Tun' Snyder
• 36:07 The Brick Wall - Robert Henry Fisher
• 48:14 The Departure